Week 1: The Material and Mental World of English People, c. 1500 Flashcards
What are the 3 main advantages of being an island nation?
- Separation from continental opponents
- Increased seamanship
- Trade benefits
What was the population of England and Wales in 1500?
2.2 million
Why was England’s population so low in 1500?
- The Bubonic Plague cut the population of England in half
Why was London the most important city?
- It’s protected port status because of the Thames River
What percentage of England lived in cities in 1500?
10%
What was the richest economic asset of 16th century England?
Sheep
What role did sheep play in 16th century English international trade?
- Wool from English sheep was exported to the continent
- Continental European goods came back in exchange
What are the 2 types of settlements in 16th century England?
- Fielden
- Forest
What was a Fielden?
- An Agriculturally based settlement
- Grew crops and raised animals
- Centred around a manorial estate
- Very tight-knit community
Where was the best farmland in England?
South-East
What did the word “Forest” mean in the 16th century?
- A large area of land, NOT necessarily wooded
What was a Forest settlement?
- Poorer soil (could be rocky, forested, or hilly)
- But good for dairy farms and livestock
- These settlements were more scattered
Generally, the further away you are from South-Eastern fielden settlements you are……….
The less tied to the King and Government, the county is.
What does owning an estate show?
That you have made it in society (particularly in higher society)
_____= Power
Land
Why was stripping a person of their land seen as worse than execution?
- If you are stripped of your land, your future generations will be stripped of your titles, land and merits
- If you get executed, your future heirs still get to keep your titles and estates
True or False: In legal theory, the King owns all the land in England.
TRUE
What must the King do in order to legally strip somebody of their lands?
- Obtain a legal proceeding ONLY if the individual in question has committed treason, rebellion, or homicide.
Which 3 offences are the only ones with which the King can confiscate your land for?
- Treason
- Rebellion
- Homicide
What type of establishments composed most of the Catholic Church land in England in the 1500s?
Monestaries
What is a JP?
Justice of the Peace
- Formal title for a judge
What did one HAVE to be in order to be a JP?
- A Landowner
Who did commoners largely pay their rent to?
Their local JP (Justice of the Peace)
In 1500, there were no central courts yet. What did people do for justice instead?
- Peasants in the villages would go to their local JP for cases of minor infractions
What was the requirement to be a member of Parliament in 1500?
- Had to own a minimum acerage of land
Why was Parliamentary membership reserved for higher landowners?
- Because Nobles had a lot more to lose if their nation was in peril, so, they would naturally be more invested in its interest and lawmaking
List the hierarchy of 16th century land ownership:
- King
- Church (monasteries)
- Nobility
- Gentry
- Yeoman
What were Yeoman?
- A more well off farmer who typically owns his own land
16th century serfs could only be described as:
Indentured servants
In return for giving a portion of their produce to the lord, what did serfs receive?
- Protection
- A House and land to work on
True or False: Serfs could technically leave the estate whenever they pleased.
FALSE
Serfs were indentured, and Lord’s had full power over where they went, who they buried, etc.
What happened in terms of labour after the Bubonic Plague?
- Labour shortages
- The value of labour increased
What were landowners forced to do to accommodate serfs following the Bubonic Plague?
- Lower rent
- Increase wages
Explain the concept of tenancies:
- You named 3 tenants in a lease
- When all 3 died, your tenancy was all up
Why was it ill-advised to name children in your tenancy?
- Because of the high infant mortality rate
16th century English houses were mostly made of ______________.
Wattle and Daub
Each 16th century English household had a…….
24/7 burning central fire
What is Primogeniture?
Passing all ancestral property down to the eldest son
What is Partible Inheritance?
Dividing all ancestral property equally amongst all of your children
What was seen as the problem with Partible Inheritance?
- Each time you passed down land, your combined property got smaller and smaller
- Especially since land given to female heirs was later incorporated into her future groom’s family estates
16th century London was surrounded by a notable _________
Wall
Instead of Police, 16th century London had _________
Volunteer night watchmen
True or False: 16th century London was very controlled in terms of who comes in and out of the city.
TRUE
Who did the City of London impose a noteworthy tax on in the 16th century?
Foreigners in the city
The City of London authorities demanded all foreigners in the city be ___________.
Registered
List of the 8 hierarchical tiers of 1500s English society:
- King
- Nobility
- Gentlemen
- Yeoman
- Husbandmen
- Cottagers
- Labourers (don’t own anything)
- Serfs
Who were Cottagers?
- Labourers who DID own a cottage and a perhaps little land to cultivate
Who were Husbandmen?
- A small farmer, often landless.
What are the 5 sub-ranks within the Nobility?
- Duke
- Marquess
- Earl
- Viscount
- Baron
True or False: Some Dukes were more powerful than other Dukes.
TRUE
What determined a noble’s heightened power over other nobles? (3 things)
- King’s favour
- Strategic location of his Dukedom
- By the Seniority of his title
In what 3 ways could a serf make his way up in society?
- Marriage
- Making Money
- Brave and Extraordinary services to the King (ex. hero in battle)
What were Sumptuary Laws?
- Laws in place restricting luxury in apparel and food for all EXCEPT certain noble ranks and higher.
- Defined the types, quality and quantity of items that each social group was allowed to wear
- Ex. None shall wear any velvet gowns EXCEPT the wife’s of barons sons, knights, and all above.
At what age do men typically marry in 1500 England?
25
At what age do women typically marry in 1500 England?
20
Typically, the higher up you are in society, the ____________ your marriage is.
Earlier
Why? –> The earlier you marry, the more time you have of producing heirs at the wife’s biological peak, thus, increasing the chances for a MALE heir.
Why could most people at the time never conceive of Atheism?
- Because the Church filled and centred people’s lives
What acted as news stations in the 1500s in England?
Churches
What served as social centres of most communities in the 1500s in England?
Churches
What is Aristotelian Cosmography?
Geocentrism
- Most people believed the Earth was at the centre of the universe in the 1500s in England
Explain the Great Chain of Being:
- The notion that every single thing on Earth is hierarchical at it’s nature
- Nature (Lion vs. Ant)
- Religion (Angels, Archangels, etc.)
What were the 6 levels of microcosm in the concept of the Great Chain of Being?
- God
- Angels
- Humans
- Animals
- Plants
- Inanimate Objects
Why were Sumptuary Laws important? (3 things)
- It showed people the order and hierarchy of England
- Reinforced social hierarchy
- Regulated foreign trade in luxury goods to bolster the home economy
Why was the Great Chain of Being important? (3 reasons)
- Justified political authority of the period
- Cemented hierarchical framework
- Reflected Religious beliefs and allowed for Church power
Why are Monasteries important in 16th century England?
- Gave vital social services (ex. hospital care, food for the poor, orphanage, education etc.)
- Owned vast swaths of land, and thus, economic influence through wealth (they employed lay serfs)
- Cemented the Catholic Church’s hold and influence in England
Why was primogeniture important?
- Minimized infighting amongst the nobility (because of it’s clear lines of succession)
