Henry VIII: society Flashcards
Elites and commoners
Significant social change in H8’s reign due to:
1. Growth in number of those involved in professional (lawyers) an commercial activities (merchants).
2. Greater social mobility.
Actual STRUCTURE of society stayed same with NOBLES and greater GENTRY wielding political & economic influence and rural majority experiencing LITTLE change.
H8 relied on the landed elites (nobles & gentry)
-Gave property and/or titles to nobles so that they could exert royal authority in particular areas e.g. Suffolk given property in Lincolnshire after 1536 rebellion.
-Ensured full support by executing nobles when there was any doubt of loyalty e.g. Duke of Buckingham 1521.
-He conferred knighthoods as a sign of royal favour.
H8 relied on the gentry especially in local government
-Gentry = JPs and undertook unpaid administration for crown.
-Grew considerably during reign following changes to church and dissolution of monasteries which offered opportunities to increase size of landed estates and lease out farming land.
-Increased complexity of govt also gave gentry more opportunities to make their mark.
-Legal training became more highly valued and local administration was increasingly performed by lawyers rather than clergymen.
Urban elites
-Growth as towns and cities grew.
-Number of merchants and skilled artisans living by trade increased.
-Had political voice in parliament to which they could be elected.
-For semi-skilled and unskilled town workers life could be tough due to variations in food prices.
Rural communities
Most Eng men continued to live in rural communities working as free, self-sufficient peasant smallholders (husbandmen), their standard of living changed little during first half of reign but varied by area and distress never far away. Bad harvests more acute in later part of reign.
CHANGE -> with royal supremacy and greater availability of land due to dissolution of monasteries:
-some peasants acquired copyholds to land (paying rent to members of gentry who increasingly bought up landed estates to lease them and make profit).
-most prosperous peasants bought land outright and increased size of holdings and entered ranks of YEOMEN - farming for profit rather than subsistence.
-accompanied by increased movement AWAY from rural to urban communities as new opportunities opened up there.
Regional issues
Maintaining order in regions on borders of kingdom =continual problem for Tudors and H8 sought to impose royal control in Wales, Irl & N Eng.
Ireland
-Eng tried to control by force - kept standing army there.
-Tight control on Irish parli, 1541 H8 adopted title King of Ireland.
Wales
-Before 1536, had neither single unified administration nor formal political link with Eng.
-Cromwell’s Wales Act of 1536:
1. divided into shire counties operating same as Eng i.e. with JPs.
2. gave wales shires direct representation in HoC at Westminster.
3. brought into same legal framework as Eng.
-In practice meant wales became incorporated with Eng & Eng culture & language imposed.
-From 1536 principality of wales and four bordering Eng counties came under jurisdiction of council of wales and the Marches, based at Ludlow in Shropshire - offered relatively cheap & local access to law.
Palatinates
-1536, 3 Eng counties, Lancashire, Cheshire & Durham which were technically palatinates (separate jurisdictions) were brought back under Eng control.
-Bishop of Durham allows to retain some independence.
England
-N of Eng posed problems as so far from govt.
-Following Pilgrimage of Grace (rebellion provoked by closure of monasteries) in 1536, H8 & Cromwell re-established council in N as permanent body based in York with professional staff.
-Had both administrative & legal functions, helped to keep N quiet during summer of rebellions in 1549.
-Some northerners resented appointment if southerners to council.
Social impact of religious upheaval 1530s
- SHORT TERM - resentment at dissolution & attacks on traditional catholic practices exacerbated by fears of attack on parish churches. Led to major rebellion - Pilgrimage of Grace 1536.
- Huge amount of land transferred from Church to crown = temporarily increased property had been sold off, often cheaply to fun H8’s expensive foreign policy. Greatly increased size and wealth of landholding GENTRY.
- Education suffered, with loss of monastery schools.
- Many monks & nuns unemployed.
- Many monasteries had played key role in their communities e.g. offering jobs, welfare services, education & hospitals. This was ALL lost.
Rebellions
-Same as H7, taxes to pay for foreign wars caused unrest e.g. complaints in Yorkshire 1513 about raising of subsidy for H8 campaigns, some demands had to be written off.
-1525, widespread opposition to Amicable Grant e.g. 1000 people on Essex-Suffolk border refused payment. Dukes of Norfolk & Suffolk faced 4000 refusals, H8 forced to back down. W sought pardon for protesters & leaders treated leniently. The unrest showed H8 dared not press people too hard - for next invasion of Fr he supplemented revenue with profits from monastic lands instead.
Lincolnshire Rising & the Pilgrimage of Grace
-Largest single rebellion in history of Tudor Eng - 40,000 people.
-Causes varied place to place BUT main cause = resentment of H8’s religious changes & especially dissolution of the monasteries.
Religious motives of the PoG
Fears of dissolving monasteries e.g.
-loss of charitable/educational functions & faculty services.
-loss of parish churches
-fear of N impoverished if monastic land transferred to S.
Fear of parish churches & traditional religious practices, caused by:
-Cromwell’s Injunctions 1536
-discouragement of celebration of locally important saints & pilgrimage.
-rumours of church plates & jewels bequeathed by parishioners confiscated & parishes may be amalgamated.
Secular motives of the PoG
Economic grievances e.g.
-resentment of taxation.
-tenants’ grievances (esp relevant for extension of rebellion into Cumberland & Westmoreland).
Imposition of Duke of Suffolk upon Lincolnshire as a magnate.
A courtly conspiracy by former supporters of Cath of A, who:
-wanted to restore Mary as heir
-exploited northerners’ religious & financial concerns to pressurise H8.
