Economy Henry VIII Essay

Question

'The performance of the English economy remained weak during the reign of Henry VIII'. Assess the validity of his view. 30 marks

Different sections

TradeProsperity and depressionEnclosurePopulation(You can link prosperity and depression and population)

Trade

the volume of English trade increased continued rise in cloth exports market for raw wool declined increase in import of wine (showing that the economy was rising as wine was a luxury good) increasing proportion of exported cloth routed through London negative impact on local ports such as Bristol, Hull and Boston increase in cheaper fabrics such as Kersey 70% of cloth experts transported by English merchants woollen industry grew due to domestic basis serious profits

Prosperity and depression

population grew-  leading to a decline in the rate of mortality agricultural prices rose significantly increasing in farming incomes short artificial booms bad harvests led to an increase in food shortages real wages began to decline- debasing coins considerable urban poverty growing unemployment and homelessness

Enclosure

process of taking land used for communal grazing under private ownership became a moral problem as the poor were forced from homes muddled laws and no real gasp on scale of problem Wolsey appointed commissioners to report on illegal enclosures and resulted in several hundred successful prosecutions different issues to solve regional practice- commonly in East Midlands 1534 law prevented further engrossing but had limited impact

Population

strain on food supply wages=stagnating growing class of substantial farmers (ruthless) society= more polarised which lead to undermining of traditional ideas of successful lordship and social responsibility the rich became richer and the poor became poorer

Did the economy remain weak?

TRADE- really successful and it flourished and made big profits PROSPERITY/DEPRESSION/ POPULATION- seemed to not cope with the growing pop and increasing problems with wages ENCLOSURE- big issue, unclear laws ALSO- remain infers it was already weak under Henry VII, so you could include a paragraph about the strength of his economy