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roles of each member of society - Coggle Diagram
roles of each member of society
nobility
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They dominated land and ownership. if a man could afford to, he could buy a peerage to make his family noble. Or, a title could be given to a man in the kings favour . Henry VII was reluctant to make new peers -
he didn't trust them.
The king relied on the nobility to maintain law and order in the countryside.
the earl of oxford and lord daubney had some political influence . The Earl of Northumberland was distrusted , but Henry needed him to control the NE.
Henry controlled the nobles through bonds and recognises.
The keys to the nobles' power was the ancient system of bastard feudalism which allowed them to 'retain' men to work of their behalf in a range of capacities. Henry feared the this system would be used to destabilise his rule so he introduced laws to limit military retaining- in 1486, Henry required peers and MPs to take an oath against illegal retaining. an act of 14 87 banned retaining and the act of 1504 made it necessary to have a licence to keep a retained force.
What did the peerage do for the King in return for new titles?
He would either pay or a title would be given to a man in the kings favour.
What is bastard feudalism?
- A Victorian term to describe the process of a magnate giving land to others in return for military service or legal assistance if required. If the king was weak, this could provide a threat to him. If the king was strong , this system worked in his favour.
this system implied a reciprocal relationship between the. magnate and his retainers
victorians historians who developed the term saw the system as as abusive and contributing largely to the violence associated with the wars of the roses.
Why was Henry VII reluctant to create new peers?
as he was insecure and untrusting after the betrayal of lord William Stanley.
The way that Henry VII controlled the peerage: he appointed 37 people to the Order of the Garter, which gave them no land or power. Because the nobility then got smaller, it became easier to control.
gentry
the most important members of the gentry wanted knighthoods in order to prove their importance - Sir Reginal Bray
What are common features of the gentry?that the gentry had three main characteristics: (1) landownership, (2) a nobility or gentility (shared with the peerage) that distinguished them from the rest of the population, and (3) a territorial-based collective identity and power over the larger population.
In 1490, there were 375 knights. Traditionally, this role had a military obligation, but this was dying out. It was assumed that knights would help to control and administrate their locality
There were many more ' esquires' and ' gentry' . An Esquire was the eldest son of a knight , the youngest son of a Baron , a magistrate or other kind of Important rich man. A ' gentlemen' was anyone who's neighbour recognised him to be a gentlemen.
Approximately how much of the land in England was held by the peerage and gentry?
Roughly a third of British land is owned by the nobility and landed gentry.
Powerful landowners who didn't have a title
commoners
the term was used to describe anyone who wasn't a member of the gentry or nobility.
What was the difference between the gentry and the yeomen?While the gentry spent their wealth building large homes, the yeomen used their wealth more simply and instead worked to expand their land and improve it.
At the top, were the 'middling sort' or bourgeosie. This included educated professionals in towns and cities - most often , lawyers. These people exercised considerable influence and worked along side wealthy merchants .
The term "bourgeois" described those who lived in towns.
Next on the scale were respectable shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen. These were members of the borough corps ( town councils ) and Guilds.
in the countryside
the ' middling sort' were yeoman farmers who had farmed large areas of land.
Why was there more social mobility following the Black Death? This group had emerged as a result of the reduction of the price of land following the Black Death. They have been described as a ' peasant aristocrasy'.
Below yoemen were husbandmen who had smaller farms and may have sometimes worked for yeoman farmers to supplement their income .
The yeomanry and husbandmen were 'peasants'
Underneath the husbandmen were labourers who gained income by selling their labour. They also used common land to graze their animals and grew vegitables - but their income was insecure and they suffered most in times of bad harvest.
What’s the difference between a yeoman farmer and a husbandman?The old word for a farmer below the rank of yeoman. A husbandman usually held his land by copyhold or leasehold tenure and may be regarded as the 'average farmer in his locality'.
churchmen
The church was important spiritually but also as a landowner. The social status of the clergy also depended on their role in the church. High ranking clergy such as bishops could sit in the house of lords. The king appointed bishops who had legal training so that make use of them - John Morton and Richard fox were the most significant . Henry VII was reluctant to appoint the aristocracy to the higher ranks of the clergy - this was a big change and made the leadership of the church less socially exclusive.
Why were Bishops and Archbishops trusted by Henry VII to hold government roles? As some had legal training and he was reluctant to expand his circle further.
What was the difference between the nobles and the gentry?
The gentry were a role of society below the hereditary nobility that were wealthy and powerful, but who didn't have hereditary titles.
Who were citizens?They were successful farmers and were rich enough to be able to afford labourers to do the heavy farming jobs for them.