English society and economic development

Question 1

What was the population of England in 1485?

Answer 1

2.2 million

Question 2

What proportion of the population were urban dwellers?

Answer 2

10%

Question 3

How many people lived in London in 1485?

Answer 3

50,000

Question 4

How many English towns had a population of 3,000 or more?

Answer 4

20

Question 5

What was the theory of the natural order of society?

Answer 5

The great chain of being

Question 6

Who compromised the nobility?

Answer 6

Dukes, Viscounts, Earls

No more than 50-60

Question 7

How much of the country’s land did peers and knights together own?

Answer 7

15-20%

Question 8

Who are examples of important Churchmen?

Answer 8

Richard Fox and John Morton

Question 9

How many commoners lived below the poverty line?

Answer 9

50%

Question 10

Problems with farming

Answer 10

Farming in the time of Henry VII still involved an open field system and common land leading to low yields

Enclosure is causing vagrancy

Question 11

What was England’s major export?

Answer 11

Woollen cloth

Question 12

How much wool was England exporting?

Answer 12

1300 - 30,000 sacks of wool and 3,000 woollen cloths

1500 - 100,000 woollen cloths and 3,000 sacks of wool

Question 13

Other industries in Henry VII’s England

Answer 13

Mining

Small scale industry like weaving and brewery

Fishing

Other trades like wine

Question 14

How much of England’s exports were woollen cloth?

Answer 14

90%

Question 15

Other exports

Answer 15

Coal, iron ore, lead, tin and silver

Question 16

What were the Navigation Acts?

Answer 16

In 1485 and 1489 - stated all English exports would be carried on English ships

Question 17

Importance of London in trade

Answer 17

Merchant Adventurers organised trade conveys for imports and exports from England to the continent

Question 18

What treaties encouraged trade?

Answer 18

Magnus Intercursus (1496), Treaty of Etaples (1492), Treaty of Medina del Campo (1489)

Question 19

What expedition did Henry sponsor?

Answer 19

1497 expedition by John Cabot and Sebastian Cabot to Newfoundland

Question 20

How did the Treaty of Medina del Campo enhance trade?

Answer 20

Gave English merchants favourable trade with Spain (but Spain maintained monopoly over New World)

Question 21

How did the Treaty of Etaples enhance trade?

Answer 21

Lowered duties charged on English goods imported to France

Question 22

How did Henry support metallurgy?

Answer 22

In 1496, sponsored the building of a blast furnace in Kent

Question 23

Figure to show coal was important?

Answer 23

By 1509, made up 20% of Newcastle’s export trade

Question 24

What was the biggest problem with the wool industry?

Answer 24

Encouraged enclosure

Question 25

Was the economy/trade a priority for Henry?

Answer 25

Henry wanted money, but was willing to sacrifice trade for dynastic purposes (e.g. trade embargo with Neths)

Question 26

Were the Navigation Acts successful?

Answer 26

Partially - by end of reign, 1/2 English exports carried on English ships

Question 27

How much did cloth exports increase in Henry’s reign?

Answer 27

60% increase in volume of cloth exports

Question 28

What were the Merchant adventurers?

Answer 28

Wealthy and influential trading company founded in 1407 - dominated London’s cloth trade (positive relationship with the crown)

Question 29

Developments in agriculture

Answer 29

Increase in enclosure and decline of open field farming

Wool industry grew massively

Question 30

How successful were developments in agriculture?

Answer 30

Increase in foreign demand for cloth

1488 and 89 legislation to tackle enclosure never enforced

Question 31

Developments in industry?

Answer 31

Increased exports due to emergence of capitalist merchant clothiers

Question 32

How successful were developments in industry?

Answer 32

Export of cloth by Hansa merchants increased five-fold from the beginning to end of 15th century

Question 33

Developments in trade with foreign powers?

Answer 33

1493 - Trade embargo on Burgundy

1496 - Intercursus Magnus

1506 - Intercursus Malus

Series of commercial treaties

Question 34

Were developments in trade with foreign powers successful?

Answer 34

Embargo was economically damaging but politically necessary

Intercursus Magnus was a success (gave England right to trade freely throughout Burgundy, except Flanders)

Intercursus Malus - failed (terms so favourable to England that Burgundy never implemented it)

Question 35

Developments in the cloth trade

Answer 35

1485-1509 - 60% increase in cloth exports

Question 36

Developments to improve the prospects of English merchants?

Answer 36

1498 - ended Hanseatic League’s privilege to control bullion exportation from England (this privilege was returned to appease Philip the Fair to get Ed de la Pole back)

1485 and 1489 Navigation Acts (limited success - in 1509, over half of trade was still carried by foreign ships)

First dry dock constructed in Portsmouth

Question 37

Developments in exploration

Answer 37

Henry sponsored Cabot’s 1497 voyage to Newfoundland - Cabot planted Henry’s flag there

Due to Henry’s patronage, England had more knowledge of North America than most countries (could have gone further - e.g. no exploration in Asia)

Question 38

Impact of Henry VII’s reign on serfdom?

Answer 38

In 1485, peasants were legally bound to their lords with no freedom

By 1509, peasants were free to move around the country as they liked