english society at the end of 15th century

• What group experienced growth in Henry's reign? who were they?


  bourgeoisie- middle-class residents of towns and cities
• what was the feudal system?

  medieval system by which society was structured depending on relationships in which land was held in return for some form of service, at the top of the scale: land was held of the monarch in return for military service
• What sections of society was the feudal system still apparent in?

  law, social relationships and attitudes
• Why was the Black Death significant?


  deaths meant that there was a shortage of land usage and food, created alarm amongst upper class members who passed sumptuary laws to uphold traditional values
• what were sumptuary laws?


  Laws that attempted to regulate how individuals should dress, depending on their social status
• who were the peerage?


  held one of 5 ranks of aristocracy (duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron), usually considerable landowners, had power and were members of the House of Lords
• How many people were in the peerage?

  around 50 or 60 men
• What did the Crown often rely on the peerage families for?

  maintenance of order in the countryside
• How was Henry Tudor different from other rulers involving the peerage?

  reluctant to create new peerage titles as he distrusted the nobility
• Which 2 earls did he trust? and which didn't he trust?


  he trusted Lancastrian military commanders- Earl of Oxford and Lord Daubeney but didn't trust the Earl of Northumberland
• What was Henry's most important method of controlling the nobility?

  bonds and recognizances
• How did the nobles retain power? what was it?

  bastard feudalism- wealthy magnates recruited knights and gentlemen to serve them, could use their retained men to bring unlawful influence on others in a court case or use them against the crown
• How did Henry manage bastard feudalism?


  limited the military power of the nobility through the use of legislation against retaining, but was aware that loyal retainers were essential to maintaining crown's security
• What 3 limits were there on retaining under Henry's reign?


  1, in 1486- peers and MPs had to take an oath against illegal retaining

  2, in 1487- passed a law against retaining

  3, 1487 law was reinforced by an Act passed in 1504- could get a license for retaining
• What class was below the peerage? who were they?


  gentry- often great landowners, often sought knighthoods as a confirmation of their social status, originally impose military obligations upon holder but this was dying out
• What were the 3 types of Gentry?


  greater gentry- often had knighthoods and considerable income

  Esquires and 'mere gentry'- more local power rather than national and lived far more modestly
• What were the 2 main purposes of the church?

  a spiritual role and a great landowner
• What was the role of bishops and abbots?

  entitled to sit in house of lords and often had political roles
• Who were the 2 most important clergymen during Henry's reign?

  John Morton and Richard Fox
• What was the order of the 4 main church roles?


  cardinals- senior churchmen and elected popes

  archbishops- senior churchmen in each country

  bishops- regional leaders of church

  parish priests- ministered to each congregation, special rights
• who were the top level of the commoners?

  the bourgeoisie
• who came just below the bourgeoisie in terms of commoners?


  shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen- usually dominated town councils
• How had the black death impacted English classes?


  had caused a decline in population, reducing demand for land, allowing the emergence of the 'middling sort'- yeomen farmers who farmed substantial properties for an increasingly sophisticated market economy
• Who came below Yeomen?


  Husbandmen who kept smaller farms than yeomen and who increased their farming incomes through employment by yeomen or gentry.
• who does the term 'peasant describe?

  yeomen and husbandmen
• How was the country divided into two?

  line from the mouth of the Tees to Weymouth
• Where did 3/4 of the population live?

  below the line
• What type of farming dominated in sparsely populated ares in the north-west?


  pastoral farming is the rearing of animals, e.g cattle and sheep farming
• How did the north and south view eachother?


  Londoners looked down upon the northeners and the northeners were envious of southern riches
• What two things had increased during the second half of the fifteenth century?

  living for the poor were improving and real wages were increasing
• what were real wages?


  The value of income in relation to prices of goods on the market, instead of actual money received
• What did John Guy say about Tudor England's greatest success?


  'Tudor England's greatest success was being able to feed itself', meaning that they avoided subsistence crises (when harvest failure raises food prices that many of the poor die due to starvation)
• What was the Yorkshire rebellion sparked off by? and when?

  1489- resentment of the taxation granted by parliament in 1489 in order to finance the involvement of English forces in the campaign in Brittany
• What happened in the Yorkshire rebellion?


  Henry Tudor sent Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland to collect taxes, they unwilling to give more money as many had already been affected by the poor harvest in 1488, Northumberland was killed by the rebels, the rebels asked to be pardoned but were declined and King sent an army into the north and rebels quickly dispersed
• What allowed the rebels to murder the Earl of Northumberland?


  his retainers deserted him as punishment for his desertation of Richard III at Bosworth
• What were the significant outcomes of the Yorkshire rebellion?


  significant loss of life, signified resistance against Henry's rule and taxation policies, exposed social tensions in England and caused Henry to take a more military approach to future revolts and enforce stricter tax policies
• When and what was the Cornish rebellion sparked by?


  1497- triggered by the need for revenue to finance the campaign against Scotland
• What 3 factors meant that the Cornish rebellion was more of a threat than the Yorkshire one?


  1, sheer number of people involved

  2,attempt to exploit rebellion made by Perkin Warbeck

  3, the fact that the rebels marched on London
• Why was it significant how far the rebels marched?


  caused immense concern for the crown that they could walk such a distance without any serious attempt at being stopped, concerns over how effective the Crown's systems for maintaining order in the countryside were
• How did Henry suppress it and why was it important?

  he needed to withdraw Lord Daubeney and his troops from defending the Scottish border- could be dangerous, but was suppressed easily by Daubeney