Economic development, trade, exploration, prosperity and depression Flashcards
How big was the population?
2.2 million
What did most of England’s population make a living out of?
Agriculture
Only 10% lived in towns or cities
What was population distribution like (London)?
While London contained more than 50,000, only 20 towns contained 3000 or more people (including Bristol and York)
Why was there a move in agriculture?
As the population began to increase In the 1480’s and 1490’s(income from land was in recovery after black-death) there was a move towards sheep farming at the expense of arable (cereal crops) because of the increasing demand for wool as trade developed and as the profitability of arable farming decreased
Where was the development most acute?
In the ‘low-land zone’ to the south and east of the imaginary line
What had peasant farmers traditionally practiced?
Open-field husbandry (farming strips of land in open fields and tenants enjoying common rights e.g. keeping animals on shared land) but the growth of sheep farming could mean the loss of common land and changes to the strip system (enclosure) but this wasn’t common until first hald 16th century
Predominant in low-land England
Was there much agricultural change?
Very little agricultural change in late 15th and early 16th century
At the end of the 15th century what did cloth amount for?
90% of English exports - estimated there was a 60% increase in the volume of clothe exports under Henry
How were farm labourers able to supplement their income?
By spinning, weaving, fulling and dyeing
Where was the finished cloth increasingly exported from and to?
From London (through the merchant adventurers) to the commercial centre of Antwerp from where it was sent all over Europe
What did other industries include?
Mining (tin, lead, coal and iron) - required capital investment but fairly small scale Metal working Leather work Ship building Papermaking Brewing
Why was Henry keen to develop English trade?
In order to boost wealth through custom duties and taxes as well as to enhance his own position by securing positive relationships with foreign powers
What were the Navigation Acts of 1485 and 1489?
Ruled that only English ships could carry certain products to and from English ports - designed to boost the English shipbuilding industry and challenge the Hanseatic league which dominated trade in the Baltic
Limited in success as foreign vessels continued to transport a substantial proportion of English exports
Who did Henry support to boost trade?
Merchant adventurers - an English company who controlled cloth trade
When was the intercursus magnus?
1496- confirmed 1499
What was the Intercursus magnus?
Between Henry and Philip IV - ended Henry’s 1493 embargo on trade with the Netherlands
What did the Intercursus Magnus state?
English merchants could export to any part of Burgundy except the Flanders
Merchants would be granted swift and fair justice
Disputed would be resolved swiftly and fairly
How successful were Henry’s attempts to stimulate trade?
Despite relaxation of restrictions there was no major breakthrough in Mediterranean trade and the Hanseatic league was largely successful in limiting the development of English trading interests in the Baltic
Who were English sailors much slower than to make new discoveries?
15th century Spanish or Portuguese seamen
What were Bristol merchants and seamen interested in?
Transatlantic exploration and voyaged of exploration were underway by the end of the 15th century
Evidence Atlantic exploration was taking place from 1480 albeit on a small scale and unsuccessfully
What happened with exploration in 1497?
John Cabot set sail from Bristol looking for new fishing grounds with authorisation from Henry to find unknown parts of the world. He found what became known as Newfoundland and reported the existence of extensive fishing grounds but failed to return from the second voyage the following year
Never set foot on the American mainland
Who was William Weston and what did he do?
A Bristol merchant - led an expedition to the new world and may have landed there in 1499 or 1500
Who else received sponsorship from Henry?
John Cabot’s son - Sebastian who then led an unsuccessful attempt to find the ‘north-west passage’ to Asia in 1508
What happened to exploration in Henry VIII’s reign?
He had little interest in supporting exploration so the new fishing grounds were left to the seamen from Spain and Portugal
On the whole what was the late 15th century in terms of stability?
A time of relative economic stability (temporary rise in 1480’s) with signs of growing prosperity - population was growing, trade was expanding and cloth trade stimulated he economy
Prices and wages seemed to have remained steady
Building workers and agricultural workers were on the whole better off in 1490’s than they would have been at any other time during Tudor period
Were there depressions?
Depressions did occur whenever events disrupted normal economic developments e.g. a bad harvest or an embargo abroad.
Depressions usually quite localised but between 1493 and 1496 the depression in the cloth industry had quite a wide effect
Appears to have been a decline in the export price of wool and in the price of grain and animal products in 1490’s (reduction in farming profitability but also rising real income for domestic consumers
What was the Hanseatic league?
A group of free cities originating in the 13th century, which came together to form a commercial union with the intention of controlling the Baltic sea - dominated activity in northern Europe
Prevented Merchant Adventurers completely dominating trade as they were unable to overcome the trading privileges enjoyed by the league
What happened in 1474 with the Hanseatic league?
Their privileges were rearrested by treaty and again in 1504 - Henry may have done this to ensure the league would offer no support to Yorkist claimant to the throne (Earl of Suffolk)
What did England remain dependent on in terms of trade and why?
The cloth industry as other industries remained small and failed to compete effectively with their continental competitors e.g. Germany were superior in mining and the Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch were superior in ship-building
What was mining like?
Tin was mined in Cornwall
Lead mined in upland areas like the high Pennines
Coal mined in Durham and Northumberland
Iron ore mined and melted in Sussex/Kent - blast furnace
Much coal shipped from Newcastle to London to meet demand - also small export to Germany and the Netherlands
Development of basic pumping technology, first recorded in county Durham in 1486 enabled greater production
What was the biggest issue concerning trade in Henry VII’s reign?
Stemmed from his embargo on trade with the Netherlands which he imposed in 1493, as a result of the fear and insecurity brought about by Margaret of Burgundy’s support of Perkin Warbeck
Instead of trading directly with the Netherlands, merchants were required to direct their trade through Calais - this was retaliated by the Netherlands
What/When was the intercursus malus and why was it never fully implemented?
Was extorted (obtained by threats or force) from Philip as a result of his weakness in 1506 Treaty never fully operative and by the following year trading relationships had been restored on the basis of the Intercursus Magnus Was in 1503 when the claim of the Earl of Suffolk once again being taken seriously around Burgundy - he attempted to reimpose the embargo but circumstances in 1506 allowed him to negotiate the intercursus magnus
What was the Treaty of Etaples?
Trading restriction which had existed since Edward IV’s reign, were removed in 1486. They were reimposed the following year as a result of Henry’s support of Brittainy but removed again by the treaty of Etaples in 1492
While not primarily a trade treaty it did encourage Anglo-French commercial relations
Most of the remaining trade restriction were removed in 1497
What did Henry’s trading policies/attitudes show?
He rated foreign policy and dynastic priorities than the interests of English merchants / trade
While interested in maximising customs revenue, he was prepared to sacrifice revenue and trade in order to secure the dynasty so was also happy for parliament to legislate in favour of sectional interests (interests of a particular group within a country)
What was the most common type of farming in different areas?
Lowland - mixed farming (growing crops and raising animals as livestock) but pastoral farming (rearing of animals) predominated in woodland areas
Open field husbandry concentrated mainly in grain growing areas of the southeast and the east Midlands
