4 - English Society at the end of the 15th Century Flashcards
How did the Black Death impact English society in 1485?
The Black death had reduced the number of peasants, so they could demand a better income. This created the middling class.
What factors could make the nobles important?
- influence/ relationship with the king
- land and money
- title
- influence on lower classes
- skills/ use to society
- religious influence
How important were the nobles to English society in Henry VII’s reign?
- lots of money and land
- strong influence on king
- weak influence on others
- henry relied on them to be his eyes in areas outside of London
How did Henry change land ownership?
- controlled more by gentry than traditional magnates
- local gentry ran Henry’s affairs
- created a closer relationship between king and gentry
What did changes to land ownership enable?
- gentry more influential than nobles
- complete crown control
- gentry loyal to Henry
How did Henry’s attitude towards the Willoughby family change?
Robert Willoughby I:
- appointed to part of household
- he had fought with him at Bosworth
- steward of duchy of lancaster manors
- accompanied Henry on tour
Robert Willoughby II:
- forced to pay fines on his father’s possessions he took over
- lost land his father gained through the attainder of Bodrugan
- had to give a £500 bond to keep the peace
- driven to bankruptcy by the crown
- allowed to serve as a south west JP
What do the changes in behaviour to the Willoughby’s show?
Henry heavily relied on those nobles who had been loyal to him at Bosworth. He struggled after they died as he felt he couldn’t trust others.
How many nobles did Henry have to contend with?
- The noble families were dying out by 25% in 25 years
- Henry never replaced the Clarences, Waricks and Glousters.
- Nobles decreased from 62 to 45
How involved with conspiracies were the nobles?
- Jasper Tudor, Earl of Oxford and Robert Willoughby all rebelled against Richard to help Henry
- John de la Pole, put together the Lambert Simnel conspiracy
- William Stanley lead a south-west revolt in 1497
Did Henry struggle to deal with the nobles?
- Edmund de la Pole was given up but couldn’t be executed, he had fled to the court of Maximilian in 1501
- Henry only saw Robert Willoughby as not a threat once he was bankrupted
- Henry gained 5x the amount of crown lands than Henry VI
- Henry took £6,600 from nobles over wardship and marriage in 1507
Did the nobles have a lot of support?
- Earl of Lincoln had to flee to Burgundy because he lacked support
- Lord Burgavenny was fined £70,550 for illegal retainers in 1506
Were the nobles always a threat?
- Lovell and Stafford easily crushed in 1486
- Perkin Warbeck over 8 years, supported by William Stanley
- RWI was never an issue, consistently loyal to Henry
What did Henry do to reduce the threat of the nobles?
- creates a privy chamber in 1495
- most of the plots were at the beginning of his reign
- only created 3 nobles compared to Edward IV’s 9
When was the Yorkshire Rebellion?
1489
When was the Cornish Rebellion?
1497
