Henry vii - society at the end of 15th century
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67 Terms
how had society stayed the same?
still feual system
(king - nobility - gentry - yeomen/citizens - labourers - vagrants)
(king - church - archbishops- bishops - clergymen)
how had society changed?
growth of professional and trade (mercantile) bourgeoisie
what is a bourgeoise
middle class residents of towns and cities
where were bourgeoises important?
London
norwich
bristol
when was the Black Death ?
1348-1349
impact of the Black Death
increased social mobility
caused economic pressures
how did the elite try to reduce social mobility?
tried to introduce sumptuary laws (controlled clothing worn) but this was unenforceable
where did the nobility sit in parliament?
House of Lords
how many were there in the nobility ?
50-60 men
who had the highest social status?
the nobility
what did the nobility dominate?
land ownership
what were the nobilityâs responsibilities to the king?
relied upon to maintain control and order in the countryside
why was Henry reluctant to appoint new nobility?
he was distrustful of them
examples of nobility Henry trusted
earl of Oxford
lord daubeney
only these men held much political influence over Henry
how did Henry control the nobility?
bonds and recognisances
what was the key to the nobilityâs power?
bastard feudalism
what did Henry want to limit, how did he do it, and why?
bastard feudalism
use of legislation against retaining
because the nobility could use its unlawful influence in court cases, or against the crown.
what was bastard feudalism?
where magnates recruited knights/gentlemen to serve as administrators or accountants (sometimes military purposes)
what did Henry have to be careful of with bastard feudalism?
he still needed loyal retainers for the crownâs security
what did Henry do in 1486?
made peers and MPs make an oath against illegal retaining
what was the flaw with the oath MPs/peers had to make in 1486?
it didnt specify what counted as illegal
what did Henry do in 1487?
established a law against retaining
how did Henry reinforce his law against retaining?
1504 - passed an Act where retaining licences could be sort.
where did the gentry sit in parliament?
House of Commons
who came immediately below the peerage
gentry
when did the gentry become landowners by their own rights?
15th century
what did the important gentry search for
kinghoods to confirm status
eg. Sir Reginald Bray
what did John Guy say about the gentry?
that they held 15-20% of the land
how many knights were there in 1490?
375
what was a dying obligation of the knights?
military obligations, but still assumed they would carry out administration of local duties
who were far more numerous?
esquires and âmere gentryâ
who became esquires?
eldest son of knights
youngst sons of barons/magnates/wealthy menâŚ
how did the gentry make money?
law careers and /or merchants
compare the greater gentry and mere gentry
Greater Gentry: | Mere Gentry: |
knighthood | lived more modestly |
coat of arms | social horizons were local not national |
larger income |
why was the church important?
-land ownership
-spiritual role
give the order of the church
king - archbishop - bishop - clergymen
who could sit in the House of Commons (church)?
bishops and abbots, who had political roles to undertake
what did the clergy do?
modestly rewarded for dealing with the spiritual needs of the ordinary people
how did Henry appoint bishops?
wanted them to have legal training and administrative competency (over spiritual wisdom)
give two examples of clergymen
-John Morton
-Richard Fox
who counted as commoners?
everyone else below
who were the people at the top level of the commoners know as?
âmiddling sortâ
who were the most influential people in towns/cities
lawyers
people who could read and write
(often in collaboration with merchants)
who were also respected commoners?
merchants and shopkeepers
what did shop keepers dominate
borough corporations (town councils)
played a key role in guilds and lay confraternities
who counted as the âmiddling sortâ in the countryside?
yeomen
what were yeomen?
farmed substantial properties
what did the black death reult in ?
a decreased demand and value for land, which enabled the emergence of this group
what did Joyce Younings describe yeomen as
âpleasant aristocracyâ
who came below yeomen ?
husbandmen, who kept farms smaller than yeomen
how did husbandmen supplement their income?
employment by yeomen/nobility
who comprised âpeasantsâ
husbandmen and yeomanry
what were labourersâ income dependent on?
sale of their labour
sometimes expanded through planting vegetables or exercising grazing rights (insecure)
what were regional divisions like?
relatively small and politically unified
what caused divisions ?
some due to agriculture
government structure
saintsâ cults â importance of centres on pilgrimage
where did the line across the country start/end?
Teesmouth to Weymouth
where was mixed farming carried out?
south and east
Norfolk
suffolk
kent
where was pastoral farming done?
north and west
(rearing sheep, cattle and horses)
anomalies of pastoral farming
the Fens and wood pastures in Kent and Sussex weald
anomalies of grain farming/fruit growing
Herefordshire and Welsh border countries
how did the north and south view each other
south thought north was savage
north jealous of southern riches
when did living conditions for the poor improve?
second half of 15th century
why did living conditions improve?
because real wages increased
however inflationary pressures were evident
what were real wages?
the value of income in relation to prices of goods on market (not actual money received)
when did a slight wage increase occur?
1490s
but opposite the following decade
how did England succeed?
avoided a subsistence crisis (harvest failure)
what did John guy say about Englandâs success?
âTudor Englandâs greatest success was its ability to feed itselfâ