The Political Nation and the social basis of power

Question 1

What does the term Political Nation refer to?

Answer 1

Those people in early modern Britain who had economic, political and social influence.

Question 2

Who was the head of the Political Nation?

Answer 2

The monarch.

Question 3

The monarch’s prerogative gave them powers over the following key areas…

Answer 3

• foreign diplomacy, as Head of State
• declaration of war, as commander-in-chief of the military
• legislation, through the right to call and dissolve Parliament
• religion, as supreme Governor (head) of the Church of England

Question 4

The characters and personalities of each monarch did much to…

Answer 4

shape the period and the monarch’s relationship with the rest of the Political Nation, particularly through the institution of Parliament

Question 5

1603- Elizabeth I, died childless…

Answer 5

James succeeded to the English throne as King James I

Question 6

As a successful ruler, James I…

Answer 6

was pragmatic and practical enough to realise that he needed to work with Parliament. He did, however, dissolve Parliament several time in frustration during his reign

Question 7

Charles I was the younger son of James. Charles became heir to the throne when he was 11 due to the death of his older brother Henry (aged 18). Charles was temperamentally…

Answer 7

unsuited to kingship and was unprepared for the role. He did not get along with Parliament

Question 8

Finances lay at the root of the monarch’s power, and the limits on the monarchs’ income prevented them from becoming truly absolutist. A century of inflation, or a general rise in prices, meant that…

Answer 8

English monarchs increasingly found that their income could not meet their expenses, especially in relation to foreign policies such as warfare and international diplomacy

Question 9

Substantial funds could only be raised through…

Answer 9

parliamentary subsidies

Question 10

Parliament was normally reluctant to vote for subsidies because…

Answer 10

the money would have to be raised by the taxing of the Political Nation

Question 11

Members of Parliament tended to only represent only the concerns of the voters who selected them e.g. the landed aristocracy and gentry, as well as wealthy lawyers and merchants. This was because…

Answer 11

only the wealthy had to pay a parliamentary subsidy as they had a vested interest in not granting subsidies to the monarch

Question 12

The limited availability of parliamentary subsidies therefore…

Answer 12

forced monarchs to exploit their prerogative income, which was money received due to their position as monarch

Question 13

Define Crown lands

Answer 13

The crown had sold much land or rented it out on long leases at a fixed rent, thus their income was reduced because they couldn’t update rents in line with inflation

Question 14

Define Custom duties

Answer 14

Taxes from goods imported into the country. The crown could also temporarily sell the right to collect such taxes to raise funds quickly

Question 15

Define Feudal dues

Answer 15

The crown had the right to control an estate that was inherited, by ancient right, by an heir under the age of 21

Question 16

Define Parliamentary subsidy

Answer 16

Funds approved by Parliament for emergencies such as war

Question 17

Prerogative income also raised concerns in Parliament because…

Answer 17

if a monarch became financially self-sufficient, then that monarch could establish themselves as absolute, meaning they did not need Parliament at all.

Question 18

Parliament’s control of significant financial resources was the key limit on…

Answer 18

the development of an absolute monarchy in England

Question 19

Another limit on the development of absolutism was that…

Answer 19

the monarch needed the Political Nation to help control the general population

Question 20

The monarch relied on members of the Political Nation to ensure that…

Answer 20

both central and local government could function. E.G: the monarch relied on the Justices of the Peace, who were chosen from ranks of gentry and nobility, to enforce the Crown’s will in the localities

Question 21

Holding office in the name of the Crown gave members of the Political Nation…

Answer 21

status and further contributed to their power

Question 22

The disadvantage of the unwritten constitution was that…

Answer 22

it was open to interpretation, but this was also its advantage. In a society that valued consensus, the ability to interpret the constitution in different ways enabled compromise

Question 23

The Political Nation covered a range of social groups:

Answer 23

• the aristocracy
• the lesser gentry whose status was based on land ownership
• newer groups, including lawyers and merchants, whose wealth was based on income not derived from land ownership. Some historians refer to this group as pseudo-gentry because of the non-land based nature of their wealth

Question 24

The 17th Century Political Nation didn’t essentially have a real police or army however…

Answer 24

its dominance was generally accepted by those beneath them in the social hierarchy. This remained the case even in the face of enormous pressure resulting from a sharp increase in population.

Question 25

Between 1500 and 1650, the population of England nearly doubled. This growth led to several negative consequences, including:

Answer 25

• price inflation (particularly with regard to food)
• food shortage
• land shortage
• unemployment
• greater reliance on the state for poor relief

All of these consequences strained the hierarchical society

Question 26

The concept of the ‘Great Chain of Being’ maintained that…

Answer 26

it was for the benefit of all to accept the social position in which God had placed them

Question 27

Part of the elites’ paternalist duty in participating in the Political Nation and the great chain of being was to ensure…

Answer 27

that in times of hardship, those at the bottom of society were looked after, though some members of the nobility and gentry took their responsibilities more seriously than others

Question 28

What was the Great Chain of Being?

Answer 28

A contemporary phrase for the idea of an ordered society set in place by God; the idea held that everyone was linked to each other and must accept their place in society, whether they were born a poor peasant, a wealthy aristocrat, or somewhere in between

Question 29

Land remained central to power and wealth across the century as the economy remained predominantly agrarian. Ownership of land during a time of increasing population enabled landowners to…

Answer 29

benefit from the increasing price of food

Question 30

While in general those of higher status in the different levels of the Political Nation were the most wealthy however…

Answer 30

it was not always the case that the aristocracy had more income than merchants

Question 31

Urban growth saw the development of non-landed forms of wealth and…

Answer 31

some of the people entered the ‘Political Nation’