10-English society in the reign of Henry VIII

The Peerage

  • Size of Peerage:

    • Increased overall, but only by nine peers at the end of Henry’s reign.

    • Growth offset by “natural wastage” (titles dying with their holders) and by attainders.

  • New Peers:

    • Achieved rank through royal service and close family relationships.

      • Example: Edward Seymour (Henry’s brother-in-law) became Earl of Hertford.

    • Henry promoted only two dukes:

      • Duke of Norfolk: Restored to his father’s title.

      • Duke of Suffolk: Promoted due to his closeness with Henry.

  • Role of Nobles:

    • Expected to maintain large households and offer hospitality to their affinity and neighbors.

    • Nobles who became too powerful attracted royal suspicion:

      • Example: Duke of Buckingham executed in 1521 for vague treason charges.

  • Use of Nobles for Royal Authority:

    • Nobles received property to extend royal influence in specific regions:

      • Suffolk: Granted property in Lincolnshire after the 1536 rebellion and ordered to move there.

      • Baron Russell: Endowed with lands in Devon to bolster authority in the Southwest.

  • Control Over Nobility:

    • Nobility’s influence was critical for local administration and military recruitment:

      • Example: Earl of Shrewsbury raised over 4,000 men for the 1513 invasion of France.

    • Bastard feudalism persisted but was increasingly brought under royal control:

      • Thomas Fiennes, Baron Dacre, executed in 1541 for murder, treated like a common criminal.

The Gentry

  • Size and Status:

    • ~5,000 gentry families by 1540 (John Guy’s estimate).

    • Knighthoods conferred as a sign of royal favor:

      • ~200 knightly families in 1524.

  • Titles and Wealth:

    • Esquires were gentlemen entitled to bear a coat of arms.

    • By 1530, heralds required:

      • Land worth £10/year.

      • Goods worth at least £300.

  • Growth and Roles:

    • Gentry numbers increased with rising administrative needs:

      • Growth in the number of Justices of the Peace (JPs).

      • Many gentry took unpaid roles for the Crown, gaining local prestige.

    • Sons of gentry often received legal training to enhance their administrative roles.

  • Shift in Administration:

    • Clergy were increasingly replaced by laymen as local administrators.

    • Officeholding generated income, leading to landownership and gentry status.

Commoners

  • Standard of Living:

    • Little dramatic change in living standards during the early reign.

    • Inflation led to a drop in real incomes, contributing to resentment:

      • Example: Opposition to the Amicable Grant.

  • Social Structure:

    • Vast majority had few possessions and little chance of secure employment.

    • Governments feared unrest among commoners:

      • Full-scale rebellions were rare, but local disorder was common.

Regional Divisions and Policies

Regional Divisions

  • Tudor society was divided by class, title, and region.

  • Local loyalties often stronger than national ones.

Creating a Unitary State

  • Wales:

    • Before 1536:

      • Separate territory with marcher lordships and no unified administration.

    • Changes under the Laws in Wales Act (1536):

      • Divided Wales into shire counties like England.

      • Gave Wales representation in the House of Commons.

      • Integrated Wales into England’s legal framework.

    • Administration increasingly handled by anglicized Welsh gentry.

  • English Palatinates:

    • Lancashire, Cheshire, and Durham were technically separate jurisdictions:

      • Durham: Palatinate jurisdiction exercised by the bishop.

      • 1536 Act Resuming Liberties to the Crown reduced independence but preserved some local courts.

Border Administration

  • Anglo-Welsh Border:

    • Governed by the Council of Wales and the Marches (based in Ludlow).

    • Offered cheap, local access to law.

  • Anglo-Scottish Border:

    • Difficult to police due to remoteness and lawlessness:

      • Frequent cattle rustling and violence.

    • Border split into three marches, each under a warden’s jurisdiction:

      • Local nobles risked exploiting office for personal gain.

      • Outsiders or newly promoted nobles often appointed for loyalty to the King.

  • Council of the North:

    • Re-established as a permanent body based in York after the 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace.

    • Played a key role in maintaining order during the 1549 rebellions.

Social Impact of Religious Upheaval

Early Church:

  • Pre-1530s, the Church fulfilled the spiritual needs of most people.

  • Improvements in clergy quality noted in early 16th century.

  • Cardinal Wolsey dissolved some monasteries to fund education.

Religious Changes in the 1530s:

  • Henry VIII’s break with Rome established the Church of England.

  • Cromwell’s reforms attacked Catholic practices:

    • Holy days, pilgrimages, and veneration of relics.

  • Dissolution of monasteries:

    • Resulted in the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536 rebellion in northern England).

Consequences of Religious Changes:

  • Church land was taken by the Crown:

    • Much sold off cheaply to fund wars, enriching landowning gentry.

  • Loss of monastic education and employment for monks and nuns.

  • Some communities resisted dissolution, such as at Hexham in Northumberland.