State control and popular resistance
How far do you agree that the increase in poverty in the Tudor period was largely a
result of changes in the use of land?
2 Use of land
- Enclosure of common land eg. Wolsey and Somerset acting on enclosure, and action
by peasants themselves against the practice in the 1530s
- Enclosed common land on which the poorest in society were reliant on, especially
after the changes caused by population growth and inflation + the practices of
engrossing, forestalling and rack-renting contributed to the problem
- Wolsey - 1517 led an enquiry into illegal enclosures
- 1548 - Duke of Somerset did the same
- Rebellions caused by Enclosure → Demand of Rebels in East Anglia, July 1549 +
widespread - also in Midlands + South East + Ketts rebellion
- Response by Edward → 1548 + 9 Government established enclosure commissions
- go to countryside hear complaint of tenants + ensure people who were wronged
received justice
- 1553 - Sheep and Farms Act + Act of 1555 + 1549 Tax on Sheep - Both used to
encourage more pastoral farming + regulate enclosure + sheep farming
- Wolsey promoted by Thomas More issued a commission of enquiry into illegal
enclosures in 1517, and successive Tudor governments tried to regulate enclosure
eg. 1533 Sheep and Farms Act tried to restrict the number of sheep kept per farmer
to 2,400
3 Dissolution
- The transition to pastoral use of land from arable farming reduced the amount of food crops
grown, adding to inflationary pressure on the nation’s ability to feed the growing population
- These changes reduced the demand for agricultural labour, increasing unemployment and
driving agriculture wages down through competition for work
- Dissolution may have exacerbated the spread of poverty as they were a traditional source of
support and alms for the poor
- 7,000 ex-monks and nuns had to find a new life/employment, for nuns this was especially
hard as Henry forbid them to break their vow of chastity and therefore they could not gain
the support of a husband
- Impact fell hardest on the North eg. PofG
- Henry’s promise to fill the gap left by monasteries were broken as money was needed to
fund his wars, meaning schemes to fund preachers, schools, hospitals and poor relief was
dropped
➔ Overall, changes in use of land due to enclosure and the dissolution of the monasteries made
the problems caused by population growth worse but wasn’t the root cause, however, as it
was only a source of discontent and potential unrest.
1 Population increase
- Most of the changes from arable to pasture actually took place in the 15th century in
response to the collapse in population - farmers lacked the necessary technology to turn less
fertile land into ground suitable for arable farming
- 1525 - 2.26 mil, by 1551 3.01 mil
, - Difficult for food production which led to price inflation especially when failed harvests
reduced crop yields eg. 1527-29
- Growing population resulted in rising prices and falling wages as more pressure was placed
on resources, particularly food - price of grain and goods such as butter, eggs, cheese and
wool were affected as the agricultural economy struggled to keep pace with the increase in
population
- As there was more competition for work, employers didn’t have to pay higher wages in order
to attract more workers - lower down the social ladder faced serious hardship
- Exasperated the problem, without population growth the change in use of land would not
have caused such a growth a problem, however both together meant that there were food
shortages and high levels of unemployment
How accurate is it to say that propaganda was primarily responsible for decline in resistance after
1570?
Propaganda
- Elizabeth tapped into English nationalism by portraying herself as the champion of English
Protestantism and the defender of the realm from hostile Catholic powers
- St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre in France 1572, in which Protestants were killed by the
Catholics, and the assassination of William of Orange in the Dutch revolt helped to reinforce
fear of Catholicism and loyalty to Elizabeth
- Accession Day - reinforced her popular appeal and promoted loyalty to her
- Sermons in churches emphasised Elizabeth’s role as defender of the faith and replaced gap
left by Catholic feast days abolished during the reformation - lessened anger towards
religious changes
- Cult of Gloriana - emphasised loyalty to her and her status as the Virgin Queen to distract
from the issue of succession
● Her chastity and purity were the things that would protect England - depicted as a
goddess Astraea by poets such as Davies which suggested her rule brought about a
golden age
● Humanist ideas of ‘courtly love’ suggested Elizabeth would be loved by her subjects
but remain pure and above corruption
● Hillard’s mask of youth, symbolism in portraits, images of her on coins and woodcuts
➔ Aimed to create an idealised image of Elizabeth and her rule and was successful in that
opposition her rule declined
Fear
- Rebels were treated very harshly in 1569 and Catholics were targeted in Acts of Parliament in
the 1570s - those who missed Church services (£20 a month fine), aided priests or owned a
copy of the papal bull excommunicating Elizabeth were punished
- Jesuit and seminary priests captured and executed eg. Cuthbert Mayne 1577
- Bond of Association 1584 pledged to protect the Queen and take revenge on anyone who
attempted to harm her - reinforced by the Act for the Queen’s safety 1585
➔ Acted as a deterrent and fear tactic, however was also a sort of propaganda as showed the
level of support for Elizabeth as they were introduced and backed by her nobility and gentry
