1.10 society Flashcards
Growth: Provide some evidence that the Nobles were better off under Henry?
-The size of the nobility increased, with 9 new peers at the end of his reign. Edward Seymour, for example, became Earl of Hertford. By 1547, there were 51 peers.
-Suffolk was endowed property in Lincolnshire, and John, Baron Russell, was raised to peerage & given lands in Devon.
-2 new Dukes were created by Henry, primarily for the military success.
Growth: Provide some evidence that the Nobles experienced no change/decline?
-Thomas Fiennes, Baron Dacre of the South, was tried for murder in 1541 & hanged. This humiliating death suggests that Henry was not concerned with bettering their postion.
-The Duke of Buckingham was executed for vague charges of treason in 1521.
-Henry Pole Baron Montague & Henry Courtenay, the King’s relatives, were executed in 1538.
-Margaret Pole Countess of Salisbury was attained for treason, and held in the tower for 2 years before being executed.
-The numbers of new peers were offset by ‘natural wastage’ and the number of attainders.
-Nobles held 10% of the land available for cultivation.
Growth: Provide some evidence that the Gentry were better off under Henry?
-By 1540, there were 5000 gentry families, and 200 knightly families in 1524.
-Heralds were unwilling to grant the title of esquire to those with lands worth less than £10pa, which implies that there was growing wealth among gentry, as the title had to become more protected.
-Many gentry underwent legal training.
-Knights owned 8% of cultivated ares by E’s reign, just less than the nobility.
Growth: Provide some evidence that the Gentry experienced no change/decline?
-Gentry were drawn into unpaid crown internships.
-Many gentry/noble families died out/became impoverished. In Yorkshire, 181 families became extinct in the male line, 64 left the country, and 30 vanished w/o trace.
-Under Henry VII, middling-lesser gentry had held 25% of cultivated land. This reduced to 15-20% under VIII.
-The terms ‘gentleman’ and ‘gentility’ lacked any legal precision, so don’t actually suggest any significant great influence.
