summer exams- methods tudors used to control eng Flashcards
what powers did the JPS have
- Long running role, had been gathering increasing power and influence since the 14th century
- even at the start of the period they could :
- Hear and decide cases of felony and trespass at the quarter sessions. Dealing with a huge range of offences as magistrates from minor theft to murder
- arrest potential suspects
- supervise the regulation of weights and measures and the fixing of prices and wages
why were JPS so useful to the monarchs
- Monarchs used the county benches to insert members of the court into local gvm to enhance royal control
- These figures were selected from those with most local status, as the qualifieration to become a jp was to own land which bought in £20 of income a year.
- This meant the men were respected among society, however, their gentry status meant they weren’t so above the people that they could still interact with them, yet still had the means to enforce the law as magistrates and local judges
Increased power of JPS under Henry
- Throughout the tudor period, their role became even more important
- Under Henry, Wolsey sought to improve the local justice and quality of Jps in 1526, by enforcing a 21 questionnaire on law and order in their regions,
- Cromwell too worked to monitor ho was appointed the role
Increased power of JPs under other monarchs
- Under Ed, max and Liz the trend for placing more responsibility on Jps continued.
- The social \nd economic crisis of the early 1550s led to fears of social disorder,
- leading to acts of parliaments that placed responabliity on Jps to oversee local alehouses an religious changes at a local level
Increased power of JPS under LIZ
- By Liz, the average size of the county bench had grown from 25 under Henry to between 40 to 50
- Elizabehtan Jps had aqruied powers to deal with new felonies introduced by the GVM including riots, damage to property, witchcraft and recusancy
- Jps were expected to ensure the provisions of the poor laws were carried out, alehouses correctly licensed and houses of correction managed properly
Counter argument for JPS
However: they did not always cooperate with all of the gym’s demands
The Jps lived in small communities serving to maintain family and neighbourly relationships in those areas
This made it natural that they often orirotised local concerns over those of central gvm i.e. recusancy under Liz, not enforced especially in conservative areas
However: it was this close bond with the people which made them so successful and influential
What powers did the nobility have
- integral part of government. As major landners, they were responsible for upholding law and order in the regions where they were most powerful
- At the centre of the gvm, they were the kings friends and advisors serving on his council, in Pmt and in court
- Tthey remained an important link between the centre and the localities
How could the monarchs use the nobility for their benefit
- tudor monarchs began to recruit their own personal followers, they also ‘planted’ leading councillors and members of their household into specific regions.
- E.g. Charles Brandon, Henry’s close friend was moved to Lincolnshire in the late 1530s to control a region where there had been serious unrest .
- Elizabeth appointed the Earl of Huntingdon as president of the council of the north
their rank and social status meant they could command respect locally
Why were the nobility so useful
- their link with the crown was also important in passing useful local info to the ruler through the council or chamber, helpful in times of crisis + could act as mouthpieces locally
- e.g. in 1525 the dukes of norfolk and suffolk were witnesses of protests over the amicable grant, they spoke to the rebels and reported what thy heard to Wolsey
Other useful things the nobility did
- They often were the first line of defence against rebellions, relied on to suppress the rebellions of 1549, 1536, and 1569 as there was no standing army in the 16c
- They also played a role in implementing other govenment policies, especially religious changes.
Catholic Earl of derby helped investigate protestants in Mary’s reign and puritan Earl of Huntingdon helped to enforce ptoestantsim n the north in Elkzabeth’s reign
Counter argument against the nobility
However
the nobility could also be the root of trouble and disorder
For example they played roles in key rebellions such as..
- the revolt of the northern earls 1568-60: Thomas percy and Charles Neville and Thomas Howard rose up in support of MQS gathering an army of 12,000
- Pilgramage of grace 1536 40,000 people let by robert Aske and nobility in response to religious reform
Their increased status led them to do this, compared to JPs who weren’t as high
How did the Lord Leiutenants come to be
- as the traditional feudal role of the nobility declined under the tudors, a replacement was needed for their role in providing the monarch with an army
- this was the lord Lieutenants, which first appeared as an experiment in the late 1540s and 50s and became a permanent feature of tudor gvm in 1585 when Eng went to war with spain
- The ll were given responsibility to oversee the war effort of a specific country
what did Lord Leituenants do
- given far reaching powers,
- ordered to arrange the defence of their countries and the muster of all men who were available and eligible to serve in the army,
- to ensure these men were trained and armed
- and to impose discipline
- Levied forced loans, supervised Jps and enforced economic commands
Who were the lord lieutenants
- They were of high status, normally the most powerful nobleman living in the region
- all other local officials including Jps were instructed to obey and assist the lieutenants
- Because these figures held other positiosn, they provided an important link between the regions and central gvm
- responsible for communicating developments in their regions back to the privy council and kept them aware of events in the kingdom e.g. rebellions or tax riots, making sure everything was under control
lord lieutenants in the monarchs reigns
- ed gave them more functions after the prayer book rebellion in 1549 o they could regain control in affected regions
- from 1585 lord lieutenants were appointed to nearly ever county in eng and wales
- after 1587 the positions were held in over half of the counties by privy councillors, improving communication between the privy council and localities
- they produced an improved system of military organisation with better reords, recruitment and communication
