Henry VII - Society Flashcards
What was increased in society?
Social mobility
What did the nobility dominate?
Land ownership
Nobility key points
Used retaining Controlled by bonds and recognisances Distrusted by Henry Maintenance of order in countryside 50-60 men Families died out regularly Not closed caste
What was bastard feudalism? And what was it like?
In return for service, retainer would receive rewards
Only politically destabilising if monarch is unstable
Abusive system
What happened in 1486 to do with retaining?
Peers and MPs took oath against illegal retaining
What did Acts is 1487 and 1504 do to do with retaining?
Took action against noble who abused the system
What was established in 1487?
Law against retaining
What was established in 1504?
Licences from the king for retaining could be sought
Who were the greater gentry and where did they fit in?
Immediately below peerage
Landowners
Knighthood
Income
Who we’re the lesser gentry and where did they fit in?
More like yeomanry
Loved more modestly
How many knights were there in 1490 and what did they do?
500
Assisted administration of localities
How much land did peers and knights own?
15-20%
What were esquires and ‘mere’ gentry?
More numerous
What were the different types of churchmen?
Social status varied Papacy Secular clergy Roman Curia Cardinals Archbishops Bishops Parish priests
What were bishops and abbots of larger religious houses entitled to?
Sit in the House of Lords - political roles
What did the lower parish level deal with?
Spiritual needs of ordinary folk
Who did Henry appoint as bishops?
Men with legal training
What did Pope Martin V declare?
The King of England governed C of E not the pope
Who was Henry reluctant to appoint?
People with aristocratic backgrounds
Who were commoners?
Lower down but respectable
What were rural commoners?
Husbandmen - smaller farms
What were urban commoners?
Shopkeepers and Tradesmen
What were top level commoners?
‘Middling sort’
Rich merchants and craftsmen
What were urban top level commoners?
Lawyers
What were rural top level commoners?
Yeoman farmers
What was north west of the line from the mouth of the Tees to Weymouth in Dorset?
Pastoral farming
What was south east of the line?
Mixed farming
What was below the line?
Three quarters of the population
What were exceptions?
Pastoral farming dominated in Fens and wood pastures of Kent and Sussex Weald
Grain farming and fruit growing in Herefordshire and Welsh border countries
What were local government structures?
Justice increasingly administered at county level
County towns often contained jails and major churches
Areas of magnate influence often cut across county boundaries
When was the Yorkshire Rebellion?
1489
What was the Yorkshire rebellion?
Resentment of taxation granted by parliament to finance involvement in Brittany
Murder of Earl of Northumberland by rebels and his tenants
Northumberland’s retainers deserted him in his time of need - punish enemy for deserting Richard III at Bosworth
When was the Cornish Rebellion?
1497
What was the Cornish Rebellion?
Resentment of taxation to finance campaign against Scotland
Much greater threat than Cornish rebellion - greater numbers, attempt to exploit threat by Warbeck, marched on London (only halted at a black heath), questions how effective crowns systems for maintaining order in the countryside were
Henry needed to withdraw Daubeney from the Scottish border then it was easily stopped
Leaders executed
