1. The Political Nation And The Social Basis Of Power Flashcards
Describe the term “Political Nation”
Refers to those people in early modern Britain who has economic, political and social influence
Who was the head of the Political Nation?
The monarch
How long did James I reigned for?
1603-1625
How long did Charles I reign for?
1665 - 1649
What does prerogative mean?
The power of the crown, derived from the idea that the divine right to rule is given by God to monarchs.
What did the monarchs prerogative give them power to?
- Foreign diplomacy, as head of state
- Declaration of war, as commander of the military
- Legislation, through the right to call and dissolve Parliament
-Religion, as supreme Governor of the Church of England
The character and personalities of each monarch did much to..
shape the period and the monarch’s relationship with the rest of the Political Nation, particularly through the institution of Parliament
1603 - Elizabeth I, died childless…
James succeeded to the English throne as King James I
As a successful ruler, James I
was pragmatic and practical enough to realise that he needed to work with Parliament. He did however dissolve Parliament several times in frustration during his reign
Charles was temperamentally…
unsuited to kingship and was unprepared for the role. He did not get along with Parliament.
Such was the extent of the powers held by monarchs that they were almost absolutists, which meant that…
they could rule freely with unrestricted political power
Finances lay at the root of the monarch’s power, and the limits on the monarchs’ income prevented them from becoming truly absolutists. A century of inflation, meant that….
English monarchs increasingly found that their income could not meet their expenses, especially in relation to foreign policies such as warfare and international diplomacy
Substanial funds could only be raised through…
parliamentary subsidies
Parliament was normally reluctant to vote for subsidies because…
the money would have to be raised by the taxing of the Political Nation
Members of Parliament tended to only represent them e.g. the landed aristocracy and gentry, as well as wealthy lawyers and merchants. This was because …
only wealthy had to pay a prerogative income, which was money received due to their position as monarch
The limited availability of parliamentary subsides therefore…
forced monarchs to exploit their prerogative income, which was money received due to their position as monarch
Define crown lands
The crown had sold much land or rented it out on long leases at a fixed rent, thus their income was reduced because they couldn’t update rents in line with inflation
Define custom duties
Taxes from goods imported into the country. The crown could also temporarily sell the right to collect such taxes to raise funds quickly
Define Parliamentary subsidy
Funds approved by Parliament for emergencies such as war
Define Feudal dues
The crown had the right to control an estate that was inherited, by ancient right, by an heir under the age of 21
Prerogative income also raised concerns in Parliament because…
if monarch became financially self-sufficient, then that monarch could establish themselves as absolute, meaning they did not need parliament as all.
Parliament’s control of significant financial resources was the key limit on…
the development of an absolute monarchy in England.
Another limit on the development of absolutism was that..
the monarch needed the political nation to help control the general population
The monarch relied on members of the political nation to ensure that…
both central and local government could function
