East Anglia - economic and political issues Flashcards
(11 cards)
what is the political context?
late 1620s: confrontation between Charles and Parliament
1629: Charles dissolved Parliament and ruled alone for 11 years
Jan 1642: Charles attempted to arrest 5 MPs that tried to restrict his powers, but they fled. Charles raised an army in response
Oct 1642: first battle of the Civil War
1645: parliament assembled the New Model Army
what was the role of the Eastern Alliance?
an administrative organisation set up by parliament in order to finance and support the army
made up a significant amount of the New Model Army
what was the role of the New Model Army?
national army of former Parliamentary regiments
helped parliament gain victory in June 1645
after victory, it possessed considerable political influence
why was there a shift in power and why is it important?
Suffolk was Parliament’s main recruiting ground
20% of men left to fight
death of men led to shift in power
many discovered witches appeared to be connected with radical Puritan sects that believed women could be socially and spiritually equal to men
what strange stories arose and what do they tell us?
a woman in Lancashire was reported to have given birth to a headless baby
the body of a sinner was dug up and eaten by dogs
women drinking and swearing like men
in a time of political unrest, hysteria spread across England and stories rife with chaos emerged
what symbols of continuity and power declined?
Church of England undermined as areas controlled by Parliament replaced ministers with Puritans
local gentry undermined as many of them left their estates to fight
what was the impact of the breakdown of traditional authority?
enabled fears to grow and manifest into a witch-hunt
what began as fear of the enemy became a fear of ‘enemies within’ as ministers warned of spies on the Parliamentarian side
what was the role of fragile legal structures?
assize courts couldn’t function normally due to the war so justice was enforced by local magistrates or individuals with limited legal experience
assize courts disrupted because it was deemed to dangerous for judges to make the journey from London
absence of senior judges allowed local fears of witchcraft to intensify and witch-hunt to spread quickly
what was the role of crop failures?
ergot caused crops to rot and cost of wheat rose by 20%
1645-46: heavy rain caused crops to rot
deeply religious society interepreted this misfortune as a sign from the heavens and a punishment from God
witches used as scapegoats
what was the role of changing land use?
landlords were tempted to evict tenants and enclose land to focus on agriculture for profit
those who benefited from enclosure were reluctant to pay poor rates
- saw it as subsidising worthless lifestyles
the wealthy viewed recipients of donations with suspicion, fearing that poor, older women would use magic to enact revenge for not receiving enough
- many of the poor were involved in accusations
what was the economic impact of the Civil War?
inflation worsened
- livestock price increased 12%
- grain price increased 15%
- wages didn’t increase
1643: parliament introduced new tax to fund war
many of those who fell into poverty were later accused of witchcraft
