Untitled Flashcard Set

Society: churchmen, nobles and commoners; regional division; social discontent and rebellions

From Medieval Society to Early Modern Society (Tudor England)

Medieval society before the Tudor period

Dominance of the Roman Catholic Church

Medieval life revolved around the Roman Catholic Church, which shaped beliefs, education, charity and explanations of the world
Church provided: Healthcare through monasteries and convents, education (especially for boys) and charity for the poor
The Church had a strict, linear hierarchy: Pope -> cardinals -> archbishops -> bishops -> priests -> monks/nuns
It was extremely wealthy (people gave the church a lot of money for prayers/monuments). Money collected would go back to rome but some would go back into society for schools, medical care and helping the homeless)
Clergy varied in education, some were highly educated and some were not
Money is

Tudor society and the Great Chain of being

Tudor society was organised according to the Great Chain of Being, which taught that God placed everyone in a fixed social order, although it is less rigid than in Spain/France, it was still highly stratified. The closer that someone was to the top, the richer and more influential they were

The church reinforced the idea that social position in life was God-given, but it was interesting that the church was also the easiest place to be recognised and rise through the ranks. It was through the church that some men who were born poor could become very rich and powerful – as people respected the church a lot

People’s loyalty was divided – do I follow what the pope says? Do what the king says?
While social mobility was possible though difficult, those who achieved it were resented by the established nobility. For example, a yeoman could buy a coat of arms and become gentlemen
There was an emerging middle class bourgeoise (lawyers, merchants etc)
In the 16th century most of the English population lived in rural areas. However, there was urban growth due to expansion of trade, mining of coal, lead and iron production
As England grew more and more prosperous, life became more and more comfortable for the upper and middle class leading to an increase in population – in the 15th century the population of england may have been 2 and a half million, rose steadily during the 16th century. By 1525 it had risen to around 3 million and by 1600 it was about 4 million (while the increase in population suggested a certain affluence in society, it also lead to more poverty as work was harder to come by)
Strip farming was the main medieval agricultural system, and cottage industries (small-scale, home based production systems where families worked from their cottages to create goods) produced textiles such as wool and lace
Yeomen owned land, sometimes as wealthy as gentlemen but worked aside their own labourers. Tenant farmers leased their land from the rich, while wage labourers were very poor and often illiterate
In the 16th century, about 50 percent of the population lived at subsistence level (only having enough money to sustain themselves and their family). They had only enough food, clothes and shelter to survive
Farmers paid tithes to the Church (in crops or money)

Factors of change and Social mobility

The introduction of the printing press to England by William Caxton in 1476 gradually brought about a more literate and print-oriented culture (increased literacy and spreading new ideas)
Period also saw accelerating urbanisation and an economy in which monetary wealth was less synonymous with the ownership of land -> effect of encouraging social mobility both geographically and hierarchically
As a result many ideas about social institutions which had been inherited from the middle ages were actively questioned and debated at a level not seen before. While ideas were not abandoned completely, they were inevitably transformed
This does not mean everyone suddenly rises up the ranks, but it is clear that it is more than before

Social structure in Tudor England

The monarch was the head of the Tudor society

Head of society, ruled by divine right

An archbishop was very powerful
The church maintained control
Yeomen farmed the land (craftsmen were NOT classified as yeoman)
Labourers worked for citizens
Tudor society was extremely stratified
Vagrants (homeless people) were at the bottom of Tudor society, were beggars and there was laws given about these people

Economic development: trade, exploration, prosperity and depression

Trade’s importance to Henry

Links between country

Trade strengthened diplomatic and commercial links

Exploiting commercial interests to serve his dynastic needs

Henry used trade bans and privileges to pressure foreign rulers into withdrawing support for Yorkist Claimants

Encourage growth in shipping, exports and exploration

Henry supported early exploration to expand trade routes, boost England’s prestige

State of the economy in 15th Century England

England was an agricultural nation with the vast majority of the population involved in farming
Industry was dominated by wool and cloth
While England was a trading nation, the profits were not a major source of income for the crown. Henry earned more from feudal dues, bonds and recognisances etc than custom duties
Most trade was internal or coastal
London was the biggest city, and there were hundreds of small market towns
Henry VII had no economic policy, but he was active in economic matters when it affected royal revenue and security (eg when trade affected diplomacy, affected his income etc)
He focused on coinage and trade, but made few structural changes (adjusted rates of tunnage and poundage, reforming the coinage – introduced the sovereign coin)
His goal was stability, not innovation

The cloth trade under Henry VII

Background

Cloth made up around 90 percent of England’s exports during Henry VII’s reign
The Merchant Adventurers controlled most of the trade. They transported cloth and returned to England with other goods
Henry wanted to shift England away from exporting raw wool and towards exporting finished cloth which brought in more profit and strengthened the domestic industry

1489 Act

Foreign merchants were forbidden from buying English cloth until the English had all they wanted. It was also illegal for foreigners to buy wool for manufacture outside of England.
By the end of his reign, raw wool exports fell by 30 percent, and finished cloth exports rose by about 60 percent

Burgundy and the cloth trade

Burgundy was the main centre for the cloth trade, but relations were strained at time
In 1493, Henry imposed a trade embargo on Burgundy (economically damaging, politically necessary)
1496 Intercursus Magnus restores trade after Burgundy withdrew support for Warbeck, gave English merchants the right to trade freely throughout Burgundy except Flanders
1506 Intercursus Malus as part of the Treaty of Windsor. Extremely favourable to England, but was never implemented

Relationship was equally as inconsistent as both sides use trade as a diplomatic bargaining chip

Relationships with France

1487 France imposed restrictions on trade after Henry backed Breton independence against French ambitions.
1492 both countries agreed to reduce restrictions on trade as part of the Treaty of Etaples
1495 France ended all restrictions on English trade to secure English neutrality in the Italian Wars

Relationships with the Hanseatic league

The Hanseatic league was a league of German states who dominated trade in the Baltic Area

Henry’s aims

Reduce Hanseatic dominance in English trade
Avoid provoking them into support a rebellion (Yorkist pretenders etc)

Key actions

1485/1489 Navigation Acts: English merchants had to use English ships if available, even if foreign ships were cheaper
Initially restored the Hanse’s privileges of not paying duty on goods exported from England, but later challenged them by not punishing English attacks on Hanse ships, and restricted export of unfinished cloth
They also tried to trade directly with Northern Europe — 1489 treaty with Denmark meant that English Ships could trade directly and fish in Danish water
1504 U turn: Restored all Hanseatic privileges because Henry feared they might support the Earl of Suffolk — shows Henry’s pragmatism, trade policy always served dynastic security

Relationships with Italy

Background: Italy was not a unified country at this time, did not all speak one language

Henry wanted to challenge Venice’s monopoly on trade with the Middle East
Venice is incredibly powerful, dominated all trade coming from Europe and the Middle East (at this point the Ottoman empire is starting to build)
In 1490 Henry set up a wool staple in Pisa, restricted supplies of English wool to Venice and started direct trade with the Levant (The Ottoman Empire)
Imposed tariffs on venetian wine
Finally Venice eventually allowed English merchants to trade in the Levant as they were concerned that they would have no supply of English wool

In Conclusion,

Exploration

Hugely expensive, risky and uncertain, but had the potential to bring in massive wealth, new trade routes, discovery of valuable resources and prestige
Spain and Portugal dominated exploration at this time, so England was a late starter

Christopher Columbus approached Henry VII for funding around 1488, while Henry was interested his council argued that Columbis had underestimated the size of the ocean
Therefore Henry turned it down as he was pragmatic
1497. Henry VII sponsored John Cabot who sailed from Bristol. He aimed to find a shorter route to Asia but landed in North America, in Newfoundland

Dual motivations

For the Merchants of Bristol the primary objective was to find new, profitable fishing grounds not controlled by the Hanseatic League
For Henry the goal was to find new lands that could bring in wealth

In 1498 A second larger expedition

In 1508, Sebastian Cabot set out to find a Northwest passage around the North American landmass to Asia.