Society under Henry VIII Flashcards
1
Q
What social change was there to the gentry?
A
- “Gentility” was often acquired as a result of the proceeds of office, profession or business - Knighthood = a sign of royal favour, assumed a knight would possess an outcome reflecting his status - about 5000 families - Decreased from 375 knights in Henry VII’s reign to 200 in Henry VIII’s - JPs increased - Laymen roles generated income, bringing about landownership and gentry status
2
Q
What was the structure of the gentry?
A
- More JPs participated in local administration - Members of the gentry drawn into unpaid administration on behalf of the crown - Increasingly keen on sons acquiring legal training, allowing them to be better able to take on roles on the basis of local advancement - Crown’s local administrators more likely to be laymen than clergymen
3
Q
What was the nobility like under Henry VIII?
A
- Peerage increased under him, but by 1547, there were only 9 more peers of the realm - this was due to titles dying out and Acts of Attainder - New peerages created through family relationships to the king, like Thomas Seymour, or through service at court/military - Henry created two new non-royal dukedoms, Norfolk and Suffolk - Suffolk’s promotion was due to his close relationship with Henry, which was criticised by Erasmus - Henry used the peerage and granting of lands to secure his throne, for example, John (Baron Russell) was given land in Devon after the execution of the Marquis of Exeter
4
Q
What were commoners like under Henry VIII?
A
- Little change in the first half of the reign - However, with the rise of inflation and the imposition of the Amicable Grant 1525, there was opposition from common folk - The social structure stayed the same - Commoners owned little and ran the risk of employment instability - There were few rebellions but social order could break down in certain areas
5
Q
What was social order like on the Anglo-Welsh border?
A
- Lands were governed as part of the Principality of Wales along with the 4 bordering English counties, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, which came under the jurisdiction of the Council of Wales and the Marches, which was based at Ludlow, Shropshire - This offered relatively cheap and local access to the law and could therefore be seen as a benefit to the area under its jurisdiction
6
Q
What was social order like on the Anglo-Scottish border?
A
- Remained a problematic area - border was hard to police as much of it was remote and inhospitable in the winter months - Both sides of border had a reputation for lawlessness - cattle and sheep rustling were rife and violence common - To deal with such problems, the border with Scotland was split into 3 marches, each under the jurisdiction of a warden - filling these posts could be difficult as use of a local noble family would run the risk of them exploiting their office to enhance their own power at the King’s expense - Henry had little time for such border magnate families as the Percies and the Dacres - The other option was to appoint local officers from the gentry class (e.g. Thomas, Lord Wharton, recently raised to the peerage from humble origins in 1542) or those who were complete outsiders - These two groups were more likely to have complete loyalty to the king, but they had limited ability to influence the conduct of a local people who often saw themselves as owing a primary loyalty to a local magnate
7
Q
What regional issues were there in Wales?
A
- Before 1536, Wales was a separate territory but under English control - The Tudors were a Welsh family - It comprised of marcher (border) lordships and the principality of Wales - It had neither a single unified administrator or formal political link with England - Henry VIII wanted to change this
8
Q
When was the Laws in Wales Act?
A
1536
9
Q
What did the Laws in Wales Act do?
A
- Divided Wales into shire counties which operated on the same basis as the English counterparts - Gave the Welsh shires direct representation in the House of Commons at Westminster for the first time - Brought Wales into the same legal framework as England - Wales became incorporated into England with little of a separate identity apart from the survival of the Welsh language in some parts of the country - Control over Wales exercised on the Crown’s behalf by members of the aristocracy, and members of an anglicised Welsh gentry controlling county politics were elected to Parliament, becoming increasingly prominent within the legal profession
10
Q
Which three English counties were palatinates?
A
Lancashire, Cheshire and Durham
11
Q
What is a palatinate?
A
Where a county had its own jurisdiction from the rest of the kingdom
12
Q
What were the realities of the palatinateships of Lancashire, Cheshire and Durham?
A
- In reality, Lancashire and Cheshire were dominated by the Crown - Durham was still technically under the Bishop of Durham
13
Q
When was the Act of Resuming Liberties to the Crown?
A
1536
14
Q
What did the Act of Resuming Liberties to the Crown do?
A
Stripped the Bishop of most of his powers, although he was still able to operate some courts This change can be seen as evolutionary rather than revolutionary
15
Q
What was the Council in the North?
A
- Controlling the North created problems for Henry, particularly after his religious changes - In 1536, the Council of the North was re-established as a permanent body in York with a professional staff - useful in 1549
16
Q
What minor societal changes were made under Wolsey?
A
- Dissolved some redundant monasteries, using their endowments for educational purposes - No one would have predicted the destruction of Catholic England
17
Q
How popular were the religious changes in Henry’s society?
A
- In the 1530s Henry broke with Rome and became head of a new English Church - A small minority of people undoubtedly welcomed the religious change but there was no groundswell of popular support for the changes - There were executions of some who denied the royal supremacy, e.g. Sir Thomas More
18
Q
How was the dissolution of the monasteries perceived in society?
A
- Cromwell’s dissolution of monasteries began in 1536 and his 1536 Royal Injunctions attacked many traditional Catholic practices, e.g. Holy days, pilgrimages and the veneration of relics - This provoked fears that these reforms might accompany an attack on parish churches - A major rebellion broke out in the autumn of 1536 in Lincolnshire and parts of North England; this became known as the Pilgrimage of Grace
19
Q
What were the land loss consequences of religious upheaval?
A
- A huge amount of land was removed from the Church and taken by the Crown - This theoretically should have made the king more powerful, however, the expense of the warlike foreign policy of Henry’s final years led to the widespread sale of Church and monastic property, often at knock-down prices - This thereby increased both the size and wealth of the landholding gentry - By 1547 almost 2/3 of the monastic land acquired by the Crown had been sold off or granted away
20
Q
What were the consequences for schools of religious upheaval?
A
- Many monasteries had been noted for their educational provision - With their demise, most monastic schools were lost also
21
Q
What were the consequences for monks and nuns of religious upheaval?
A
- Many monks and nuns were rendered unemployed at a stroke - Some monks were able to secure employment as secular priests and many others received pensions - The position of nuns was very precarious
22
Q
What were the consequences for monastery unemployment of religious upheaval?
A
- Some monasteries played a very considerable role in their communities, providing employment and business opportunities - Some major monastic churches, such as Durham, were the cathedrals of their dioceses - Many others doubled up as the local parish church - Dissolution was seen as a potential disaster and some communities went to considerable lengths to try to protect their monasteries
23
Q
What were the main reasons for rebellion during Henry’s reign?
A
- Money/taxation - the Amicable Grant 1525 - Religion - the Reformation 1534 - defence of faith and dissolution of the monasteries - Food shortages and agrarian issues - poor harvests 1533-36 and enclosures - Opposition to Cromwell’s policies - saw it as an attack of the North - Aristocratic feuds - uprising planned by gentry in order to increase their power - also angry at the position of Anne Boleyn and Cromwell
24
Q
What region of England was most discontented with the Reformation?
A
- Opposition to the Reformation was nationwide, but there was a big variation in the regional reactions to the changes Henry imposed - The North were the most unhappy with the changes and led the two major rebellions, which combined were the biggest in Tudor history
25
What were the two major rebellions of Henry's reign?
- The Lincolnshire Rising - The Pilgrimage of Grace
26
When was the Pilgrimage of Grace?
8th October 1536 - 8th December 1536
27
Where did the Pilgrimage of Grace begin?
In the East Riding of Yorkshire
28
Who led the Pilgrimage of Grace?
Robert Aske
29
What were the causes of the Pilgrimage of Grace?
1. Dissolution of the monasteries - it was clear that the dissolution of monasteries would have a number of undesirable effects, including loss of charitable and educational functions which some monasteries provided and possible loss of parish churches to monastic properties 2. Fear for parish churches and religious practices 3. Poverty - poverty protests signed by "Captain Poverty"
30
How did rebels show their dedication to religion?
- Used religious imagery - Wore badges of the 5 wounds of Christ - Called themselves "Christ's soldiers" - Took oaths to the movement
31
What were the consequences of the Pilgrimage of Grace?
- It shook Henry - His own dealing with the rebellion was poor - he ignored warnings about the increase in resentment which he did not wish to hear - He was fortunate that the Duke of Norfolk showed common sense and flexibility in commanding the army which suppressed the rebellion on the issue of a pardon and the promise of dissolved monasteries being restored and a free parliament established (promises Henry did not plan on honouring) - The rebellion did not slow the pace of religious change despite its severity
32
When was the Lincolnshire Rising?
1st October 1536 - 11th October 1536
33
What were the causes of the Lincolnshire Rising?
- 3 government officials were working on dissolving smaller monasteries, collecting subsidy, inspecting the clergy and enforcing new laws - Rumours started that they were after much more - gold, jewels, plate and extra taxes
34
What happened in the Lincolnshire Rising?
- The rising started in Louth on 1st October, moving across the country to Lincoln - Grew to include gentry, priests and even armed monks - 10,000 people joined together and several lists of articles/grievances were drawn up
35
Who led the Lincolnshire Rising?
Nicholas Melton, a shoemaker who called himself "Captain Cobbler"
36
How was the Lincolnshire Rising suppressed?
- The Duke of Suffolk's army arrived and the rebels dispersed - The gentry ran for cover and sought forgiveness and the commons collapsed into confusion - Few rebels who remained were sent home when the Government's Herald arrived on 11th October
