Chapter 6: 4. Social and economic conditions in the mid-16th century

stability, assume, church, monarch, law and order, social mobility, land, professions, trade, marriage, economic, social

Despite rebellions in 1549, the basic _____ of the Hierarchy of Tudor England remained the same, contrary to to what historians tended to _____. The _____ hierarchy remained intact and the , helped by the ruling classes, maintained ___ ___ ____.

There was ______ _____, but it was limited. For men this was through ____ ownership, ________, and ____. For women, it was _______. Moreover, ________ status did not equal _____ status.

constant, 1%, 4,500, 1524, gentlemen, population growth, reinforce, small, 51(1547), 55(1603), 10%, cultivatable, peerages, outnumber, House of Lords, limit, Lord Burghley

👑 Nobility and Gentry

The number of nobles and gentry remained fairly _______ between 1500 and 1550. The gentry were ___ of the population or ____ families in Wolsey’s ____ survey. The number of ________(those below the gentry) increased in line ________ _____. Moreover, the redistribution of church land and the dissolution of the monasteries helped to ______ the nobility’s position, as only a _____ amount of Church land went to new landowners.

The same can be said about the number of peers, who were ___ in _____ and ___ in _____. Peers held around ____ of _______ land.

Under H8, there was a scope of social mobility as he promoted successful courtiers and soldiers to ______ in an attempt to ________ the bishops in the _____ ___ _____. However, Eliz. sought to _____ the number of new peers, with the exception of ____ _______.

fell out of favour, natural wastage

The nobility’s power remained, but there were a few families that fell because:

greater, 300 to 600, 10%

The “_____” gentry started to rival the aristocracy as the number of knights rose from ____ to ____. Knights owned slightly less than ___

educated, influenced by printing press, saw themselves as superior to “idle” nobility

Gentry increasingly became:

Black death, 2.3m(1520s), 3m(1550s), unemployment, wages, inflation, pressure on food, 50%, subsistence, harvest, 1549, wage labourers, local industries, locations, geogrpahical mobility

📉 Declining Living Standards of the 👨‍🌾Lower Classes

The ____ ____ hurt living standards in the 1400s. The population rose from ____ in the _____ to ___ in the _____, causing ______, sticky _____ failing to keep up with _______, and increased _______ __ _____ supplies. ____ of the population at _______ level so when _____ was bad in ____, there was significant suffering.

However, opportunities increased for some. _____ _______ found work in ____ ______, like mining and weaving, but this was limited to particular ________, encouraging __________ ______

1470: 1.5m, 1520s: 2.3m, 1550s: 3m, 1603: 4m

Key trends in population growth 👥

epidemics less common in 1540s then in 1551-2 and in 1556 and “58 led to fall in 1560s, possible increased immunity, bad harvests

What determined the trend rate of population growth?

1540s, good, 1537, 1542 and in 1546-8, 1550s, 1549-51 and 1554-6, coincided

Bad harvests caused by wet summers impacted the population. The population growth was at its fastest rate in the ____, following ____ harvests in _____, _____, and _____-___. Then population dipped in the _____ following bad harvests in ____-__ and _____-___. Bad harvests usually _______ with epidemics.

400% over the entire century, prices doubled in 1500-50 contributing to social unrest, prices rose most in the 1520s and 40s

What did inflation in 1500s look like?

gov spending, debasement of coinage, increased money supply(bullion influx from New World), bad harvests, land sales

Possible causes of inflation

increased spending, especially on foreign wars, increased the money supply, however, this was only a small part of national economic activity

How does gov spending explain inflation?

Wolsey in 1526-7, then in 1544 and 1551, however the ‘Great Debasement’ coincided with steep prices rises in 1540s and Eliz’s re-minting undermines this factors importance in explaining inflation in the 1590s

How does debasement of the coinage explain inflation?

bullion influxed from America increase Purchasing Power causing prices to rise, however, this only came in 1545 and mostly affect merchants and grain prices

How does increased money supply explain inflation?

shortages from poor harvest pushed prices up, however, fails to explain inflation in industry as well and shortages only temporary

How does bad harvests explain inflation?

the aristocracy’s auction fever for redistributed church land after 1530s raised land prices and rent, however, only affected the elites and fails to explain inflation for commodity goods

How does land sales explain inflation?

Modern economic, other decades, similar effects, combination, 1520s, wool than food, Debasement of the coinage, 1540s, epidemics, 1550s

Views on Population growth’s impact on inflation:

_______ _________ historians point to population growth, however, this is unconvincing, failing to explain inflation in ______ _______ and why growth in other centuries did not cause ______ _____. A __________ of factors led to inflation. ____ farmers concentrated more on _____ ____ ____ needs for the growing population. __________ ___ ___ _______ explains _____ inflation and a falling population from _______ in the _____ explains why it was less of a problem.

1552 attempt

• Beggars must register

• Unlicensed begging → whipping

The gov was slow to act against poverty, and its actions were piece meal and ill-thought out.

Statute of Artificers, 1563

• Forced work/apprenticeships

• Restricted movement

• Attempted wage control

impotent poor(unable to work due to age/disability), idle poor(fit to work but not working and seen as undeserving)

What were the two categories of poor people in the mid-1500s?

1531 act

• Impotent poor: licence to beg and fined if found without one

• Idle poor: fined and whipped for begging without licence

1536 act

• Impotent poor: raised money via voluntary contributions to assist them

• Idle poor: Whipped and fined if found without licence. Kids begging to be taken from parents and made to work

1547 act

• Impotent poor: churches responsible for raising money to support them

• Idle poor:

  • Vagrant = 3 days unemployed

  • Branded and enslaved for two years if caught begging, lifelong slavery for second offence, then death for third

1572 Poor Relief Act

• Impotent poor: Some areas started charities to assist them but this mandated donations to local authorities

• Idle poor: distinguished idle poor and unemployed

1576 act

Set up Houses of Correction to punish those who refused to work

1597 and 1601 Poor Law Act

• Confirmed compulsory poor rate

• Set up pauper apprenticeships for boys and girls

• Increased number of Houses of Correction

• Vagrants still treated harshly

• Impotent poor to be provided for in alms houses/poorhouses

limited as in practice more help given by charity than compulsory levies, but there was no serious rebellions like in the mid-1500s and less food riots

How effective were Elizabethan Acts of Parliament in combatting poverty?

society remained stable with an exaggeration of the scale of problems by historians

Was there a “Mid-Tudor Crisis”?