H7 Agriculture and Trade

Question 1

What was the population of England around 1400?

Answer 1

About 2.2 million.

Question 2

Where did most people in England live in the early 15th century?

Answer 2

In the countryside, relying on farming.

Question 3

What percentage of people lived in towns and cities?

Answer 3

About 10%.

Question 4

Which were the largest urban areas in England?

Answer 4

London (50,000), Norwich (10,000), Bristol/York/Coventry (8,000–10,000).

Question 5

What happened to farming income after the Black Death?

Answer 5

It decreased but began to recover in the 1480s–1490s.

Question 6

What shift occurred in farming practices during this time?

Answer 6

From crop farming to sheep farming due to high wool demand.

Question 7

What was the open field system?

Answer 7

Peasants farmed strips of land and paid rent to a lord.

Question 8

What was enclosure and its impact?

Answer 8

It privatised common land, reducing access for peasants and causing hardship.

Question 9

Did agriculture change significantly under Henry VII?

Answer 9

No, there were no overall changes.

Question 10

What were the main industries in England?

Answer 10

Wool and cloth.

Question 11

What other industries existed?

Answer 11

Mining (tin, lead, coal), metalwork, leatherwork, shipbuilding, papermaking.

Question 12

What percentage of English exports were cloth under Henry VII?

Answer 12

90%.

Question 13

What process was domestic and which were commercial in cloth production?

Answer 13

Weaving = domestic; fulling and dyeing = commercial.

Question 14

Name two cloth towns that prospered.

Answer 14

Lavenham and Lewes.

Question 15

What happened to older cities like Winchester and Lincoln?

Answer 15

They declined as industry moved to smaller towns.

Question 16

Who were the Merchant Adventurers?

Answer 16

English merchants promoting cloth exports to Europe.

Question 17

What was the Hanseatic League’s impact?

Answer 17

It limited English trade, especially in the Baltic.

Question 18

Why did Henry VII impose a trade embargo with the Netherlands in 1493?

Answer 18

Margaret of Burgundy’s support for Perkin Warbeck.

Question 19

What was the Intercursus Magnus?

Answer 19

A major trade agreement that ended the embargo.

Question 20

When was the Intercursus Magnus?

Answer 20

1496.

Question 21

What was the Intercursus Malus?

Answer 21

A harsh treaty Henry negotiated, but its terms were never fully enforced.

Question 22

When was the Intercursus Malus?

Answer 22

1506.

Question 23

What did the Navigation Acts of 1485 and 1489 aim to do?

Answer 23

Encourage English shipping, though they had limited success.

Question 24

How did Henry balance trade and dynastic interests?

Answer 24

He often prioritised securing the dynasty over trade benefits.

Question 25

Who was John Cabot?

Answer 25

A Venetian explorer funded by Henry VII.

Question 26

What was the goal of Cabot’s 1497 voyage?

Answer 26

To find a western route to Asia; he reached Newfoundland.

Question 27

What happened to Cabot on his second voyage in 1498?

Answer 27

He was presumed lost at sea.

Question 28

Who was William Weston?

Answer 28

Possibly the first Englishman to step on the American mainland.

Question 29

What was Henry VII’s general approach to exploration?

Answer 29

Cautious—he funded some exploration but limited spending.

Question 30

Where were tin, lead, coal, and iron ore mined?

Answer 30

Tin (Cornwall), Lead (High Pennines & Mendips), Coal (Durham & Northumberland), Iron (Sussex & Kent).

Question 31

What technology boosted mining in 1486?

Answer 31

Pumping technology improved production.

Question 32

Where was coal exported to?

Answer 32

London, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Question 33

How were prices and wages during Henry VII's reign?

Answer 33

Prices stayed steady; real incomes and wages rose slightly.

Question 34

What signs of depression occurred in the 1490s?

Answer 34

Falling prices of wool, grain, and animal products; reduced farming profits.