stuarts KQ3- social & intellectual challenge

reasons for population growth

1. natural increase

2. migration

3. regional growth and expansion of london

4. marriage and family patterns

natural increase in population

mortality rates fell due to decline in plague and better containment, but fertility remained high.

migration

- foreign migration eg dutch weavers to norwich

- internal migration from countryside to towns for work, better job security- higher birth rates

- urban migration but by 1700 only 5% outside london lived in towns of over 5000

regional growth and expansion of london

london became largest city in western europe. south east densely populated but north sparsely inhabited.

marriage and family patterns

later marriages- in 1650s men married at 28 and women at 26, leading to fewer children per couple.

impact of population growth on london

london's population represented 7% of england's total. demand for goods drove economic activity, grain imports rose by 400% between 1600 and 1680. became trade, transport and government hub.

impact of population growth on provincial towns

towns with over 5000 people rose from 8 in 1600 to over 30 in 1700. bristol, colchester and norwich grew due to port trade or cloth industry and immigrant weavers.

social impact of population growth in towns

poverty and vagrancy rose, 2/3s of town dwellers near poverty line. cloth industry moved to countryside to avoid taxes, increasing urban unemployment

impact of population growth on rural life

agriculture remained dominant with 9 million acres in crops and higher demand for food. farms enclosed and amalgamated for greater efficiency so displaced smallholders became vagrants. population growth led to investment in rural transport and first toll roads in 1662 connected farms to markets.

causes of poverty growth

- population growth exceeded employment growth in rural areas

- wages fell, inflation 4% annually

- enclose of common land deprived poor of grazing rights and food sources

- urban migration increased competition for jobs in towns

settled poor

lived in one parish, often known to local authorities, around 25% of population.

vagrant poor

travelled for work/begged, seen as criminals and socially dangerous but much fewer. 0.5% arrested for vagrancy in 1630s.

servanthood

way of escaping poverty, over 50% of town workers became live-in servants. given food, clothing and shelter and mandated by law for able-bodied poor.

migration due to poverty

1/3 of each village's population left every decade in search of work in other towns, london or overseas colonies (200,000 emigrated).

consequences of rising poverty

social strain, threatening political stability. government relief limited and poorly enforced. distribution of wealth worsened when wages stagnated under inflation. poverty increasingly criminalised rather than supported.

elizabethan poor relief act

1601, introduced overseers of poor to collect and distribute poor relief taxes and send poor to poorhouses.

book of orders 1631

issued by charles i to reduce vagrancy, reinforced existing poor laws, motivated by fear of unrest, not reform. poor relief generally effective but reliant on local funding, eg food handouts by gentry like sir cholmondley.

1662 poor relief act

- limited migration and restricted access to poor relief

- poor- anyone renting property under £10 a year

- reduced mobility of labour force

- people could be returned to original parish if they became a burden within 40 days

actions against vagrants after 1662 poor relief act

vagrants could be arrested, sent to workhouses/prison or transported to colonies for 7 years. landowners destroyed empty houses to prevent poor from returning.

nobility's position in society

just below monarch, consisted of hereditary peers with titles, land and wealth. many in house of lords, but part of 2% of population with gentry but wielded disproportionate influence.

nobility wealth and power

controlled most of nation's wealth through estates and rents, held political power in government and courts and could contribute huge funds, eg marquis of newcastle gave £900,000 to charles i in 1642

decline of nobility

- inflation reduced their economic power as real value of income fell

- they were expected to spend highly to maintain status

- social mobility as wealthy gentry rivalled/surpassed some nobles

- however remained powerful, lived lavishly and dominated land ownership, patronage and local governance

key political figures of gentry

john pym, oliver cromwell and george monck

rise of gentry

numbers rose by 300% from early tudor period to mid 17th centruy and by mid 1600s there were around 15,000 who owned half of england's wealth and property- nobility only owned 15%.

role of gentry

many were JPs, constables or judges and higher gentry often MPs.

gentry controversy

hugher trevor-roper argued gentry's rise was due to political engagement not land accumulation. increased entry to law by gentry led to more gentry in parliament or privy council, and as parliament's power grew so did the gentry's. r h tawney thought rise of gentry was due to aristocratic decline, yet many lesser gentry did not engage in national politics.

rise of merchants

by 1688 there were 64,000 merchants, almost double from the previous century. socially inferior to gentry yet sometimes married into gentry. in towns they had similar powers to gentry and in rural areas they could be aldermen or mayors.

growth of london merchants

following 1650 consumer boom and improved overseas trading and navigation acts. some grew as rich as nobility and bought earldoms and land to secure aristocratic status, yet many valued money over lineage, contrasting with gentry's ideals.

growth of professional classes

lawyers, doctors, bankers etc grew due to increased demand for services from gentry and merchants. gray's inn's barristers rose from 120 to 200 barristers in 50 years, yet at the inner temple 90% of students admitted between 1600 and 1640 were from gentry and nobility, showing professions remained exclusive to upper classes.

role of women

managing households and raising children. gentry women oversaw servants whereas poorer women did physical labour.

perception of women

irrational and dangerous, ministers questioned if they had souls. the brank was used to punish gossips and 'witches' punished by hanging or burning in scotland.

growth in role of women during civil war

women took over estate management, eg brilliana harley defended her estate in herefordshire and mary banks led troops in defence of corfe castle.

changing role of women between 1649 and 1660

radical puritan women emerged in public life:

- 6000 women petitioned for peace in 1643

- 10,000 signed petition for leveller leader john lilburne to be released in 1649, but parliament dismissed these demands with sexism

religious views on women

puritanism required women to read the bible to teach children, but female education for women remained limited. quakers founded 15 schools before 1671 of which 4 accepted girls. they believed in spiritual equality and allowed women to preach in meetings and after 1650 toleration act they held separate women's meetings.

katherine chidley

leveller who refused to be churched in 1626 and was the first woman to write an english religious toleration text.

legal reforms regarding women

- adultery act 1650 allowed both sexes to be sentenced to death but disproportionately targeted women, in devon only 10% accused were men

- 1653 marriage act allowed civil marriages under JPs, bypassing church ceremonies but widely ignored as gave less control to husband

- after the 1660 restoration charles ii lifted the ban on women performing in theatre, probably due to personal interest not gender equality

fifth monarchists

believed christ would return to rule a great 5th empure after assyria, persia, greece and rome.

muggletonians

followed muggleton and reeve who claimed to be prophets preparing for christ's return.

levellers

emerged from radicalism in parliament and army after 1645, led by john lilburne, walwyn and overton. excluded women and poor on relief, leaders disagreed and lacked wide rural support. leaders imprisoned in 1649 and crushed by the rump, but ideas influenced future democratic movements.

putney debates

1647 led by colonal rainsborough, a leveller who argued for political inclusion of poor as bible didn't justify exclusion.

demands of levellers

abolishment of house of lords, sovereignty of house of commons, universal male suffrage, religious freedom and equality before the law.

ranters

appeared in 1650 and believed the elect could not sin so social rules did not apply. wanted sexual freedom, drinking and swearing but posed little real threat. suppressed by 1650 blasphemy act.

diggers

believed land should be held in common, king's land invalidated land ownership laws. began farming common land in 1649 and wanted education for both genders and abolition of monarchy and lords. led by winstanley who later became a quaker, too revolutionary movement.

failure of diggers

leaders interviewed by thomas fairfax and insulted him by refusing to remove hats. after court case they were forced off land.

seekers

emerged in 1620s, believed god existed within people so did not see the need for churches or clergy. ideas laid the foundation for quakerism.

quakers

founded in 1650, similar to seekers and preached 'inner light' of god in everyone. appealed to rural areas with weak church influence. faced harsh persecution but grew rapdily- 35,000 by 1660s. most enduring radical group.

confessional state

in 1625 government and church of england were united, one national religion enforced by state power. noncomformists rare and often accepted punishment.

collapse of confessional state 1640-1660

radical groups called for an end to divine right monarchy. support was limited but a debate began that questioned the need for a state religion. confessional state was restored in 1660 but religious toleration grew so opposition could no longer be crushed.

seeds of a secular state

some argued political loyalty didn't need shared religious beliefs, the government should focus in secular matters. james ii tried to revive confessional state but he failed due to glorious revolution.

new role of the monarchy after 1688

monarchy became subject to law, whigs and tories debated the monarch's role in church and state. religious figures like richard claridge and daniel whitby began rejecting divine right. by 1688 confessional state ended and a transition towards a secular, constitutional monarchy began.

thomas hobbes

published leviathan in 1651 with ideas that:

- human nature is selfish and power hungry

- humans should submit to authority for peace

- absolute ruler needed or there will be anarchy

john locke

believed in:

- human nature is rational and capable of cooperation

- there should be limited government with consent as humans should be free and equal

- humans can revolt if rights are violated

- inspired liberal democracy

scientific revolution

challenged traditional religious beliefs and replaced reliance on ancient religious texts with observation, experimentation and reason.

key figures in scientific revolution

- copernicus replaced geocentric model with heliocentric model

- kepler developed laws of planetary motion

- galilei had early ideas on tides and earth's rotation, opposed by catholic church for his scientific views

francis bacon

introduced baconian method of collected data, rejecting preconceived ideas and using rational observation. influenced locke and promoted rational inquiry in religion. lord falkland used baconian method to argue for religious toleration.

isaac newton

developed calculus and laws of motion, invented reflective telescope. unified heavenly and earthly physics, represented culmination of scientific revolution.

significance of scientific revolution

undermined church authority, encouraged rationalism and empiricism. laid foundations for secular society and modern science. influenced ideas of religious toleration and separation of powers.

royal society

founded in 1660 supported by charles ii. included scientists, politicians and philosophers like newton, locke and samuel pepys. they encouraged scientific method, collaboration of ideas and established the first scientific journal in 1665.

role of royal society

- promoted public engagement with science through lectures

- challenged dominance of oxbridge, who excluded noncomformists

- funded by wealthy patrons

- promoted the idea science should serve the whole public good

- boosted trust in science by 1688