Henry VII economy Flashcards
What accounted for 90% of the English economy?
The cloth trade
How much did Jack Lander estimate the cloth trade increased by?
60%
How was wool exported?
It was exported from east coast ports like Boston, Lynn and Yarmouth to Calais which was further sent by the merchant of the staples ( a company incorporated by the royal charter in 1319 to control exports. They were based in Calais from 1393. When the wool trade declined so did the company’s significance).
What developed after raw wool fell in decline?
The development of weaving, fulling (cleaning the wool) and dyeing which was done domestically by girls and women
How much did raw wool exports decrease by in 1485?
50%
What did the cloth trade open to people during a bad harvest?
Rural employment
Give two examples of prosperous cloth towns
- Lewes
- Lavenham
Where was England’s biggest exporter?
Antwerp
What were the merchant adventurers?
A trading organisation which helped to export London’s cloth to Antwerp from 1407. They were the most influential company until Moor’s company came along and they had similar powers to the merchants of Staple. The king used their advice to create peace treaties as they acted as the voice of industry. But, they couldn’t overcome the trading privileges of the Hanseatic league.
Who were best off in the 1490s?
Craftsmen and Labourers
What decreases in price in the 1490s?
Grain, animal products and wool exports
What decade did prices increase?
1480s
What was farming like at the start of Henry’s reign?
Income from the land had been in decline after the black death but it did begin to recover in the 1480s and 90s as the population increased. But, the income wasn’t enough so many farmers turned to sheep farming
Where was pastoral faming done?
Woodlands
What is open field husbandry?
It was where the lords of an estate granted common rights to their workers however as sheep - farming grew, so did enclosure meaning tenants lost common rights and they became destitute
What percentage of people lived off the land?
90%
What did peasants have to pay on the land?
Rents, tithes and taxes
Was there any horse and dairy farming?
Yes, but it was limited
What was recorded in Finchdale in County Durham in 1486?
Basic plumbing technology
Where was coal mined?
Durham and Northumbria
How and where was coal used?
Lime - building and iron smelting in Kent
What percentage of Newcastle’s coal was exported in 1508-09?
20%
Where was there a small trade for coal?
Germany and the Netherlands
Where was lead mined?
The Pennines and the Mendips
Where was tin mined?
Cornwall
Who were superior at ship building?
Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal
Where did a dry dock have investment and how many ships were built?
Portsmouth and 5 ships
Who were superior at mining and metal lurgy?
Germany and Bohemia
What did Henry support in 1496?
The building of a blast furnace in Kent to make weapons for war against Scotland
What is the Hanseatic league?
A group of free cities originating in the thirteenth century, which came together in a commercial union to control trade in the Baltic sea
How much did the Hanseatic league increase cloth exports by between 1400 - 1500?
5x
What did England have the best of?
Wool / cloth
What policies did Henry make against the Hanseatic league?
1487: Henry banned the export of finished cloth by foreign merchants
1489: Henry ended the league’s privilege in exporting bullion from England
1504: Henry further restricted their power so they wouldn’t support Edmund de la Pole
What were navigation acts and were they successful?
Navigation acts were passed in 1485 and 1489 meaning that only English ships and crew could export certain products. By 1509, 1/2 of trade was carried by foreign ships
How many statues did Henry pass to promote sectional interests?
50
Why did trade in the Mediterranean fail?
Due to weaknesses in French foreign policies
When was there a trade ban in France and when was it removed?
1487 and 1497
When was another trade ban placed?
1503
Why did Spain and Portugal have dominance in exploration?
They had links to the spice trade
Who led an expedition the new world in 1499?
Bristol merchant, William Weston
What were Bristol merchants and seamen interested in?
Transatlantic discovery and they did it on a small scale from 1480
Who was John Cabot?
- He arrived in Bristol in 1494 or 95 when the Hanseatic league banned fishermen from Icelandic waters
- Henry authorised him to explore Newlands and in 1497, he found Newfoundland where there was extensive fishing grounds
- He want again in 1498 but he never returned
- In 1508, Cabot’s son Sebastian was sponsored by Henry to find a “north - west passage,” in Asia but he was unsuccessful
