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society - Coggle Diagram
society
nobility
- size of peerage increased during his reign but by the end there were only 9 more peers than there had been at the beginning
- most peers achieved rank as a result of successful royal service as courtiers and soldiers - in some cases this was enhanced by a close family relationship
- England only had one duke when Henry came to the throne - Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
- Duke of Norfolk was restored to the title which had been enjoyed by his father and the Duke of Suffolk seems to be promoted on the account of closeness of his personal relationship with the King
- Henry sometimes bestowed property onto nobles to enable them to exert royal authority in particular areas - Suffolk endowed a property in Lincolnshire after the rebellion
- nobles were expected to have great households
- nobility being gradually brought under the control of the monarch
- many nobles fell victim to Henry VIII - the Duke of Buckingham was executed for treason in 1521
gentry
- John Guy suggested there were about 5000 gentry families in 1540
- knighthoods were conferred as royal favour - assumed that a knight would possess an income that reflected his royal status
- a gentlemen who was entitled to a coat of arms was deemed an esquire, certified by royal heralds. by 1530 heralds were willing to grant or confirm the title to anyone with lands worth less than £10 per annum or goods worth under £300
- number of gentry increased throughout the reign
- increase in number of justices of the peace
- many numbers of the gentry were drawn into unpaid administration by the crown - they were keen on their sons acquiring legal training to make them better able to take on roles that could offer local advancement
commoners
- little change in the standard of living during the first half of the reign
- the rise in inflation in the second half of the reign did lead to a drop in incomes, contributing to the ill feeling after the amicable grant
- social structure remained the same - vast majority of people having very little posessions, little chance of regular and secure employment
border administration
Anglo-Welsh
- the lands which were governed as part of the principality of Wales along the four bordering English counties - Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire - came under the jurisdiction of the Council of Wales and the Marches
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Anglo-Scottish
- remained a problematic area - difficult to police, much of it was remote and inhospitable in the winter months, both sides of the border had a reputation for lawlessness with cattle and sheep rustling rife and violence common
- the border was split into three Marches, each under the jurisdiction of a warden - this was a problem as appointing from a local noble family ran the risk that the noble would exploit his office to enhance his own power at the Kings expense - the other option was to appoint local officers who came from the Gentry class or those who were complete outsiders as these groups had limited ability to conduct the influence of local people
Council in the North
- north posed problems of governance to a regime based far away in London - demonstrated by the large numbers of supporters of the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536.
- Led Henry and Cromwell to re-establish the council as a permanent body based in York with professional staff
- had both legal and administrative functions
- showed its worth by keeping the north quiet during the summer of rebellions in 1549
regional issues
Wales
- before 1536, Wales was a separate territory though in practice it was under English control
- Wales comprised marcher lordships and the Principality of Wales - it had neither a single unified administration nor a formal political link with England
- Act of 1536 - divided Wales into shire counties operating on the same basis as England, gave the welsh shires direct representation in the House of Commons and brought Wales into the same legal framework as England
- control over Wales continued to be exercised on the Crowns behalf but this increasingly became the responsibility of the aristocracy such as the earls of Pembroke and members of an anglicised Welsh Gentry who controlled county politics
English palatinates
- three counties Lancashire, Cheshire and Durham were separate jurisdictions from the rest of the kingdom. Lancashire and Cheshire had fallen back into the hands of the crown but Durham was still separate with jurisdiction being exercised bu the bishop
- the Act Resuming Liberties to the Crown of 1536 reduced the level of independence but did not destroy it completely