AS FP1, HVII : Society Flashcards
Conceptual Awareness
What was the structure of society in 15th century England?
English society at the end of the 15th century, while not as rigidly hierarcheal as France and Spain, was exceedingly layered.
- Changed little from the feudal systeem
- Apex of the system was the monarch, then nobles and senior churchmen ; the base of the system was those who laboured for them.
Conceptual Awareness
What is the evidence for the fact that the feudal system was still apparent in society, despite its breakdown following the Black Death (1349)?
The remnants of the feudal system were still apparent in the law, social relationships and attitudes.
Conceptual Awareness
What is the evidence for increased social mobility in 15th century England?
Society witnessed the growth of a professional and merchantile group who had become increasingly important in London and major provincial cities such as Bristol and Norwich.
Economic pressures had also led to increased social mobility.
Conceptual Awareness
What was the reaction of conservatives to increased social mobility?
Conservative members of the upper class vainly attempted to maintain traditional values by passing sumptuary laws which proved unenforceable.
The Nobility
How many noble families were there in England during Henry VII’s reign?
Roughly 62, noble families often died out on a regular basis.
The Nobility
How did Henry VII limit the power and influence of the nobility in society?
- He was reluctant to create new peerage titles and used a system of JPs in order to tely less on the nobles for maintaining order in the countryside.
- Only trusted Lancastrian military leaders, such as the Earl of Oxford and Lord Daubeney, to exercise political influence in court.
- Controlled through systems of bonds and recognisances]
- Legislation against retaining.
The Gentry
Who were the gentry?
By the late 15th century, the gentry were often great landowners in their own right. The most important members of the gentry, such as Sir Reginald Bray, sought knighthoods as confirmation of their status.
The Gentry
By 1490 how many knights, esquires and gentlemen were there? What percentage of land did peers and gentlemen own collectively?
By 1490 there were 500 knights, 800 esquires and 5000 gentlemen.
Together, peers and gentlemen made up 2% of the population but owned 15-20% of the land.
Commoners
In Henry VII’s reign, how many commoners were there?
There were around 2 million commoners.
Commoners
Who were the middling sort?
The middling sort were a small group of educated professionals, such as merchants and craftsmen.
Commoners
What was life like for commoners?
Commoners laboured on the land, they were usually dependent for income on the sale of their labour - making their positions very insecure.
What percentage of the population lived off the land during the late middle ages?
95% of the population lived off the land during the late middle ages.
What was the population of England during Henry VII’s reign?
The black-death (1349) reduced the population by a third - further outbreaks of plague, high infant mortality and the ravagers of the War of the Roses reduced the population to 2 million by 1450.
By the 1480s numbers were slowly increasing.
What was the most significant social change in the 15th century?
Some peasants took advantage of the availability of land and became commercial farmers, others took advantage of the increased wages and reduced workers to work for wages. It was this element of choice for the lower orders created by greater geographical mobility and fewer people that was the most significant social change in the 15th century.
Churchmen
Why was the church important?
The Church was hugely important, not merely for its spiritual role but also as a great landowner.
- Bishops and Abbots were appointed the the House of Lords.
Churchemn
How did the role of churchmen change during Henry VII’s reign?
Henry appointed Bishops who had legal training and whose administrative competence was valued more than their spirituality.
- The most important clergymen of this period, Bishop Fox and John Morton, came from this category.
Moreover, the king was reluctant to appoint men whose social background was aristocratic, the higher clergy thus became less socially exclusive.
Where was the majority of the population concentrated?
The majority of the population was concentrated in the midlands / southeast, around 3/4.
What were regional divisions like in Henry VII’s England?
Regional identtiy was also enforced through local government structures, Justice was increasingly administrated at a local level.
Southerners looked down on northerners for their percieved savagery while the north was envious of southern riches.
Social discontent and Rebellion
Was there much social discontent during Henry VII’s reign?
Compared with the later Tudor period, there does not seem to have been much social discontent, there was even an increase in real wages.
However towards the end of the 15th century there was increased inflation ; the two rebellions which occured in Henry’s reign were motivated by taxation.
Yorkshire Rebellion
When was the Yorkshire Rebellion, what the causes of the Yorkshire Rebellion?
1489
Yorkshire had suffered a series of bad harvests and were angered by the tax that was imposed in order to finance Henry’s campaign in France.
- Rebels resented the tax due to their own poverty and how Northumberland was exempt from the tax as they were expected to defend the Scottish Border.
Yorkshire Rebellion
What was the significance of the Yorkshire Rebellion?
- Murdered the Earl of Northumberland
- Suppressed by the Earl of Surrey
- Showed that Foreign Policy would have an impact on domestic policy
- Henry placed Northumberland’s son into wardship, he made Surrey Lieutenant of the North and faced no more problems in that region.
Henry only managed to raise £27,000 of subsidy ; Henry was more cautious in FP thusforth.
Cornish Rebellion
When was the Cornish Rebellion, what were its causes?
The Cornish Rebellion occured in 1497, it was sparked by the demand for taxation for the Scottish campaign as they didn’t believe the war affected them.
Cornish Rebellion
What was the extent of the threat of the Cornish Rebellion?
The rebellion posed a great threat to the stability of Henry VII’s rule.
-15,000 rebels were involved.
- Warbeck attempted to exploit the rebellion
- Rebels made it to blackheath, just outside of London, without being challenged.
Cornish Rebellion
What was the significance of the Cornish Rebellion?
The distance that the rebels travelled raised questions about how effective the system of justice was in the countryside, and by reaching London they essentially threatened the crown.
- Henry was forced to withdraw Lord Daubeney and his troops from defending his border.
- Showed Henry that Anglo-Scottish conglict threatened his security, made him cautious about entering further conflicts.
- Taxed the rebels that remained.
