English society

Key point – HOW and WHY did English society change under Henry VII?

Task 1: Copy out the diagram on p33, showing how society was ranked.

Task 2: Complete the following passage. You will need to rephrase the information in the book.

English society was very layered (stratified), but far less so than those in France and Spain. The
feudal system still operated, with the king, great landowners and senior churchmen at the top and
servants at the bottom. This period saw the growth of the mercantile, made up of professionals and
merchants, and based in the larger urban centres, such as London, Norwich and Bristol

The Black Death of 1348-9 killed approximately 20-40% of the population but it also led to an
increase in social equality. Workers were able to move in search of better lives, particularly in areas
which needed to be farmed.

Nobility

Noble families still dominated landownership. The group consisted of as few as 50-60 men but, it
was quite fluid, as old families died out and new men gained or inherited the king’s favour. The
Crown relied on these men to maintain order in the surrounding countryside. Henry VII was
reluctant to create new peers, possibly because he did not trust them, eg the Earl of Oxford
betrayed Richard III at Bosworth (but was still used by Henry to control the nobility of England).
Henry kept them under control by a system of bonds and recognisances, but the nobles’ power
came from the system of bastard feudalism or retainers. Wealthy magnates recruited knights and
gentry (aka retainers) to serve as accountants, administrators or military. Henry was worried that
these retainers could be used against the Crown or to influence justice so he brought in laws against
the practice. However, he was very aware that loyal retainers were vital to maintaining the Crown’s
security. Henry put a number of limits on retaining; in 1486 peers and MPs had to take an act against
illegal retaining; a law was passed against it in 1487, which was reinforced by an Act of Parliament in
1504 A key victim of this was Lord Bergavenny who was fined in 1507.

“Bastard Feudalism” implies a reciprocal relationship between magnate and retainer. Service
(including military) was rewarded by payment, office or land. The Victorians saw this system as
an abuse of power, particularly during the Wars of the Roses. However, other historians (eg K.B.
McFarlane) argued it was a natural response to changing social circumstances – it was only
dangerous if the monarch was weak.

Task 3: Explain why the nobles were important to English society in 1500.

Nobels owned retainers which were people who sat in important jobs throughout this time.
Accountants, admins and military where often hired in from the nobles to work and these were
decent jobs aswell.

Task 4: What are the advantages of having a strict policy against retaining? What are the
disadvantages?
There is less of a chance that a noblemen can lead his whole army of retainers against you. If
multiple nobles got together and started a riot, it would be difficult to stop. Therefore, adding laws
against retaining means that there is less chance for him to be overthrown.

Gentry

The men at the top of this class had often become great landowners, eg Sir Reginald Bray They often
wanted titles to confirm their new social status, so by 1490 there were about 500 knights. This had
carried military obligations, which were now becoming more administrative. Their views were often
the same as those of the nobles, as both groups owned lots of land. They would have an officially
recognised coat of arms, a large income and a large house. Esquires and lower gentry were more
numerous. Esquires were a specific group – the eldest sons of knights, the younger sons of barons,
men granted the title, gentlemen and others of wealth. Men were “gentlemen” if their neighbours
said they were. They had more in common with the local yeomen, lived more modestly and had
local, rather than importance.

Churchmen

The church was important because of its spiritual role and as a great landowner but the clergy was
not a homogenous group. Clergy at parish level dealt with the needs of ordinary people and had a
modest reward; Bishops and abbots were entitled to sit in the House of Lords and often had
important political roles. Martin V (Pope 1417-1431) declared that the king rather than the pope
ruled the Church in 1431. Henry did use his power to appoint men who were competent
administrators with legal training as bishops (eg John Morton and Richard Fox, rather than men
known for their social background. He was also reluctant to appoint men with a complex social
background.

Task 5: Explain why Henry was confident appointing churchmen to senior roles in the government.

Churchmen are extremely good and knowledgeable. They can read, write and speak well, and have a
good education. They often can think about thing from other point of view at the same time as well.
Therefore, he could feel confident that they would succeed in this role.

Commoners

Again, a large and varied group. The ones at the top (the “middling sort” were also part of the
bourgeoisie. Educated, professional men, such as merchants and craftsmen had a lot of influence, as
did wealthier merchants Shopkeepers and skilled tradesmen were also respectable. They played a
large role on town councils, Guilds and lay confraternities were a common feature of urban life in
pre-Reformation England.

In the countryside, yeomen farmers made up the “middling sort”. They farmed substantial areas for
an increasingly sophisticated market economy. Land values had dropped following the fall in
demand for land after the Black Death. This helped to create a “peasant labourer”, with yeomen at
the top, followed by husbandmen and labourers at the bottom. The first 2 classes did own or hold
land, whereas labourers sold their time and skills. Their income was irregular but could be
supplemented by growing vegetables and exercising grazing rights. Their position was very insecure.
Task 6: Colour the map to show the farming regions of England. Remember to add a key.

Task 7: Annotate the map using information from the first paragraph of “Regional divisions”.

Task 8: HOW and WHY did English society change under Henry VII?

Several things. Mostly the point of the retainers being banned. This meant that society had to find a
new way to work.