The Social Hierarchy Flashcards
What did people believe about their place in the hierarchy and how did it make the church powerful?
Great chain of being, had been ordered by god .
This put the church in a powerful position to control the people by preaching obedience to the will of god and it made the church an indispensable ally of the government.
The church’s role?
Spiritual guidance, great landowner and political power
How did Henry appointed his bishops?
Legal training and whose administrative competence was valued more than their spirituality
Who were the two most important clergymen?
John Morton and Richard fox.
What did the nobility dominate?
Landownership and were therefore very influential in the localities
What were the 5 peerage titles for how many men?
Duke, marquis,earl,viscount,baron comprised of just over 50 men
Why was the nobility limited?
Strict inheritance rules of primogeniture meant that the nobility was limited
Why did the crown rely on the nobility?
Maintenance of law and order in the countryside.
How many earls did Henry create and why ?
3 earls: Thomas Stanley,jasper Tudor and Northumberland.
He was reluctant to create new peerage titles, thus making the honour very special and ensuring that those who wanted the title were loyal bc it was a rarity and limited.
The gentry
Nobles and the gentry were few in number but together formed the most privileged class: 55nobles,500 knights,800esquires and 5000 gentlemen- making up just 1 percent of the population
Where did the gentry’s wealth and power derived from?
Substantial landowning and office holding
Why did the crown rely on the gentry?
Govern the kingdom keep the peace and pay the majority of the kingdoms taxes.
How does the nobility and the gentry differ in parliament?
Nobles were entitled to a seat in the House of Lords, the gentry elected members to represent them in the hoc.
Who were the bourgeoisie?
Middle class who lived in urban areas . Educated lawyers and merchants at the top and shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen below
What’s the difference between yeomen and labourers?
Owned their own land. Labourers were usually dependent for income on the sale of their labour or through farming on common land
