Migrants In Britain: 2.1 Flashcards
Changes to religion, culture + gov 1500-1700, Protestant migrants, Jewish migrants
1
Q
Describe the main changes to government between the years 1500 and 1700
A
- parliament given more legal control than monarchy
- Oliver Cromwell ruled (not as king) for 11 years after Charles I was executed in 1649
- James II (suspected Catholic) overthrown by William of Orange with permission of English because Catholics hated so vehemently
2
Q
Describe the main changes to religion between the years 1500 and 1700
A
- 1534, Henry VIII made the country Anglican (Protestant)
- 1547-53, Edward VI passed laws to consolidate this
- Mary made Catholic again
- 1588-1603, Elizabeth I made protestant again
- Cromwell passed law meaning all future monarchs had to be protestant
3
Q
Describe the main changes to economy between the years 1500 and 1700
A
- more international trade + migration
- 1600, Elizabeth I issued charter for East India Company’s establishment
[] traded for Indian silks, spices, cottons and dyes - 1660, Charles II issued charter to set up Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa
[] traded for slaves, gold, silver + was start of Transatlantic slave trade
4
Q
Who were the Huguenots ?
A
- French Protestants
- 1500s
- fled France for England after the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572) where 73000 Huguenots were killed by the French Catholic king
5
Q
What were pull factors of England for the Huguenots ?
A
- 1534, England became protestant (shared faith)
- 1572, offered safety after St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in France
- 1681, Charles II offered denizen status to any Huguenots who wanted to migrate to England
- economic prosperity (had many relatives already in England with successful trades + businesses)
6
Q
Who were the Minet family ?
A
- Huguenots
- 1685, after Edict of Nantes revoked (no longer safe to practice religion in France), Minet family planned to leave
- 1686 escaped to London and set up business (sold alcohol + perfumes)
- 1690 moved to Dover and set up an insurance firm; lasted till 1900s
7
Q
Why did Huguenots prosper in England ?
A
- had marketable skills
[] financial
[] metalworking
[] manufacturing paper/glass/vinegar/soup
[] spinning/weaving - were able to find work or join relatives who had previously migrated
8
Q
Who was Henri de Portal ?
A
- Huguenot
- migrated in 1705 w/his family
- 1718, set up his own paper mill and manufactured paper for official documents and bank notes; extremely profitable
9
Q
What impacts did the Huguenots have on England ?
A
- boosted cloth trade between 1650 and 1700 with much of it being exported to France
[] boosted fashion industry
[] brought new clothes making techniques from France - helped to make England more tolerant towards religious diversity
- kickstarted manufacturing industries like iron + paper
- invested in Bank of England (10% of funds)
- established London as major financial centre due to their knowledge of investment and National Debt
[] also used this to expand the British Empire
10
Q
Who were the Palatines ?
A
- German protestants
- poor farmers
NOTE: most migrated after 1700
11
Q
What were the pull factors towards England for the Palatines ?
A
- shared faith
- economic opportunities
- Foreign Protestants Naturalisation Act passed 1709 to attract wealthy, skilled Huguenot migrants, but also invited Palatines indirectly, as they were European protestants too
12
Q
Describe the initial English reaction to the migration of 12000 Palatines in 1709
A
- initially very charitable and welcoming
[] Londoners raised £20 000 and a fund was created by Queen Anne - tried to help the poor Palatine farmers
- tad bit of resentment, as England needed skilled labourers; already very many English farmers etc.
13
Q
Why did Palatine migrants generally struggle in England ?
A
- poor
- unskilled labourers that England already had an excess of
- English accused of trying to take away their jobs
- government no longer willing to fund migration to America, so Palatines couldn’t even move somewhere more welcoming
- English funding and charitable help stopped eventually as most money went towards the war with Spain
14
Q
What happened when the Palatines were deported to Ireland, and when did this happen ?
A
- September 1709
- sent to Ireland to farm the land
- land was poor quality so no advancements could be made
- resented by the Irish Catholic majority
- 2/3 of those deported eventually trickled back to England
- some landowners like Sir Thomas Southwell in 1714, Limerick, supported the Palatines off of their own land
15
Q
What happened after the Palatines failed to settle successfully in England and Ireland ?
A
- 3000+ Palatines went on voyage to NYC; many died en route and those who made it settled successfully with the exception of anti-immigrant mobs killing some, as well as typhoid killing some more
- many descendants of these Palatines live in the Hudson River Valley
16
Q
Explain how Jews got invited back to England by Oliver Cromwell (w/dates)
A
- 1655 rabbi went to have an audience with Cromwell to request that he allow Jews back into England because:
[] Jews were generally skilled workers and could boost the English economy
[] 100 000 Jews in Ukraine massacred and needed safety
[] monarchs had trusted Jews in quiet even after 1290 so no reason why shouldn’t be allowed in England
[] England’s religious tolerance had increased so easier to settle - Cromwell agreed because:
[] council ruled that the decree of 1290 was agreed by royal prerogative and not parliament, so no need to announce its reversal and cause panic
[] England needed skilled labourers
[] Cromwell believed that the second coming of Jesus would only happen when all were Christian, and it is easier to convert Jews if they are in the country - March 1656, Jews began to migrate to England again and settle around Aldgate
17
Q
What did Sephardic Jews from Bevis Marks (synagogue) do to gain favour with the Mayor of London, and what is significant about this ?
A
- presented MoL with silver dish of sweetmeats annually from 1679-1780
- shows that Jewish immigrants had to work harder than usual to gain support from the English; this is largely due to anti-Semitism/fear of anti-Semitism among Jews
18
Q
Describe the experiences of some successful Jewish immigrants in the 1600s
A
- Solomon Dormido = first Jew to trade on the Royal Exchange
- Mendes da Costa family = successful bankers with properties in 3 areas of England
- many Jews worked as tailors, shopkeepers, pawnbrokers and artisans
19
Q
Describe the experiences of less successful Jewish immigrants in 1600s/1700s
A
- poorer Jews often relied on the help of richer Jews to get by
- many were pedlars and sold trinkets and smaller wares
- some worked by the ports, selling marine stones and supplies to shipowners
- went to schools for poor Jews set up by the Jewish community
20
Q
Give 3 ways the richer Jews supported poorer people in the Jewish community
A
- Gates of Hope boys’ school for poor Jews opened in 1644 by the synagogue
- Villa Real school for poor Jewish girls opened in 1730
- synagogues often gave out free food, clothing and even money to poorer members
21
Q
What were the English attitudes towards Jewish people in the 1600s vs. the 1200s ?
A
- less anti-Semitism
- anti-Semitic tropes still present in popular culture however, like in Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and anti-Semitic lyrics/lines in songs and poetry
- Jews forbidden to go to university, become lawyers or serve in the army
22
Q
Who was Moses Hart and what did he do ?
A
- German Jew
- traded on Royal Exchange + was very successful merchant
- 1692, helped finance Great Synagogue in Aldgate
- had huge house in Twickenham filled with Christian paintings to appear less Jewish and so be accepted more by the English
[] huge house needed upkeeping so gave jobs to poorer Jews
23
Q
Who were two Jews that supported monarchs and how ?
A
- Lopes Suasso
[] funded William III’s Glorious Revolution to overthrow James II - Solomon de Medina
[] financed Duke of Marlborough’s campaigns
[] received knighthood
