Henry VII: English Society Flashcards
Nobility
The Nobility dominated their own leadership and consisted only of 50-60 men. Henry VII did not trust them as a class. They were controlled through bonds and recognizances. The key to the nobles power was ‘retaining’ which was where the wealthy magnates recruited knights and gentlemen to serve them as administrators or accountants or sometimes for military purposes. Henry only trusted Lancastrian military commanders such as the Earl of Oxford and Lord Daubeny; they had much more political influence under Henry. There were acts of parliament passed against individual nobles who were seen to exploit the system.
Gentry
The gentry were great landowners. The more important members sought knighthood as a confirmation of their social status. It was assumed they would help in the administration of their localities. John Guy said peers and knights owned 15-20% of the country’s land.
Commoners
Commoners were below the nobility, gentry and higher clergy. The ‘middling sort’ were at the top. Lower down were shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen. The middling sort compromised yeomen farmers. Below yeomen were husbandmen who kept smaller farms. Yeomen and husbandmen can be described as peasants. The labourer’s position was very insecure. Labourers could supplement their irregular income through the planting of vegetables or the exercise of grazing rights.
Churchmen
The Church was highly important, not just spiritually but also as landowners. Social status varied enormously. Curates and chantry priests were rewarded for dealing with spiritual needs. Bishops and abbots of larger religious houses were important figures. Henry VII only appointed bishops who had legal training and who had administrative competence. The two most important clergymen; John Morton and Richard Fox suited both criteria. The King was reluctant to appoint many aristocrats.
Regional divisions
England was divided in terms of agriculture. Three-quarters of the population lived below a line drawn roughly from the mouth of the Tees to Weymouth in Dorset in terms of agriculture. The South and East were of mixed farming, whereas the North and West were of Pastoral farming.
