Detailed essay plan produced by an A* student in response to the questions:
‘How significant was royal and noble patronage in cultural change in the years 1509–88?’
‘To what extent were cultural changes in the years 1509–88 driven by the growth of education and literacy?’
‘Ho...
How significant was royal and noble patronage in cultural change in the years 1509–88?
To what extent were cultural changes in the years 1509–88 driven by the growth of education and
literacy?
How significant were alterations in religious belief in explaining cultural change in the years
1509-88?
Reason How did it transform culture?
Noble and Royal The growth of portraiture as an artistic form under Henry and Elizabeth and its adoption by most nobles
Patronage ● Most of the artists the Tudor monarchy patronised came from Europe, which allowed the
introduction of some new techniques such as miniature painting - Henry employed members of
the Hornebolte family who introduced this and Elizabeth employed Nicholas Hilliard, the first
English miniaturist, to portray her as she wanted
○ Hilliard used the ‘mask of youth’ to preserve the myth of the ageless Gloriana and
project the correct image to England and Europe
● Henry paid Hans Holbein, one of the most famous and accomplished artists of the period, to be
court painter (£30 a year) and he initially came to England under the patronage of Thomas More
- under the patronage of the monarchs there was some development of new styles and
techniques of painting, and some nobility were art collectors such as Leicester who had a
collection of around 220 pictures
● HOWEVER, new methods and styles could be suppressed if they weren’t fit for purpose and
Tudor monarchs were so keen to control their image - Hilliard was considered very backward by
European standards especially in his use of perspective - royal patronage allowed painters to
advance but also reinforced England’s cultural conservatism and isolation
The establishment of king’s schools under Henry VIII and free grammar schools under Edward VI, and
the consequent spread of literacy and learning among the sons of the gentry
● Edward took a keen interest in education and a series of grammar schools were founded in his
name - trend continued until 1580s
● Private charitable donations helped to refound schools run by monasteries that were closed
during the dissolution
Royal and noble patronage of classical architecture and design, including the enhanced luxury of houses
and the growth of family privacy
● Nobility built extravagantly influenced by humanist and European ideas on architecture - ‘prodigy
houses’ designed for comfort and privacy - light and space to create a pleasant living
environment - very different from the mediaeval stone castles and fortified manors of the early
16th century whose purpose was defence
The support given by Henry VIII and Elizabeth to musicians and to leading poets regardless of their
religious convictions
● Elizabeth’s nobility took a keen interest in sponsoring players, playwrights and poets -
Leicester’s wealth and status meant that he could act as a patron of the arts of a grand scale
e.g. at Leicester house on the Strand, he gathered together a group of ports who would go on to
be very influential in the development of English literature such as Sidney and Spenser (The
Faerie Queen 1590) - informal meetings encouraged by his patronage led to a ‘golden age’ of
poetry
● Church music in particular was in decline after the Reformation however Elizabeth was fond of
music and employed 60 musicians in her Chapel Royal and company of the Queen’s Musick -
employed major composers such as Tallis and Byrd, who made significant contributions to
English music despite their Catholic faith
○ Members of the nobility acted as musical patrons e.g. Leicester, Hatton and Cecil,
which encouraged the development of both sacred and secular music
● Patronage helped to fill the gap left by the Catholic Church as a patron of the arts after the
Reformation - ensured cultural traditions survived and developed in new directions
○ Tallis sponsored by all monarchs despite his Catholicism - his compositions reached
new heights under Elizabeth with ‘Spem in Alium’ 1570 - piece for 40 separate voices
and parts
○ Patronage of poets such as Sidney and Spenser allowed new styles of poetry to
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