context during the tudor period

What informal institutions supported Tudor monarchs and how did they influence authority?

• Monarchy functioned as a personal institution, justified by divine right.

• Depended on nobility and gentry for military protection and local governance.

• Royal Court acted as an informal power hub, offering patronage and influence to loyal supporters.

• Royal Household handled the monarch’s domestic and administrative needs.

• Privy Chamber housed the monarch and family, giving select gentlemen close physical access to the king.

• Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were usually low‑status and politically weak, limiting their formal influence.

• These informal networks (Court, Household, Privy Chamber) shaped who gained access, favour, and political influence.

Formal Governance and Political Control

• Privy Council

• Parliament

• Justices of the Peace (JPs).

• Ultimate authority remained with the monarch, who controlled appointments and could summon/dismiss institutions.

Privy Council

• Hand‑picked by the monarch.

• Advised on central administration, policy, and security.

• Functioned as a judicial body, especially in matters of state.

Parliament

• Summoned only when the monarch needed it (e.g., taxation, war funding, major legislation).

• Made up of House of Lords (nobility + bishops) and House of Commons (gentry + burgesses).

• Influenced finance, religious change, and law‑making, though power was limited by royal control.

Justices of the Peace (JPs)

• Local gentry appointed by the Crown.

• Enforced law and order, oversaw poor relief, and implemented royal policy in counties.

• Crucial for maintaining everyday governance across England.

How did social class affect loyalty and rebellion during the Tudor period?

• Nobility (40–60 families)

  • Major landowners; advised the monarch; enforced laws.

  • Politically powerful but vulnerable to royal favouritism, exclusion, or punishment.

• Gentry

  • Educated, rising class; active in local government (e.g., JPs).

  • Less likely to rebel due to status, responsibilities, and loyalty to the Crown.

• Yeomen & Artisans

  • Prosperous, respected; owned or rented land; skilled workers.

  • Had a stake in social stability, making rebellion unlikely.

• Peasants (≈40% of population)

  • Poor, often illiterate; heavy labourers with few rights.

  • More prone to rebellion but lacked organisation and resources.

• Vagrants & Beggars

  • Homeless, unemployed; socially marginalised.

  • Little political influence and not central to organised rebellion