Chapter 4: English society

Question 1

Early society in the Tudor period

Answer 1

• English soviet may not have been as hierarchical as France as Spain but was exceedingly layered.
• Levels of Tudor society changed little from the feudal system

Question 2

Nobility

Answer 2

• Still dominated landownership
• The peerage comprised no more then about 50-60 men
• The crown often relied on these families for the maintenance of order in the countryside
• Henry was reluctant to give new peerage titles- possibly because he was deeply distrusting of the nobility
• Henry controlled the nobility through bonds and recognisances
• Nobility’s power was withheld by the Bastard feudalism- an implied reciprocal relationship between the magnate and his retainers

Question 3

Limits on retaining

Answer 3

• 1486: peers and MPs required to take an oath against illegal retaining or being illegally retained
• 1487: a law against retaining was established
• the 1487 law was reinforced by the Act passed in 1504, under which licences for retaining could be sought

Question 4

Gentry

Answer 4

• Immediately below the peerage status
• were often great landowners in their own right
• most important members, such as Sir Reginald Bray, sought knighthoods confirming their social status
• Esquires (mere gentry) were far more numerous

Question 5

Churchmen

Answer 5

•social status of the clergy varied enormously
•lower levels included curates and chantry priests
•higher levels included bishops and the abbots of larger religious houses.
•Higher levels often sat in the House of Lords and had political roles
•

Question 6

Commoners

Answer 6

• at the top level of the group were known as the ‘middling sort’
• the ‘middling sort’ included the rich merchants and craftsmen
• in towns and cities small numbers of educated professionals exercised considerable influence
• Lower down but still considered respectable was the shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen

Question 7

regional divisions

Answer 7

England divided by agriculture
•east and south east saw mainly mixed farming
•north, west and south west saw pastoral farming
•the welsh boarding countries and Herefordshire saw grain farming and fruit growing
• some exceptions to this as in the Fens pastoral farming dominated

Question 8

Rebellions

Answer 8

Yorkshire Rebellion
•1489
•sparked by resentment of the taxation granted by parliament in 1489
•became notorious for the murder of the Earl of Northumberland

Cornish Rebellion
•1497
•sparked by the demand of extraordinary revenue to finance a military campaign
•need to revenue for the campaign against Scotland
•15000 roughly involved
•Perkin Warbeck
•rebels marched to london