english society at the end of the fifteenth century Flashcards
Who owns the land?
The church.
What were Archbishops?
Very powerful roles within the government.
Who were the Nobility?
They owned land.
People such as Dukes, Earls, and Barons.
Part of the government.
Who were the Gentry?
Gentlemen who live in large houses in the country, providing armies for war
Who were Yeomen?
They were farmers who owned land in the country or rented it.
Who were Labourers?
They work for citizens, yeomen or shopkeepers.
Who were Citizens?
Rich merchants and craftsmen in the towns.
What was the structure of English society?
It was not as rigid as the hierarchy of France and Spain, but was still very stratified.
Great landowners and senior churchmen were below the monarch, and below them were those who laboured on their behalf.
How many men did the peerage (nobility) compromise of?
No more than about 50 or 60.
What happened when a peerage family would die out?
They’d be replaced by others who had acquired or bought the King’s favour.
Why did the Crown rely on peerage families?
These families maintained order within the countryside.
What was the difference in use of peerage between Henry VII and Edward IV?
Henry VII was much more reluctant to create new peerage as he was deeply distrustful of the nobility as a whole.
Who were the few to have political influence under Henry?
His trusted Lancastrian military commanders such as the Earl of Oxford or Lord Daubeney.
What was Henry’s most important method of controlling the nobility?
Through bonds and recognisances.
What was the key to the nobles’ power?
The system labelled bastard feudalism, also known as retaining.
What was bastard feudalism?
This was when wealthy magnates recruited knights and gentlemen to serve them as administrators or sometimes for military purposes.
What was the problem with bastard feudalism and what did Henry do to fix this?
The noblemen could potentially use their retained men to bring unlawful influence on others in a court case or even threaten the Crown.
Henry sought to limit the military power through legislation on retaining, but remained conscious that loyal retainers were essential to national security.
What reciprocal relationship did the bastard feudalism system have?
In return for loyal service, military or necessary, a retainer might receive rewards such as local office or grants of land as well as direct payment.
What limits were applied on retaining during Henry’s reign?
- In 1486 peers and MPs were required to take an oath against illegal retaining or being illegally retained. However, what constituted illegality in this context remained conveniently undefined
- In 1487 a law against retaining was established
- The 1487 law was reinforced by an Act passed in 1504, under which licenses could be sought
What did the 1504 Act on retainers state?
That only the king could grant licenses. This only lasted for the duration of Henry’s lifetime.
What did the most important members of the gentry seek?
Knighthoods as confirmation of their social status.
How many knights were there in 1490?
Around 500.
What had knighthood status originally imposed?
Military obligations.
What were Esquires?
The eldest sons of knights, the younger sons of barons.
Why was the Church important?
For its spiritual role and as a great landowner.
Who were at the lower parish level?
Curates and chantry priests who were modestly rewarded for dealing with the spiritual needs of ordinary folks
Who were more important figures of the Church?
Bishops and the abbots of larger religious house who were entitled to sit in the House of Lords and had political roles to undertake.
Who were the two most important clergymen of Henry’s reign?
John Morton and Richard Fox
Why was the higher clergy becoming less socially exclusive?
Henry was reluctant to appoint men whose social background was aristocratic.
What were the top level of the commoner group called?
The ‘middling sort’, these were the rich merchants and craftsmen.
Who exercised the the most influence in towns and cities?
The relatively small number of educated professionals, the most influential being the lawyers.
Who were just beneath the ‘middling sort’ but still relatively respected?
Shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen, they dominated the borough corporations (town councils).
They played a key role in organisations such as guilds and lay confraternities
What did the middling sort compromise of in the countryside?
Yeomen farmers who farmed substantial properties for a sophisticated market economy
How had the Yeomen group developed?
The Black Death had decreased population and so demand for land was a lot lower, and so ‘Yeomen’ could afford to buy it as value had decreased.
Who came below Yeomen and what were their roles?
Husbandmen who kept smaller farms.
What term do Yeomen and Husbandmen come under?
Peasants.
How could Peasants generate irregular income?
By planting vegetables or exercising grazing rights.
Where did mixed farming take place?
In more densely populated counties such as Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent.
What was pastoral farming and where did it dominate?
It was the rearing of sheep, cattle and horses.
It dominated in the more sparsely populated areas in the North and West.
There were exceptions such as in the Fens and in the wood pastures of Kent and Sussex.
Where was there grain farming and fruit growing?
In Herefordshire and the Welsh border counties.
Why did Londoners look down upon Northerners?
Due to their perceived savagery.
Why were Northerners envious of Londoners?
Due to the southern riches.
How was regional division reinforced by government structures?
Justice was administered at a county level but areas of magnate influence cut across county boundaries.
How had living conditions of the poor increased during the second half of the 15th century?
Real wages had increased, but it was evident that pressure of inflation was developing by the end of the 15th century.
What crisis had England seemed to have managed to avoid?
Subsistence crises that seemed to affect other countries every so often.
What two rebellions took place in Henry VII’s reign and what was the main catalyst?
Yorkshire (1489) and Cornwall (1497).
Both were brought on by taxation.
Why had the Yorkshire Rebellion sparked off?
Due to resentment of the taxation granted by Parliament in 1489 in order to finance English forces in the campaign in Brittany.
Why was the Yorkshire rebellion particularly memorable?
The rebels had murdered the Earl of Northumberland in the North Riding of Yorkshire in April 1489.
How had Northumberland’s murder been allowed to happen?
His retainers had deserted him in his time of need, punishing him for when he abandoned Richard III at Bosworth.
Why had the Cornish Rebellion in 1497 sparked off?
It was triggered by the need for revenue to finance England’s campaign against Scotland.
Why had the Cornish posed a much greater threat than the Yorkshire Rebellion?
They had huge numbers of people, around 15,000 involved.
Who had attempted to exploit the Cornish Rebellion?
Perkin Warbeck.
Where did the rebels manage to march and why was this alarming?
On London and had only been halted at Blackheath.
This was a shock due to their immense distance travelled without anybody trying to stop them.
What did Henry need to do in order to effectively suppress the Cornish?
He had to withdraw Lord Daubeney and his troops from the Scottish border.
How did Henry deal with the aftermath of the Cornish Rebellion?
He executed the leaders, but only the leaders were punished. The others involved were treated with leniency.
