Topic 3.2 Flashcards
reestablishment of the Council of the North
the Council was given powers to hear and decide cases of treason, murder and felony and it became the voice of the government of London, responsible for passing on and enforcing all royal proclamations and orders made to sheriffs and JPs. Through such great autonomy being given to the Council it allowed for the monarch to have a strong sense of control over the localities as there was significant control over the activities of people in Tudor England. Moreover, the authority of the remodelled Council was enhanced as the president was either a bishop or a member of the nobility who often came from the South or the Midlands. This allowed for the presidents to not have vested interests in the decisions they were making and could remain relatively impartial when dealing with local disputes. As well as this, the presidents who were appointed were loyal and picked by the monarch which meant that the president would act even more adequately in their post. Thus, it can easily be argued that in fact the re-establishment of the Council of the North in 1537 was the key turning point in increasing royal power over the localities in the period as it was developed as a body which could oversee the administration of the North and as it governed Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland through well-appointed presidents - leaving minimal possibilities rebellions within the North, such as the Northern Rebellion.
Law in Wales Acts, in 1535 and 1542
The Act of 1535 easily proves this as it brought a whole new approach to dealing with Wales. Thomas Cromwell, who was in charge of the measures the Act would take, introduced an English-style government for each new Welsh county, including sheriffs, coroners and Justices of Peace. Through this approach to dealing with the lawlessness, the royal power was greatly increased since the Act managed to overhaul the way in which Wales had hitherto been ruled. In 1535 there was more law and order and overall more control to any inconveniences posed - for example there were Justices of Peace who were responsible for hearing court cases, which meant that localities were strictly controlled and royal power correspondingly increased. Moreover, the Law in Wales Act of 1542 also proves how the re-establishment of the Council of the North was not the main turning point in increasing royal power. This Act introduced the system of English law into Wales and brought a total end to the traditional Welsh system which included forms of lawlessness. The Act brought an end to the use of blood feud, which involved a cycle of killings and attacks among families and groups, and there was also a new system of law courts introduced, which were held twice a year and tried criminal cases such as theft or physical attacks. Consequently, this proves how the power of the Tudor monarchs was successfully increased since law and order improved and the region became less of a threat to political stability. Thus, it can be argued that indeed the re-establishment of the Council of the North was not the key turning point in increasing royal power in the localities in the years 1485-1601 as the Acts in Wales ensured that the Tudor monarchs had majorly extended their power in a region which had previously been notoriously problematic.
increasing borough representation in the Commons
The increasing borough representation allowed for the commonwealth to be heard - for example one of the main reasons for the increase in representation was in fact due to the Parliament being a place in which townsmen could ensure that their interests and discontents within their communities could be promoted through the use of petitions and the creation of new laws. Through this, it is clear that the royal power was indeed increased since there was little manoeuvre in which members of any branch of society could oppose the monarch through open rebellion or other measures. This is because through representation in the Commons they were given the ability to communicate their interests and ideas directly to the monarch and thus other approaches were not necessary. Therefore, this clearly implies that the royal power was extended and law and order was established greatly in tudor society in the years 1485-1601. In addition, the fact that most borough MPs/representatives were members of the gentry further reiterates the fact that the royal power in the localities was extended. During the Reformation Parliament, it is estimated that it would have cost each town £70 to fund just one MP; these costs were doubled as each borough had two representatives. With more frequent meetings of parliament these costs grew higher. Wealthier towns such as York could afford to cover these costs. However, smaller and destitute boroughs were not able to. Thus, through having members of the gentry become MPs, they were able to pay for their own expenses and could ensure that rebellions, such as the Cornish rebellion of 1497, were not taking place as townspeople were not obliged to pay taxes to fund their MPs. Therefore, this proves that the re-establishment of the Council of the North was not in fact a key turning point as the increase in borough representation in the Commons is a greater watershed as it increased royal power throughout localities and diminished the chances of rebellion against the monarch.
increasing literacy in the yeomen class
-growth of humanism > emphasised role of education for all, led to the foundation of grammar schools for boys; girls from wealthier backgrounds would have been educated at home.
-public grammar schools did not charge fees > open to rich and poor boys.
^ greater access to education for those below gentry rank - where the yeomen in particular benefitted
-nr of students increased at Oxford - from 1100 to 2000 during 1550s
-1/2 students were from the yeomen class
-illiteracy decreased by 8% among men
^ultimately this allowed access to a myriad of opportunities - e.g the role of yeomen grew in local gov - they were included within it
-not only did they become part of the political system but also defended it at times of rebellion rather than attacking it.
^also used the legal system to resolve disputes instead of resorting to violence
-less likely to take part in rebellions -> after the rebellion of the northern earls there were no other serious rebellions posed to the crown (during the period)
how could the localities be improved through the use of JPs
-emerged in the 14th century
-annually appointed
-heard and decided on cases of felony and trespass; could arrest potential suspects; they supervised the fixing of prices and wages; attended sessions 4 times a year to perform their role
-monitored and controlled local society
-monarchs monitored JPs carefully - even used county benches to insert members of their Court into local gov to enhance their control
-Jps administered the poor law and controlled vagrants
-Henry 7
^was a usurper so he had to consolidate his reign
^his JPs were often members of his court - e.g Lovell was the JP in Yorkshire and Sussex
-he allowed them to replace jurors for appearing to be corrupt (great authority)
-Henry 8
^Jps were expected by Cromwell to enforce the supremacy and the reformation
-late tudors
^ ordered to enforce the Second prayer book
-county bench had risen to 45 under QE
-being a JP was seen as a social and political advancement
-they could deal with new felonies: riots, damage to property, witchcraft, heresies, drunkness and recusancy
how effectively was the monarchy financed?
-two main sources of income: ordinary (which came from the royal lands and monarch’s status as a ‘landlord’) and extraordinary revenues (taxation granted by gov for the monarch’s special needs - war, rebellions etc)
-often the monarchs had to rely on taxation due to their expenditures
^H8 spent 100,000 on Hampton Court and Whitehall
-raising money through taxation caused problems -> dangerous unrest - Cornish Rebellion 1497 + POG
taxation before 1513
-raising tax was based on ‘fifteenths and tenths’
-parliament was the only institution that could grant taxation - monarch could only ask for taxation at times of emergency e.g war/invasion
-each community was expected to pay an amount equivalent to a tenth of the value of their moveables
^ under this system each 15th and 10th was expected to yield £29,500
-during h7 as a result of expenditure this amount was insufficient
^each person had to pay a set amount - whether poor or rich -> burden of taxation fell more harshly on the poorest
-urban communities had to pay more than countrysides - unfair
^in 1497 H7 asked for a new tax - assessed on each individuals wealth -> this raised an additional c.£80,000
1513 subsidy
-Wolsey had to find new ways in which to raise taxation for H8s eagerness to go to war with France
^between 1509-20 gov spent £1 mil on the war effort but only received £25,000 per year from ordinary revenues
-subsidy was made flexible - not reliant on fixed sums of money from the 15ths and 10ths
^ individuals’ wealth was assessed -land, wages, or value of their possessions
^they had to pay on the basis of where they were wealthiest - e.g lands
-separate assessment on nobility - the higher the rank the more they payed
-assessment under oath on personal wealth was introduced through local officials
^they were picked by most respected men in local societies e.g JPs
-Wolsey was able to raise £322,000 - x3 more than the 10ths and 15ths
-Cromwell introduced the subsidy to fund gov in peacetime -> POG
-under QE the income raised by taxes was reduced as a result of the oath not being considered necessary - even Cecil would lie about his income - though it was £4000 he would claim it was £133 - corruption + stagnation
the growth of poverty and the gov response in the localities
-main reason was growth in population - from 2.2 mil to 4.1 mil
^ growth of rising prices and falling wages - inflation
-inflation was made worse through bad harvests and bad weather - crops yield was reduced
-dissolution of monasteries was also a significant factor - a traditional source of support for the poor
^ rise in unemployment, begging and vagrancy
-H7 passed a law which ordered beggars and the idle poor to be put in stocks for 3 days, whipped and returned to their original parish
-as poverty grew so did punishments become more severe - Poor Law was introduced in 1531 which ordered vagrants to be whipped
-impotent poor were licensed by JPs to beg
-Vagrancy Act - harsh - first offence would be a ‘V’ being branded on the person’s chest - vagrant would also become a slave for 2 years
^ it was replaced by a second Poor Law as it was too harsh to be enforced -> impotent poor had to be registered + priests and bishops were required to place more pressure on those reluctant to make voluntary contributions to alms.
the statute of artificers 1563
-bad harvests during QE’s reign - situation was exacerbated by the outbreak of an influenza pandemic - decrease in population by about 200,000
-inflation was HIGH
-JP’s were given further power and authority as they were made to impose the statute of artificers:
-unmarried ppl below 30 were compelled to work and accept any job
-during harvest time, JPs could force everyone able to work to help out - anyone who refused was punished
-most between the ages 12-60 were compelled to work on the land unless they were gentry etc
-wages were assessed by JPs annually
-hours of work were fixed
-apprenticeships were set at 7 yrs - compulsory.
the act for the relief of the poor 1598
-cold weather caused a series of crop failures that resulted in famine in some regions of the north - wages continued to fall as prices continued to rise
^ the prices of staple foods such as wheat rose to levels unaffordable by the poor who relied on them the most
-plague of the period added to the general misery
-the act introduced the post of overseer of the poor for each parish, whose job it was to assess how much poor relief was needed, and to collect and distribute the relief
-the unpaid overseer was supervised by JPs
-this law was combined with other laws
relationship between the crown and the country -Patronage
-h7 - jasper tudor - “carrot” + Howard who was rewarded for not rebelling in 1487 + Bray (royal councillor - earned £1000 per annum due to patronage)
-h8 + less reluctant -> groom of the stool was his friend (Brandon)
-Qe’s favs - Dudley - generous grants were given to him + her cousins + Cecil
royal progresses
-all monarchs used progresses to enhance respect and obedience to the monarchy in the localities
-they were journeys by monarch and the court to regions of England that lay beyond London
-it was a wise way of showing off power wealth and prestige of the court
-it was a good way of reminding subjects of their military and legal power
-also an opportunity for those with local grievances to bring them to the attention of the monarch, or for those with ambitions to seek patronage
-monarch and court had direct intervention
-H7 - went on progress to consolidate his reign -visited Yorkshire a known Richard III base
-H8 went on a progress with 1000 ppl - all were housed and fed by the communities they visited - to escape the smells and disease of London
-as H8 went to places like Southampton rebellion was prevented
-QE also went on progresses
-she did it for other reasons too rather than just for political ones - such as to save money
-she used progresses to strengthen the bonds of trust and authority with her leading councillors - visited Dudley and Cecil about 23 times
