Society

• Key rulers during the Society period of 1485-1603:

  • Henry VII: 1485-1509
  • Henry VIII: 1509-1547
  • Edward VI: 1547-1553
  • Mary I: 1553-1558
  • Elizabeth I: 1558-1603
• In the Society period, sheep farming aimed to improve profitability through efficiency gains, but this led to 'enclosure', where peasants lost access to land and common rights
• During Henry's reign, the price of grain and wool fell, benefiting the working classes in England as they paid less for products like wool, grain, and meat
• Socially, England remained broadly stable during this period, with peasant farmers reasonably well-off since the Black Death
• The Society period saw an overwhelmingly rural England retaining feudal system characteristics, with nobles and gentry as the social elite with political and economic influence remaining unchanged
• From 1525, England's population began to grow significantly, leading to strain on food supply, higher food prices, and increased urban poverty
• The 1540s experienced acute price inflation, a falling purchasing power of silver, and a decrease in the silver content of English coins, leading to a decline in real wages
• In the late 1550s, there were high mortality rates from influenza and typhus epidemics, causing a population drop of up to 5% between 1556-1561
• The Society period also faced challenges like harvest failures, taxation to fund wars, and a rise in food prices, leading to a national system of poor relief and changes in attitudes towards the poor and vagrants
• The nobility and gentry were the most privileged class in England during this period, with the nobility relied upon to govern the kingdom, keep the peace, and pay the majority of the kingdom's expenses
• Economic decline led many nobles to sell off leased land, causing a redistribution of land and a rise in the gentry class, benefiting from a stronger economy with rising prices and rents
• During the reign, the nobility became more peaceful and had entitlements like a seat in the House of Lords, while the gentry elected members to represent them in the House of Commons
• Henry VII was reluctant to increase the number of nobles, and Sir Reginald Bray, a gentry figure, had social prestige and some were Knights with a coat of arms
• Urban elites in large towns and cities, such as merchants, retailers, and craftsmen, made their wealth through trade and had a political voice in parliament
• Patronage was crucial for crown-county relations, with nobles critical for army recruitment and local influence, and the office of lord lieutenant, established from 1548, played a critical role
• The treatment of vagrants was harsh, marking the first step in government provision for the poor, and during the Marian government, there was more active poor relief in response to problems in 1556-1558
• The rise of the urban elite, like merchants and artisans, built on trade, led to more power, control over parliamentary elections, and largely independent governance of towns from royal and noble control
• Regional divisions were evident with councils governing distant parts of England, like the Council of the North in York and the Council of Ireland in Dublin, showing regional variation in governance
• Wales was fully integrated into the English state through Acts of Union, with Welsh forced to adopt English law, customs, and speech, and Irish Parliament closely controlled with an English army stationed in Ireland
• Under Edward VI and Mary, Ireland continued to be problematic, with increased coercion proving counterproductive, and in Wales, the Council of Wales the Marches governed, with the Welsh likely supporting Mary's efforts
• The more prosperous south-east of England did not suffer as much as the economically deprived midlands and north, and in Ireland, Elizabeth became the Supreme Governor of the Church of Ireland in 1560, facing rebellions and Spanish exploitation
• In Wales, the Council of Wales and Marches remained, the Welsh language disappeared in government, but the Welsh gentry prospered, and discontent with the political situation led to the Essex Rebellion