Society

• The structure of society in early Tudor period

  1. King
  2. Nobility
  3. Church
  4. Gentry
  5. Yeomen
  6. Citizens
  7. Labourers
  8. Vagrants/ beggars
• Who were the nobility?

  • The nobility refers to a social class consisting of individuals who hold hereditary titles and privileges.
  • Dukes, earls and Barons/Lord
  • Dominated land ownership
• How many nobles were there and what were their jobs?

  • 50-60
  • There were entitled to sit in the house of lords
• What happened as noble families died out?

  • They were replaced
  • By other families who had gained the king's favour
• How did Henry feel about the nobility?

  • Distrusted them
  • Due to a fear that their power and arrogance would grow
• Two ways in which Henry VII controlled nobility and which did he use most often

  1. Granting them rewards, lands and titles
  2. Showing them unwelcome consequences for their opposition - more commonly used
• 4 ways in which Henry VII unpleasantly controlled the nobility

  1. Attainders
  2. Patronage
  3. Attacks on retaining
  4. Financial controls
• Define attainder 


  Special laws passed by parliament which allowed someone to be declared guilty of treason without going through the process of trail
• Define patronage 


  Rewards - lands and titles - given out by Henry in exchange for loyalty - kinds like a bribe
• Define retaining

  • Practice where noblemen kept a large number of men as their personal staff
  • In theory they were to be used as household servants and in practice they were more of gang of enforcers
• Define financial bond

  • Demanding a finances from nobles or their families
  • This would place them in a debt tot he crown so they would continue to remain loyal in the future
  • Henry would force nobles to agree to behave themselves or face a fine that would ruin their lives
• How were many times were attainders used ?

  138 times
• When were majority of attainders passed and what does that suggest?

  • 51 were passed in the years 1504-1509
  • Suggesting insecurity and paranoia throughout his entire reign
• Give an example of when attainders were used

  • Sir Thomas Tyrell had to pay £1,738 for the reversal of his and his fathers attainders
• How many of the 138 attainders were reversed?

  • 46
  • Henry did this to secure gratitude and future loyalty of victims
• How did Henry do patronage differently to

  • He distributed less land
• Why was Henry so careful about distributing patronage?

  A fear of creating a new group of nobles who would become a threat to his reign
• How many of his nobles did Henry fall out with and how?

  • One quarter
  • Through deaths and attainers
• Who did Henry choose for royal agents and why?

  • He would choose me of lower status who did not have extensive land in the area
  • These men were dependant on Henry for their position and status
• When were laws against retaining passed?

  1485 and 1504
• 1485 act against retaining

  • Lords and commoners swore that they would not retain illegally
• 1504 act against retaining

  • Required nobles to obtain a special licence from the king before retaining large numbers of men
  • Imposed severe fines if they did not obtain licence
• Penalty per illegal retainer

  • £5
  • Under 1504 act against retaining
• How successful were acts against retaining?

  • Nobles found ways to avoid getting licences
  • E.g such as covering up records of wages paid to servants
• Examples of financial controls

  • Lord Burgavenny was convicted of illegal retaining 471 men in 1507
  • Fined £70,000
  • Henry placed him under a bond of £5,000 over ten years as he was aware the original sum would bankrupt him
• Define bastard feudalism 


  The loyalty of large groups of people to noblemen
• What impact did the wars of the roses have on bastard feudalism?

  • It was the problem which lead to the war
  • Only allowed for nobles to increase their power among citizens
• Why did Henry VII move away from giving permanent land to nobles like Edward did?

  • It would allow noble to build a following of men which gave them wide influence in both politics and society
  • Would allow the nobles to raise an army quickly in time for war or rebellion which might ultimately be used to threaten the king
• Who were the gentry?

  • People in good social position
  • Class bellow the nobility
• Who made up the gentry?

  • Landowners
  • Who were often seeking knighthood as a confirmation of their social status
• Numbers in the gentry in 1500

  • 500 knights
  • 800 esquires (rank bellow the knights)
  • 1500 gentlemen
• Combined what percentage of the population did the nobility and gentry make up

  1%
• Who were the greater gentry?

  • The great landowners - sought knighthood
• Who were the esquires and the mere gentry?

  • Much greater percentage of then compared to the greater gentry
  • Had far less social prestige
  • Were also landowners
• Population of commoners in England

  • 2 million
• Hierarchy of commoners in the countryside

  1. Yeomen Individuals who farmed substantial areas of land
  2. Richer peasantry/ husband men - who brought or rented their own land - owned smaller farms
  3. Labouring peasants without land - insecure and relied on selling their labour.
  4. Vagrants and beggars
• Hierarchy of commoners in town and cities

  1. Educated professional and merchants
  2. Shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen - influential in borough corporations
  3. Unskilled urban workers and apprentices
  4. Beggers. prostitutes and 'drop-outs'
• Describe demographic differences throughout the population

  • Towards the north of Weymouth and west of Tees there was a quarter of the population - here pastoral farming dominated
  • Towards the south of Weymouth and the east of Tees the majority of the population resided - here mixed farming dominated
• What were living conditions like during the second half of the fifteenth century?

  • Improving
  • Real wages had increases
• Define peasant

  • A country dweller who farms on land which can be either owned (by themselves) or rented
  • Yeomen and husband men would fall into this catgorey