The Political Nation And The Social Basis Of Power

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What does the term Political Nation refer to?

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Those people in early modern Britain who had economic, political and social influence.

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Who was the head of the Political Nation?

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The monarch.

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The monarch's prerogative gave them powers over the following key areas...

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- foreign diplomacy, as Head of State

- declaration of war, as commander-in-chief of the military

- legislation, through the right to call and dissolve Parliament

- religion, as supreme Governor (head) of the Church of England

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The characters and personalities of each monarch did much to...

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shape the period and the monarch's relationship with the rest of the Political Nation, particularly through the institution of Parliament

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1603- Elizabeth I, died childless...

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James succeeded to the English throne as King James I

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As a successful ruler, James I...

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was pragmatic and practical enough to realise that he needed to work with Parliament. He did, however, dissolve Parliament several time in frustration during his reign

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Charles I was the younger son of James. Charles became heir to the throne when he was 11 due to the death of his older brother Henry (aged 18). Charles was temperamentally...

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unsuited to kingship and was unprepared for the role. He did not get along with Parliament

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Such was the extent of the powers held by monarchs that they were almost absolutist, which meant that...

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they could almost rule freely with unrestricted political power

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Finances lay at the root of the monarch's power, and the limits on the monarchs' income prevented them from becoming truly absolutist. A century of inflation, or a general rise in prices, meant that...

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English monarchs increasingly found that their income could not meet their expenses, especially in relation to foreign policies such as warfare and international diplomacy

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Substantial funds could only be raised through...

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parliamentary subsidies

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Parliament was normally reluctant to vote for subsidies because...

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the money would have to be raised by the taxing of the Political Nation

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Members of Parliament tended to only represent only the concerns of the voters who selected them e.g. the landed aristocracy and gentry, as well as wealthy lawyers and merchants. This was because...

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only the wealthy had to pay a parliamentary subsidy as they had a vested interest in not granting subsidies to the monarch

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The limited availability of parliamentary subsidies therefore...

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forced monarchs to exploit their prerogative income, which was money received due to their position as monarch

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Define Crown lands

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The crown had sold much land or rented it out on long leases at a fixed rent, thus their income was reduced because they couldn't update rents in line with inflation

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Define Custom duties

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Taxes from goods imported into the country. The crown could also temporarily sell the right to collect such taxes to raise funds quickly

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Define Feudal dues

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The crown had the right to control an estate that was inherited, by ancient right, by an heir under the age of 21

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Define Parliamentary subsidy

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Funds approved by Parliament for emergencies such as war

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Prerogative income also raised concerns in Parliament because...

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if a monarch became financially self-sufficient, then that monarch could establish themselves as absolute, meaning they did not need Parliament at all.

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Parliament's control of significant financial resources was the key limit on...

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the development of an absolute monarchy in England

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Another limit on the development of absolutism was that...

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the monarch needed the Political Nation to help control the general population

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The monarch relied on members of the Political Nation to ensure that...

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both central and local government could function. E.G: the monarch relied on the Justices of the Peace, who were chosen from ranks of gentry and nobility, to enforce the Crown's will in the localities

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Holding office in the name of the Crown gave members of the Political Nation...

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status and further contributed to their power

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The disadvantage of the unwritten constitution was that...

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it was open to interpretation, but this was also its advantage. In a society that valued consensus, the ability to interpret the constitution in different ways enabled compromise

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For the historian Keith Wrightson, the Political Nation was composed of...

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'an elite of wealth, status and power, internally differentiated and yet united by their shared interests as substantial landowners and agents of government.'

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The Political Nation covered a range of social groups:

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- the aristocracy

- the lesser gentry whose status was based on land ownership

- newer groups, including lawyers and merchants, whose wealth was based on income not derived from land ownership. Some historians refer to this group as pseudo-gentry because of the non-land based nature of their wealth

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The 17th Century Political Nation didn't essentially have a real police or army however...

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its dominance was generally accepted by those beneath them in the social hierarchy. This remained the case even in the face of enormous pressure resulting from a sharp increase in population.

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Between 1500 and 1650, the population of England nearly doubled. This growth led to several negative consequences, including:

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- price inflation (particularly with regard to food)

- food shortage

- land shortage

- unemployment

- greater reliance on the state for poor relief

All of these consequences strained the hierarchical society

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The concept of the 'Great Chain of Being' maintained that...

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it was for the benefit of all to accept the social position in which God had placed them

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Part of the elites' paternalist duty in participating in the Political Nation and the great chain of being was to ensure...

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that in times of hardship, those at the bottom of society were looked after, though some members of the nobility and gentry took their responsibilities more seriously than others

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What was the Great Chain of Being?

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A contemporary phrase for the idea of an ordered society set in place by God; the idea held that everyone was linked to each other and must accept their place in society, whether they were born a poor peasant, a wealthy aristocrat, or somewhere in between

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Land remained central to power and wealth across the century as the economy remained predominantly agrarian. Ownership of land during a time of increasing population enabled landowners to...

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benefit from the increasing price of food

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While in general those of higher status in the different levels of the Political Nation were the most wealthy however...

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it was not always the case that the aristocracy had more income than merchants

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Derek Hirst argues that...

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the gentry and merchant class grew in importance and became a significant force within the Political Nation during this period

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Urban growth saw the development of non-landed forms of wealth and...

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some of the people entered the 'Political Nation'