Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Henry VII= Structure of Society & Size
of Nobility
- Nobility
- Dominated landownership
- Despite not having no more than 50 or 60 men
- Peerage was not a closed group
- Often died out & were repleaced
- Crown relied on them to control
certain areas
- How Henry controlled major nobles
- Seen in the aftermath of Bosworth
- Decreased the numbers unlike Edward IV
- Controlled the marriages of them & Kept a close
eye on powerful families
Anmerkungen:
- So they would not link themselves the great heiresses
- Rarely elevated people to higher positions
- Gentry
- Came below the nobility
- By end on 15th centry= great landowners
- Important members
sought knighthood to
prove themselves
- 1490= 375 knights
- They were expected to contribute to maintain law
- With the nobility they owned 15-20% of land
- Esquires & 'mere gentry' were numerous
- Eldest sons of
Knights
- Younger
sons on
Barons
- Magistrates & other men of wealth
- Churchmen
- Church was important for its
role as a landowner
- Social status of the clergy varied
- Low parish
level
- Curates & chantry priests were awarded for
deal with spiritual needs
- However...
- Bishops & abbots of larger religious
houses were impotant who sat in
the House of Lords
- King had large control over the Church
- Henry used this to appoint bishop men who had
legal training & were knowledgeable
- He was reluctant to appoint men with
aristocratic backgrounds
- Meant that the clergy was becoming less socially exclusive
- Commoner
- Top end were lawyers & educated professionals
- Lower down were shopkeepers
- Even lower were small farmers
- Lowest were
labourers
- Henry`s use of partronage
- He didn`t try to buy their loyalty
- Was careful over the distribution of titles
- Believed that it had to be earned