English society at the end of the 15th century Flashcards
(9 cards)
What was English society like at the end of the 15th century?
Though not as rigidly hierarchical as France or Spain, English society was exceedingly stratified
Remnants of feudal system were still prevalent in the law, social relationships and attitudes
Economic pressures (especially since the Black Death of 1348-49) had increased social mobility. This created alarm amongst the more conservative-minded members of the upper classes; they attempted in vain to uphold traditional values by passing sumptuary laws
Sumptuary laws attempted to regulate how individuals should dress depending on their social status; they proved unenforceable
Society witnessed the growth of a professional and mercantile bourgeoisie who had become increasingly important in major provincial cities (eg. London, Norwich, Bristol)
What was the nobility like during Henry VII’s reign?
Peerage: a group of persons who held one of the five ranks of aristocracy (duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron); usually substantial landholders who exercised considerable power in their localities; members of the House of Lords
The nobility, consisting of no more than about 50 or 60 men, still dominated land ownership. The Crown relied on such families for the maintenance of order in the countryside
The peerage was not a closed rank, families died out on a regular basis and were replaced by others who had acquired or bought the king’s favour; however Henry VII was reluctant to create new peerage titles, possibly due to a deep mistrust of the nobility as a class
Only trusted Lancastrian military commanders such as the Earl of Oxford of Lord Daubeney had much political influence over Henry VII. eg. He never really trusted the Earl of Northumberland, despite relying on him to control NE England on the Crown’s behalf
Henry VII’s most important method of controlling the nobility was using bonds and recognisances
Nobles’ power was a result of bastard feudalism: magnates (leading and wealthiest members of nobility) recruited knights and gentlemen (known as “retainers”) to serve them as administrators, accountants, or sometimes for military purposes
Noblemen could potentially use their retained men to bring unlawful influence on others in a court case, or use them against the Crown
Henry VII sought to limit the nobility’s military power through the use of legislation against retaining; however he was still conscious of the fact that loyal retainers were essential to maintain Crown’s security
What measures did Henry VII take against bastard feudalism and retaining?
Bastard feudalism implied a reciprocal relationship between a magnate and his retainers. In return for service (including military, if necessary), a retainer might receive rewards such as local office or grants of land as well as direct payment
Retainers would thus develop a sense of loyalty stronger to their magnate rather than the king
A number of limits against retaining were employed during Henry VII’s reign:
1) 1486 — peers and MPs were required to take an oath against illegal retaining or being illegally retained; what constituted illegality remained undefined
2) 1487 — a law against retaining was established
3) 1504 — 1487 law was reinforced under the 1504 Act, stating that only the king could grant licenses for retaining, though this only lasted for the duration of Henry VII’s lifetime
Significant victim of the 1504 Act was Lord Bergavenny, who was indicted for illegal retaining in 1507 and fined the enormous sum of £100,000; however he was pardoned in Henry VIII’s reign and probably paid no more than £1,000
What was the gentry like during Henry VII’s reign?
Greater entry were in the status immediately below the peerage; by the late 15th century they were often great landowners in their own right
Most important gentry members, like Sir Reginald Bray, sought knighthoods as a confirmation of their social status; in 1490 there were around 375 knights
Knighthood originally imposed military obligations upon its holders; this idea specifically was dying out, but it was still assumed that those holding the status would assist in administering their localities
According to historian John Guy, peers and knights together owned about 20% of the country’s land
Esquires and “mere gentry” were far more numerous. Status of esquire could still be easily defined; eldest sons of knights, younger sons of barons, men “invested esquire”, magistrates and others of wealth. Gentlemen were harder to define
Greater gentry — possessed knighthood, a coat of arms authenticated by the College of Arms, considerable income, an imposing country residence, courtly connections, social prestige (eg. dominated local office)
Lesser gentry had far more in common with the yeomanry, and lived more modestly. Had local rather than national social horizons
What were the churchmen like during Henry VII’s reign?
Church was important for its spiritual role and as a great landowner
Martin V (Pope 1417-31) declared that the king rather than the Pope governed the Church of England
Henry VII used this power to appoint as bishops only men who had legal training and administrative competence. Most important clergymen of his reign were Richard Fox and John Morton
Henry VII was reluctant to appoint men who had an aristocratic social background, higher clergy thus became less socially exclusive than had previously been the case
Social status of the clergy varied enormously: at lower parish level, curates and chantry priests were modestly rewarded vs. bishops and abbots of large religious houses were important figures and entitled to sit in the House of Lords, often having political roles to undertake
What were the commoners like during Henry VII’s reign?
England demonstrated some regional variations, though variably small and politically relatively unified
Some regional divisions arose from agricultural differences; a line drawn roughly from the mouth of the Tees to Weymouth in Dorset would have revealed the extent of these contrasts:
1) Roughly ¾ of the population lived below this line
2) The line divided the country into two basic agricultural areas: south and east of the line, mixed farming predominated in the more densely populated counties (especially Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent). North and west of the line (more sparsely populated area) pastoral farming predominated; rearing of sheep, cattle, horses
3) There were exceptions to this agricultural division — pastoral farming dominated in the Fens and in the wood pastures of Kent and Sussex Weald; grain farming and fruit growing dominated in Hertfordshire and the Welsh border counties
Contemporaries were aware of these differences, eg. Londoners in particular tended to look down upon the northerners for their perceived savagery, whilst the northerners envied the southern riches
Regional identity was reinforced by local government structures — justice was administered increasingly at a county level, county towns often contained jails and major churches. However, areas of magnate influence often cut across county boundaries
Local identities reinforced by saints’ cults. They placed importance on centres of pilgrimage (eg. Durham, Canterbury)
Modern historian Derek Keene argued that Medieval England “was a country-where ideas of language and nationhood conferred a stronger sense of a single identity than ever before”
What was the background context to social discontent and rebellions during Henry VII’s reign?
Living conditions for the poor appeared to be improving throughout the second half of the 15th century:
Real wages seemed to have increased: the value of income in relation to the prices of goods on the market, instead of actual money received
There doesn’t seem to have been much social discontent compared to later in the Tudor period
England also seems to have been largely able to avoid subsistence crisis which affected other countries.
Subsistence crisis: when harvest failure raises food prices to such an extent that significant numbers of the poor die from starvation
However towards the end of the century inflationary pressures were becoming more evident
Main catalyst for the two social rebellions which occurred during Henry VII’s reign was taxation
What happened in the Yorkshire Rebellion, 1489?
Sparked by resentment of taxation, which was granted by Parliament in 1489 to finance English involvement in the campaign against France in Brittany
April 1489: rebels murdered the Earl of Northumberland near Topcliffe, Thirske in the N Riding of Yorkshire
Sparse details on this rebellion, Polydore Virgil wrote that Northumberland’s retainers deserted him as punishment for deserting Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, thus allowing his tenants to kill him
Thomas Howard suppressed the rebellion, after which his titles were restored to him
What happened in the Cornish Rebellion, 1497?
Revolt triggered by the need for revenue to finance the campaign against Scotland, which led to taxation
This rebellion posed a much higher threat to Henry VII’s stability than the Yorkshire rebellion:
1) According to some estimates, 15,000 people were involved
2) Perkin Warbeck attempted to exploit this rebellion
3) The rebels marched on London and were only halted at Blackheath
Rebels able to march far without any serious attempt being made to stop them; raised the question of how effective the Crown’s systems for maintaining order in the countryside were. By reaching London they challenged the security of Henry VII’s regime
In order to ensure the rebellion’s effective suppression, Henry VII withdrew Lord Daubeney and his troops from defending the Scottish border; from there it was crushed easily enough
Henry VII executed the leaders, including Lord Audley, but treated the bulk of the rebels with conspicuous leniency
The Cornish rebellion shocked Henry VII into ensuring the deescalation of Anglo-Scottish relations (Treaty of Ayton 1497, Treaty of Perpetual Peace 1502) and made him cautious of entering into any further foreign conflicts
