Context Before Reign Flashcards
What were the ways to build the economy?
Farming, fishing, markets, fairs, timber
What industry provided the most wealth?
Cloth industry:
•Exported to the Netherlands, Holy Roman Empire, Venice and Spain
•Brought lots of money through customs duties on exports
•Mostly controlled by the Merchant Adventurers in London
What was brought from Germany to England in 1476?
The printing press.
Allowed stories of the bible to be translated to English in books.
What was the countryside like?
•Hilly and mountainous
•Lots of Common land
•Livestock farming common in hilly areas
What was large open field land used for?
•Arable farming
•Was divided into strips and given by local landowners to tenants
- The tenants could lose their strip of land if the landowner changed farming method
What is arable farming?
Labour-intensive, producing crops using basic tools such as ploughs
What did nobles do?
Maintained law and order in their areas which prevented rebellions.
Owned large areas of land
What was the impact of the Renaissance?
•Believed human knowledge would improve with education
•Classical literature and architecture
•Over 100 endowed schools set up in England in the 15th century
What is primogeniture?
An inheritence rule that states the eldest son or nearest male relative will inherit everything from a death.
What was the population?
~3 million
What was the largest town?
London - 60 000 people
How many of the population lived in rural communities?
90%
What is enclosure?
Landowners fencing off their land to begin sheep or cattle rearing. Prevented commoners from farming on that land as it was no longer common land
What were powerful churches able to do which made them an ally to the government?
Control the people through preaching obedience
How much land did the Catholic Church own?
~1/3 of the land
How many of the parish churches were built in the 15th century?
Nearly 2/3
Why were come clergy corrupt?
They were pluralists or did not attend their Parish yet still claimed stipend
What is stipend?
Payment to a clergyman for an appointment to a parish
What are pluralists?
Clergymen who claimed stipend from multiple parishes
Why were churchmen valued administratives?
Often the best educated and literate
What political role did Bishops and Abbots have?
Sat in the House of Lords
When was Henry VII born?
January 1457 in Wales
How strong was Henry VII’s claim to the throne?
Weak as his mother is the great granddaughter of Edward III, however he had the strongest claim by the time Richard III took the throne as most of the Lancastrian side were wiped out
Where in France was Henry VII raised?
Brittany to protect him from assassination
