HVIII - SOC

What happened to the nobility over the course of Henry’s reign?

the size of the nobility increased during his reign, but by the end of his reign, there were only nine more peers than there had been at the start.

What was natural wastage and how did it work?

he creation of peers had been balanced by 'natural wastage' and the no. of nobles attained against. When Henry came to the throne, England only had one duke: the Duke of Buckingham, who never enjoyed royal favour. He promoted others to the ducal titles of Norfolk and Suffolk

Why were Norfolk and Suffolk promoted?

Norfolk to restore him to his father's former title and Suffolk was promoted due to the closeness of his relationship to the King

Why did Henry give nobles property (and example)?

Henry sometimes gave nobles property so that they could exert influence in areas e.g. Suffolk was given Lincolnshire property after the rebellion there of 1536. ​

What were nobles expected to do?

Nobles were expected to have great households and welcome those of a higher status or neighbours. Noble households were also important for maintaining local influence and recruiting royal armies.

What was society like when henry inherited the throne?

Henry VIII inherited a society where very little had been done to address socio-economic problem

Why is Tudor England seen as the ‘age of the gentry’

This is often linked to the relative stability the Tudors brought, as while there were rebellions and revolts, open war and conflict was not an issue in this period.

here was land transference on an enormous scale thanks to the dissolution of the monasteries and the seizure of church land. Many men could acquire land for the first time and others could increase their existing holdings

What did both Wolsey and cromwell wish to do to the nobility?

. Both Wolsey and Cromwell wanted to reign in the nobility to a degree, seeking to “swear them in” as servants to the king on a super numeracy (stand by) basis. By 1538 there were 263 of these

What does Guy say about the gentry?

John Guy has suggested there were about 5000 gentry families in 1540. The no. of gentry increased in Henry's reign.

What did the increase in JP’s cause?

The increase in the no. of JPs also increased the no. of gentry who participated in local administration. Many members of the gentry were drawn into unpaid administration on behalf of the Crown.

What were the crown’s administrators initially like?

Traditionally, the Crown's local administrators had been clergymen but increasingly they were laymen whose office holding often generated the income to bring about landownership and the gentry status.

What happened to commoners in the first half of Henry’s reign?

there was little change in the living standards of commoners. 

What happened to real wages?

But, the rise in inflation caused real wages to fall which contributed to the ill feeling felt by many towards the Amicable Grant. 

What happened to the social structure under Henry?

The social structure remained unchanged as many had few possessions and little chance of secure employment. Government were always alarmed about these people in society because although full-scale rebellion was rare, outbreaks of disorder were more common. 

How did Cromwell attempt social reform?

. He passed the Act of Liberties and Franchises (1536) which drastically limited the local anomalies. It prevented religious (ecclesiastical) or feudal officials from interfering with sheriffs of JPS performing their legal duties within their jurisdictions.​Regardless of these reforms, the balance of power at a county level remained with the landowners who frequently served as sheriffs or JPs

What does Guy say about the revolution in government?

t therefore the so called “revolution” in government changed nothing as at a local level there was no revolution

How did Cromwell address socio-economic reforms?

Intellectuals had been calling for “commonwealth” measures, measure that would provide social and economic justice for all of the King’s subjects In 1531 and 1532 acts were passed to fix the prices of certain foodstuffs at a reasonable level and another act in 1533 attempted o created the machinery for determining fair food prices. Unfortunately this was nearly impossible to enforce and the act was eventually repealed in 1542

What does Morris say about Cromwell and commonwealth ideas?

Morris (1998) argues that Cromwell had some sympathy with commonwealth ideas and promoted many of the bills before Parliament containing them.

How big of a problem were vagabonds?

Vagabonds had been an increasing problem during the reign of Henry VII and this continued throughout the reign of Henry VIII

How did Cromwell deal with vagabonds?

Cromwell created what became known as the first Tudor Poor Law, The Vagabonds Act in 1531. From his own house alms (money, charity) and foodstuffs were distributed to the London poor. Sources suggest that up to 200 people came every day for the support Cromwell offered.​

How did the 1531 vagabonds act work?

clear distinction is made between those who were unable to work and those deemed unwilling to work. The first group of people were given a licence to beg and the second group were punished in the usual manner. The JP’s were responsible for managing this. No real provision was made for those who were unable to work and they still had to rely on alms from churches or charity from generous merchants

What did Cromwell do to the Vagabond act in 1536?

strengthened the Act and made significant improvements. One of the biggest changes was that parishes now legally had to care for the poor. It also effectively ordered JPs and Sheriffs to carry out alms collections or the poor, to provide charity work for the weak and helpless, but also provide material for the idle and the able bodied to work, so that they could make their own living. Every parish had to appoint two overseers of the poor to administer and collect the money contributed then to ensure that those who received it would not resort to begging, which carried harsher punishments. The overseers were also given the additional, onerous task of accounting for what they had received and distributed.​

How easy was Wales to control initially?

Maintaining law and order in the Welsh Marches was essential in order that the revolution in church and state could occur between 1529 and 1536.  Wales had been fairly easy to control previously given that Henry VII was Welsh and had ensured that he had rewarded his Welsh supporters.  Cromwell anticipated some resistance to religious changes

How did Cromwell govern Wales?

Cromwell became active in restoring good governance in Wales, as demonstrated when all felons were prevented from crossing the River Severn to and from South Wales and the Forest of Dean. Other acts were passed to increase the likelihood of juries convicting defendants, as sheriffs had struggled in the past to persuade them to return guilty verdicts

How did the franchises act impact Wales?

The Franchises Act of 1536 was an important constitutional amendment to bring the administration of the Welsh shires into line with England. It effectively abolished any rights that the semi-autonomous lords had held there before. Ives (2007) suggests that this is powerful evidence of a deliberate Crown policy to move towards a sovereign unitary state. This is supporting by Loades (2013) who argues that Cromwell effectively merged Wales into England, reducing the Marcher Lordships into the counties of Denbigh, Montgomery, Radnor, Brecknock and Monmouth

How did Henry use the offices in Ireland?

Henry VIII used Irish offices as rewards for his courtiers, for example, the appointment of Sir Thomas Kite as Archbishop of Armagh in 1513 and the admission to court of Sir Thomas Boleyn.

What is the link between the Boleyns and Ireland?

The Boleyn’s laid claim to the Ormonde inheritances, making them serious rivals to the Kildare’s (the family more or less in charge of Ireland at this time, serving as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for several generations). Thomas Boleyn raised even higher in court due to his daughters having the king’s favour, and eventually Anne becoming queen and mother to Princess Elizabeth.

What was henry’s relation with Kildare like?

Henry replaced the Earl of Kildare in 1519 with Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and future Duke of Norfolk. Ellis (1985) argues that Surrey’s arrival in Ireland in 1520 with an army effectively restored royal authority over the whole island and represented a fit of reforming energy on the part of the King. This expedition cost approximately 13,000 pounds and served to break the power of the Kildares. Piers Butler, Earl of Ormonde succeeded Surrey in 1522 shifting the reliance of the crown onto Kildare’s rivals. It was cheaper for Henry to rely on them as they could draw on their own resources, rather than the crown’s.

What was the conclusion with Ireland?

After several rebellions, changes in personnel and still no satisfactory solution to the governance of Ireland, Thomas Cromwell began interfering in Irish administration to ensure that the officials appointed were loyal to him rather than the Kildares. This coincided with Henry’s attempts to divorce Catherine of Aragon

What was the Earl of Kildare’s view on religious changes?

The Earl of Kildare was arrested after making it clear that he would not permit any reformation of the Church to take place in Ireland and died in the Tower of London in 1534

How did rebellion start in Ireland?

Rebellion spread throughout Ireland, led by Kildare’s son, 'Silken' Thomas Kildare.   Henry ordered a military response led by William ‘Gunner’ Skeffington who was put in charge of besieging Maynooth Castle, the headquarters of Kildare’s military power

How did the irish rebellion continue?

By February 1537 Silken and five of his uncles were executed at Tyburn and Ireland had surrendered to the King. By 1538 the legal reformation of the Irish Church was complete with the dissolution of the monasteries. Many Gaelic leaders took English titles (e.g. lord) in submission to the king with the hope or regaining ancestral lands that they could pass to their elder sons. This was known as “Surrender and re-grant”. However this policy created further problems as land belonged to kin, not the person elected to the head of the family and so attempts to impose English traditions onto Irish families was limite

How was the irish rebellion come to a close?

In June 1541 under the new Lord Deputy, Sir Anthony St. Leger, a new direction in Irish policy was established. An Act of the Irish parliament saw the ancient medieval lordship of Ireland constitutionally changed by declaring Henry VIII King Of Ireland. This had been taken as the title “Lord if Ireland” had been granted by the papacy to Henry II in the 12th century and the Kildare’s had used this to challenge the English crown, arguing that Henry’s rejection of the papacy meant that he no longer had claim to Ireland. The Act was significant in establishing the English monarchy’s independent claim to the lands in Ireland

Dicken’s view on social impacts of the reformation?

the Reformation was in fact a reformation from below due to the anti-clericalism held by the public and the popularity of Lollardy. This led to swift and easy changes according to him

Elton’s view on social impacts of the reformation?

saw it as an aspect of greater reform that came from above, namely from Cromwell. Elton sees the Reformation as a political act rather than a religious once, arguing that the church was “nationalised” (accepted at the centre and imposed on the localities).

Duffy’s view on social impacts of the reformation?

argue that Catholicism still retained the support of the majority of English people and therefore that it was slow to take effect and met considerable opposition.

What were most peole worried about within the reformation?

Most people were not concerned with the diplomatic or constitutional consequences of the Reformation, but with the changes at a local level in their local churches, shrines, religious houses and in the provisions of the rites of passage such as baptism and weddings.

What was the progress of the reformation like?

varied from place to place. Broadly speaking, southern aeras with their closer proximity to universities, the capital and the court were more susceptible to protestant and reformist ideas. But you cannot make generalisation because it seems that Catholicism survived in Sussex and Norfolk well into the 1570s. The evangelical efforts of preachers in places such as Latimer in Bristol and Price in the Severn valley can be deemed responsible for the easier spread of ideas there.​

What did the disolution of the monastries cause fears of

This provoked fears that an attack on parish churches would follow – the most important consequence of this was the Pilgrimage of Grace. This religious upheaval also had long-lasting social consequences: ​

Why was the sale of the church land not helpful?

A lot of Church land was taken by the Crown – this should have made Henry more powerful but his foreign policy in his final years caused the widespread sale of Church land, often at knock-down prices.  ​

What happened to education under the reformation?

Many monasteries provided education so most monastic schools were also lost.

What happened to unemployment under the reformation?

Many monks and nuns became unemployed – some monks could become secular priests or could receive pensions, but the position of nuns was precarious.  ​

What did some parishes and monastries do, how is this importnat?

they offered employment and business opportunities. Some major monastic churches, like Durham, were the cathedrals of their diocese so many served as the local parish church. Some communities went to lengths to protect their monasteries e.g. in Hexham, royal commissioners couldn't begin the dissolution due to a gathering of armed men.