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English society Henry VII - Coggle Diagram
English society Henry VII
NOBILITY
nobility dominated landownership
peerage (nobility) comprised of no more than 50 or 60 men
peerage families died out on a regular basis but were replaced by others who had acquired or bought the kings favour
crown relied on peerage to maintain order in countryside
Earl of Oxford and Lord Daubney had great influence
Earl of Northumberland wasn't trusted by HVII but relied on him to control the north east of England
bastard feudalism - wealthy magnates recruited knights and gentlemen to serve them as administrators or accountants - could potentially be used to bring unlawful influence on them in court or against the crown so HVII LIMITED THEIR MILITARY POWER THROUGH LEGISLATION AGAINST RETAINING
1486 - peers and MPs to take an oath against illegal retaining
1487 - law against retaining was established and this was reinforced by and Act in 1504 where licences for retaining could be sought
GENTRY
immediately below peerage
often great landowners
more important members of the gentry such as Sir Reginald Bray sought knighthoods as confirmation of their status
1490 - 500 knights
the lesser gentry had more in common with the local yeomanry
CHURCHMEN
churchmen were hugely important - both spiritual and great landowners
lower parish level - curates and charity priests were rewarded for dealing with spiritual needs of the ordinary folk
bishops and abbots of the larger religious houses were often important figures who were entitled to sit in the House of Lords
most influential - John Morton and Richard Fox
COMMONFOLK
below the churchmen, gentry and nobility
top level - middling sort - rich merchants and craftsmen
towns and cities - the small number of educated professionals exercised considerable influence (mostly lawyers)
shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen were considered respectable
in the countryside - the middling sort were known as yeomen farmers who farmed substantial properties for an increasingly sophisticated market economy.
below yeomen came husbandmen who kept smaller farms than the yeomen - can be described as 'peasant'
labourers had a very insecure position as they were dependent on the sale of their labour for their income
regional divisions
a line that split the country virtually in half (from Weymouth to Teesmouth) showed the difference in farming - mixed farming or pastoral farming
regional identity was enforced by local government structures
justice was administered at a county level and county towns often contained jails and major churches
social discontent and rebellions
two major rebellions
YORKSHIRE REBELLION 1489
sparked by resentment of taxation granted by parliament in 1489 in order to finance English forces in the campaign in Brittany
became notorious due to the murder of the Earl of Northumberland by the rebels near Topcliffe in April
details are sparse but Northumberland was a victim of the resentment against taxation
the rebels were able to murder him as his retainers deserted him as punishment of his desertion of RIII at the BOB
CORNISH REBELLION 1497
sparked by the need for revenue to finance the campaign against Scotland
the rebellion posed a much greater threat to the stability of HVIIs rule.
there was around 150,000 involved
Perkin Warbeck attempted to exploit the rebellion
rebels marched onto London and were only stopped at Blackheath
the problem was created by the fact that Henry had to withdraw Lord Daubneys troops from the Scottish border to suppress the rebellion
the leaders were executed
the rebellion shocked Henry into ensuring that Anglo - Scottish relations eased
overall was broadly stable