1 The Political Nation

Who were the Political Nation?

the people in early modern Britain who had political, social and economic influence

What gave the Political Nation political and social power?

their wealth

When did James I rule?

1603 - 1625

Give three words to describe James` personality

pragmatic, open and communicative

When did Charles I rule?

1625 - 1649

Give three words to describe Charles` personality

provocative, uncommunicative, rigid

How old was Charles when he became heir to the throne?

11

What was Charles' older brother called?

Henry

Which of James' children was viewed as suitable to be king?

Henry was viewed by the PN as the model prince

How old was Henry when he died?

18

What is prerogative power?

the power of the crown, based on the idea of the divine right of kings

What did the monarch have power over as part of his prerogative? (4)

foreign diplomacy, declaration of war, legislation (calling and dissolving parliament), religion

What other roles did the monarch have as part of his prerogative?

head of state, head of church of england, commander in chief of the army

What was the limit to the power of the monarch and why?

finance, as the limits of the monarch's power forced them to turn to parliament for sufficient funds

What did financial need prevent the monarch from becoming?

absolutist

Why could the income of the monarch not meet expenses?

due to a century of inflation and rising prices

Who did the monarch have to turn to for money?

parliamentary subsidies

What is a subsidy?

a form of economic support for a particular undertaking

In what form did the Crown subsidy come?

it came in the form of parliamentary taxation, with a tax on land and other forms of property

Why was parliament usually reluctant to vote for subsidies?

the money would have to be raised by taxing the Political Nation

Whose interests did MPs usually represent? (4)

the people who voted for them - the landed aristocracy and gentry, and lawyers and bankers

What did limited availability of parliamentary subsidies force monarchs to do?

exploit prerogative income

What is prerogative income?

money received by the monarch due to their position

What are the three main forms of prerogative income?

crown lands, customs duties, feudal duties

Describe how income was gained from crown lands

the crown had land which it sold or rented out

Why was income from crown lands limited?

income was reduced because the leases were long and at a fixed rent, so they couldn't update rents in line with inflation

Describe how income was gained from customs duties

the crown gained money from taxes from goods imported into the country

Describe how income was gained from feudal dues

the crown had the right to control an estate that was inherited by a heir under the age of 21

Describe how income could be gained very quickly from customs duties

the crown could temporarily sell the right to collect taxes from imported goods

Why did prerogative income raise concerns in Parliament?

they feared the monarch could become financially self-sufficient and not need parliament

As well as finance, what was the limit on the development of absolutism?

the monarch needed the PN to help control the general population and ensure that both central and local governments could function

How many paid officials did the crown have?

fewer than 2000

What was the political nation responsible for? (4)

collecting taxes, training the militia, enforcing laws and conducting trials

Why was there a blurred nature to the English political system?

there was no written constitution that documented the rules by which the state was run

What made up the constitution? (5)

parliamentary laws, common law, documents, custom and tradition

Give an example of a famous document that was part of the constitution

magna carta

What was the disadvantage of an unwritten constitution?

open to interpretation, this could be abused

What was the advantage of an unwritten constitution?

open to interpretation, enabled compromise

What groups made up the Political Nation?

aristocracy, lesser gentry, pseudo-gentry

How many people were living in England in 1603?

4,110,000

How many peers were there by 1640?

120

What was a peer?

a member of the house of lords

How many gentry were there by 1640?

20,000

How much of the adult population was part of the PN?

1 in 200

What was the minimum requirement of being part of the PN in terms of annual income?

had to earn 40 shillings a year

How did MPs become MPs?

they were selected by members of the PN rather than actually elected

What is a patriarchal society?

a society dominated and controlled by men

What is patriarchalism?

a popular 17th century belief that god gave power to fathers and male monarchs could be seen as fathers to their people

What happened to the population between 1500 and 1650?

nearly doubled

What consequences did the growth in population lead to? (5)

price inflation, food shortage, land shortage, unemployment, greater reliance on state for poor relief

When were there harvest failures?

1620s

What was the great chain of being?

the idea of an ordered society set in place by god, encouraging people to accept their place in society and not challenge the social order

What happened to the social hierarchy as a result of price inflation, unemployment etc?

the poor got poorer and the rich got richer

What is paternalism?

the idea that it is the fatherly duty of those above others in society to look after the interests of those beneath them

Describe the economy in one word

agrarian (based on agriculture)

How much money did some London merchants make compared to some aristocrats?

London merchants could make as much as 100,000 a year while some aristocracy could make as little as 200 a year