Chapter 10: English society in the reign of Henry VIII Flashcards
1
Q
Was their continuity or change in society during Henrys reign ?
A
- witnessed a dynastic period in English society in which remnants of the feudal system still existed
- growth of a professional and commercial group
- increase in the number of gentry during his reign
- little change for the standard of living for commoners
- traditional nobles (or peers =) and the greater gentry still represented a social elite which wielded considerable political and economic influence
2
Q
What were the changes/continuity in the nobility ?
A
- size of the peerage increase, ❗️although by the end of Henry’s reign there was only 9 more peers than there had been at the beginning
- most achieved the progression to peerage through winning royal favour/successful royal service as courtiers or soldiers (sometimes enhanced by close family relationships)
- only on Duke at the beginning of H’s reign (Edward Stafford- Duke of Buckingham) who never enjoyed royal favour
- Henry only promoted two non-royals to Duke titles: Norfolk was promoted due to his father and Suffolk was promoted due to the closeness of his relationship with the king
3
Q
How did the creation of peers/nobles help Henry ?
A
- Henry sometimes bestowed property in nobles to enable them to exert royal authority/ influence in particular areas
❗️eg. after the rebellion of 1536 Suffolk was sent to live in Lincolnshire and ordered by Henry to move there to ensure that he could exert that authority in person
❗️similarly John Baron Russell was raised to the peerage and given lands in Devon to maintain/strengthen royal authority in the south-west following the execution of the Marquess of Exeter - nobles expected to have great households and offer hospitality to neighbours, critical to maintaining local influence and the recruitment of royal armies ❗️(eg. the Earl of Shrewsbury raised over 4000 men for the invasion of France in 1513) as bastard feudalism had not died completely
- however the nobility were being brought more under the control of H and many fell victim to H’s impulsive personality
- many were executed for a vague charge of treason eg. Duke of Buckingham in 1521
4
Q
Who were the gentry ?
A
- ❗️about 5000 gentry families in 1540
- knighthoods were gained as a result of royal favour and it was assumed that a knight would possess an income which reflected his status, ❗️about 200 knightly families in 1524
- someone who carried a coat of arms was deemed an esquire and such status was certified by the royal heralds
- number of gentry increased during HVIII’s reign, more to increase the number of JPs which increased the number involved in local administration
5
Q
Gentry and administation ?
A
- many members of the gentry were draw into unpaid administration on behalf of the crown
- members increasingly keen on their sons acquiring the legal training which would make them better able to take on such roles as could offer the basis for local advancement
- whereas the crowns local administrators had formerly been likely to be clergymen, increasingly they were laymen, whose office holding often generated the income which would bring about landownership and gentry status
6
Q
Was there change for commoners during Henrys reign ?
A
- little dramatic change in the standard of living during the first half of henrys reign
- a rise in the rate of inflation did lead to a drop in real incomes, contributing to the ill feeling felt by many towards the Amicable Grant
- social structure remained little unchanged, the vast majority having very few possessions and little chance f regular and secure employment
- govt were always fearful of such people as outbreaks of disorder were common (while full scale rebellions were relatively rare)
7
Q
How was England divided by regions ?
A
- society not only divided by class and title, but it was also regionally divided with local loyalties often being stronger than national ones
- in order to bind the country as one nation measures were taken to create a single unified state
8
Q
How did wales cause difficulty to Henry during his reign ?
A
- before 1536 wales was a separate territory from england, though in practice it was under english control
- it had never had a unified administration nor a formal political link with england, this changed with the ❗️Laws in Wales Act of 1536 which:
1. divided wales into counties, which operated on the same basis as their english counterparts
2. gave wales representation in the house of commons for the first time
3. brought wales into the same legal framework as england
(only thing that made it separate from england was the language) - control over wales continued to be exercised on behalf of the crown, however increasingly this became the responsibility of members of the aristocracy eg. Earls of Pembroke and members of the welsh gentry who controlled the country’s politics, were elected to Parliament
9
Q
How did the English Palatines cause difficulty to Henry during his reign ?
A
- three counties: Lancashire, Cheshire and Durham were effectively separate jurisdictions to the rest of the kingdom
- mattered little in Lancashire and Cheshire, however Durham was still technically separate with palatinate jurisdiction being exercised by the bishop
- ❗️ the Act Resuming Liberties to the Crown in 1536 reduced the level of independence enjoyed by the bishop but did not destroy it completely
10
Q
How did the Anglo-Welsh border cause difficulty to Henry during his reign ?
A
- lands governed as part of the Principality of wales alongside four bordering english counties eg. Herefordshire came under the jurisdiction of the council of wales and the marches (based in Shropshire)
- it offered relatively cheap and local access to the law and could therefore be seen as a benefit to the area under its jurisdiction
11
Q
How did the Anglo-Scottish border cause difficulty to Henry during his reign ?
A
- remained a problematic area for HVIII, the border of Scotland was difficult to police as much of it was remote and often inhospitable in the winter months
- both sides of the border had a reputation for lawlessness
- therefore the border of scotland was split into three marches, each under the jurisdiction of a warden, but filling these posts was difficult
- appointing from a local noble family ran the risk that the noble would exploit his office to enhance his own power at the kings expense
- H had little time and decided to appoint local officers from the gentry (eg. Thomas Lord Wharton in 1542) or complete outsiders- these were more likely to owe complete loyalty to the king but had limited influence
12
Q
How did the council in the North cause problems for Henry ?
A
- was a governance regime based far away from London
- its number of supporters was later shown during the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536
- led to Henry and Cromwell establishing a permanent body based in York with professional staff, it had both administrative and legal functions
- it proved worthy by helping to keep the north quiet and prevented rebellions in the summer of 1549
13
Q
What were the social impacts of religious upheaval ?
A
- execution of some who denied the royal supremacy, most notably Sir Thomas More
- Cromwell’s dissolution of the monasteries (began 1536) attacked many of the traditional Catholic practises eg. holy days, pilgrimage and the veneration of relics, this provoked fears that these reforms might be accompanied by an attack on parish churches
- 🔔 major rebellion in the autumn of 1536 in Lincolnshire and parts of the North known as the Pilgramage of Grace
14
Q
What were the long lasting social consequences of the religious upheaval ?
A
- a huge amount of land was removed from the church and taken to the crown (bcs of the warlike FP of H’s final years this led to widespread sale of church and monastic property, therefore increasing both the size and wealth of the landowning gentry) ❗️ by 1547 almost 2/3rds of monastic land acquired by the crown and been sold or granted away
- many monasteries had been noted for their education provisions, with their demise, most monastic schools were lost
- many monks and nuns were unemployed at a stroke, some monks were able to secure employment as specular priests and many others received pensions but the position of nuns was very uncertain/precarious
- some monasteries had played a very considerable role in communities (as well as providing education, they also provided employment and business opportunities), some major monastic churches acted as cathedrals eg. Durham and others as parish churches, people went to great lengths to protect their monasteries ❗️eg. Hexham, royal commissioners were prevented from beginning the process of dissolution by a gathering of armed men
15
Q
What rebellions occurred during HVIII’s reign ?
A
- H’s reign saw various instances of disorder and disobedience which authorities managed with difficulty, to keep under control
- 🔔Pilgrimage of Grace = major rebellion
- the amicable grant, resistance of taxation
