Patronage Flashcards
How did the monarchy develop personal relationships by Patronage?
o Monarchs developed a network of personal relationships by patronage – enhance central power whilst extending authority into furthest reaches of the kingdom.
o By rewarding landowners of various social ranks with lands, titles and money, they hoped to bind the political nation into a close relationship with their sovereign.
o The Tudor Court was the centre of a web of patronage – monarch able to build of a Court network of dependent courtiers who would be loath to rebel or resist the sovereign, for fear of losing privileges… didn’t always work:
X - Earl of Lincoln rebelled against Henry VII in 1487.
X - Lords Darcy and Hussey rebelled against Henry VIII in 1536.
X - Earl of Essex rebelled against Elizabeth I in 1601.
What was Henry VII’s patronage like?
> Used patronage very sparingly, only trusted those closest to him in the Privy Chamber.
> Henry was so reluctant to promote and extend the power of the nobility that the number of representatives of noble families dropped from 55 to 42 during his reign.
How did Henry VII manage his Patronage?
1) He was reluctant to give out many rewards and preferred to use a small group of trusted nobility, gentry and lawyers to help him control the localities.
FOR EXAMPLE, Henry trusted his uncle, Jasper Tudor, to control Wales and the Marches on his behalf – he was promoted from Earl of Pembroke to Duke of Bedford, however after he died in 1495 the land in Bedford returned to the crown.
- Followed a strict policy of rewarding only the most faithful and keeping the rest in suspension with the prospect of future patronage - laid foundations for ‘service nobility’ with rewards being based on serving the Crown rather than long-standing titles and landholdings.
> Ancient nobility such as the Howard Dukes of Norfolk had to compete for king’s favour alongside recently created nobles such as Stanley Earls of Derby.
It can be argued that Henry was successful in his policy, as after 1947, there was no rebellion against him… But there was resentment of his reign.
How did Henry VII manage his Patronage?
1) He was reluctant to give out many rewards and preferred to use a small group of trusted nobility, gentry and lawyers to help him control the localities.
FOR EXAMPLE, Henry trusted his uncle, Jasper Tudor, to control Wales and the Marches on his behalf – he was promoted from Earl of Pembroke to Duke of Bedford, however after he died in 1495 the land in Bedford returned to the crown.
- Followed a strict policy of rewarding only the most faithful and keeping the rest in suspension with the prospect of future patronage - laid foundations for ‘service nobility’ with rewards being based on serving the Crown rather than long-standing titles and landholdings.
> Ancient nobility such as the Howard Dukes of Norfolk had to compete for king’s favour alongside recently created nobles such as Stanley Earls of Derby.
It can be argued that Henry was successful in his policy, as after 1947, there was no rebellion against him… But there was resentment of his reign.
How did Henry VII manage his Patronage?
- The Chamber became increasingly politicised – men serving the new king in seemingly humble positions, such as the Groom of the Stool; opportunity to influence the king.
FOR EXAMPLE, Sir William Compton, Groom of the Stool, was able to raise his income from his estates from 10 pounds per year to nearly 1,700 pounds a year (grants of royal lands and offices). - Power of traditional nobility undermined – men who owed positions to court over estates - Cromwell got his start in royal service through Wolsey’s patronage - Administrators became influential due to their access to royal patronage – William Paget and Thomas Wriothesley rose to the top because of their legal expertise, originally civil servants and diplomats, became barons and earls.
- Attacks on noble families in the North whom Henry distrusted – Duke of Buckingham executed in 152, and his lands in Wales and the Marches were fortified to the king.
- Growth of royal estates aided ability to manipulate patronage, as a result of dissolution of the monasteries and execution for treason from 1535-46; Nobilities income rose from 8 to 9 percent, Crown’s rose from 9 to 27 percent.
- Sale of monastic lands strengthened royal position – created a group of gentry and nobility who had vested interest in supporting the royal supremacy and the break from Rome, as they had benefited.
> Key example of a member of the nobility who owed his position to the monarch through advancement through patronage, was Sir John Russell – spent his life as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber, diplomat and soldier… Granted with a series of offices in the South West, took over from Henry Courtenay… Made Earl of Bedford under Edward VI.
How did Henry VII manage his Patronage?
- The Chamber became increasingly politicised – men serving the new king in seemingly humble positions, such as the Groom of the Stool; opportunity to influence the king.
FOR EXAMPLE, Sir William Compton, Groom of the Stool, was able to raise his income from his estates from 10 pounds per year to nearly 1,700 pounds a year (grants of royal lands and offices). - Power of traditional nobility undermined – men who owed positions to court over estates - Cromwell got his start in royal service through Wolsey’s patronage - Administrators became influential due to their access to royal patronage – William Paget and Thomas Wriothesley rose to the top because of their legal expertise, originally civil servants and diplomats, became barons and earls.
- Attacks on noble families in the North whom Henry distrusted – Duke of Buckingham executed in 152, and his lands in Wales and the Marches were fortified to the king.
- Growth of royal estates aided ability to manipulate patronage, as a result of dissolution of the monasteries and execution for treason from 1535-46; Nobilities income rose from 8 to 9 percent, Crown’s rose from 9 to 27 percent.
- Sale of monastic lands strengthened royal position – created a group of gentry and nobility who had vested interest in supporting the royal supremacy and the break from Rome, as they had benefitted.
> Key example of a member of the nobility who owed his position to the monarch through advancement through patronage, was Sir John Russell – spent his life as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber, diplomat and soldier… Granted with a series of offices in the South West, took over from Henry Courtenay… Made Earl of Bedford under Edward VI.
What were the problems with Henry VIII’s Patronage?
o Relied on the presence of a strange, active and decisive monarch who would promote men who were both reliable and loyal.
X Patronage could cause jealousy and lead to political instability – Edward Seymour and Duke of Norfolk fought over the Reformation (reformer vs. return to Rome). There was Court intrigue and plots, which Seymour’s faction ultimately won… Seymour made himself Lord Protector and Duke of Somerset, and had access to Edward VI and control of his patronage.
X Patronage created members of the nobility who were almost too powerful; Yet both Seymour and Dudley failed to raise an army in support of their ambitions, and were executed for treason, as a result of the loyalty to the Tudor monarch, created by patronage.
What was Elizabeth I’s Patronage like?
o Elizabeth used a complex system of patronage to tie the centre and the localities closer together.
o Group of men who had multiple roles, led by William Cecil, who drew their power and influence from their close relationship with the Queen.
Details of Elizabeth’s Patronage.
- Elizabeth was not married – had favourites who she had flirtatious relationships with, to keep her control - Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, potential husband – Master of the Horse, owned considerable lands in Midlands and Wales. Benefited from patronage through grants, such as Kenilworth Castle and Denbigh in Wales, and given control in the region around Chester… Given grants because he was trusted.
- Elizabeth careful to keep patronage in her own hands – allowed Dudley and Cecil to develop own networks, but these networks were based on the queen’s trust… She distributed patronage fairly between these two rivals, in order to maintain political stability until the 1590s.
How was the North under Elizabeth’s Patronage?
o The South West and Wales were subdued and under royal control through the Russell and Dudley families, but the power of northern invasion remained a threat.
o Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, had Catholic sympathies and could not be trusted to be loyal to the Protestant Reformation .
> Traditional Northern nobility deprived of their positions – Thomas Percy lost wardenship of the Middle March.
X Policies backfired and led to resent among the North – Revolt of the Northern Earls in 1569… Seemed detrimental at the time but was actually beneficial as it gave Elizabeth and excuse to destroy the power of the traditional northern nobility for good. Lands fortified by the rebels were given to loyal nobles.
o Revolt of the Northern Earls led to a re-establishment of the Council of the North, with the Earl of Huntingdon at its head – unconnected to the North and loyal to the queen. Cracked down on recusancy and promoted Protestantism. After 1569 the North posed no further threat.
What were the General problems with the Patronage?
X Not enough to go around – many left dissatisfied, competition bred factions, larger to courtier the larger the faction.
X Faction fights at Court – Henry’s court and break with Rome prompted clash between reformists (Cromwell) and conservatives (Norfolk).
X Required strong monarch – fine under Henry VII and VIII but under Edward VI this sovereign strength was absent, contributed to faction fight between Somerset and Northumberland.
