The nobility Flashcards
What was the role of the nobility in the second half of the fifteenth century?
Owned vast tracts of land (the Percys controlled the lives of 10,000 tenants)
Had private armies
Waged war against their neighbours
Had little respect for the king’s laws
What did the Wars of the Roses do?
Depleted the resources of many nobles
What did there remain following the Wars of the Roses?
A small number of nobles who were unwilling to accept Henry as the rightful king
Many who had become accustomed to governing the country with or without the king
What did Henry know and what would he do?
That they were indispensable if he were to survive
Leave them alone if they were loyal but would rein them in if they acted independently
What did Henry VI and Henry VIII seek to do?
Reduce the incidence of disorder perpetrated by the nobility by dismantling castles in non-strategic sites, confiscating supplies of gunpowder, and decommissioning canons
What did Henry VII spend most of his reign doing and what was the impact?
Eliminating the threat of pretenders and rival claimants
Trammelled the English and Irish nobility into a state of subservience
What did statutes of 1487 and 1504 attempt to do and give examples:
Confine retainers to licensed holders and harsh fines were imposed on nobles who ignored the law
Sir James Stanley was fined £245,000 in 1506
What was Henry’s intention and why?
Punish the worst cases of abuse
He needed troops to suppress disturbances and fight foreign wars
What did Henry VIII rely on in 1536?
700 of Norfolk’s retainers and Lord Ferrers provided 1000 men
How many licences did Mary I issue for retaining?
1000
What did Elizabeth I need in 1569?
Nobles’ retainers
What declined significantly in the sixteenth century?
Cases involving livery and maintenance
By the end of the period, what did the Crown gain but what was the case?
A ‘royal monopoly of violence’
Some nobles were still capable of raising and equipping troops independently
