From: L' Ermit (lhermit@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Jan 28 2002 - 06:43:42 MST
<snip>
[Richard Ridge] To be precise, political expediency dealt the first blow to
the concept of divine right in 1587, with Elizabeth's execution of Mary, the
Sovereign Queen of the Scots.
<snap>
[Hermit] While I agree in principle with Richard's objection, I put the
start of the collapse of feudalism much earlier, and the end much later than
he does. I also see it as a lot more complex, tying elements of the
successive plagues (where the scarcity of labor and increase in cost created
a much stronger balance between the land-holders and the serfs than existed
previously or elsewhere), the Wars of the Roses (which lead to multiple
bills of attainder), the Peasant's Revolt* (Watt Tyler - which probably lead
to Cromwell by a rather tortuous path) and much more significantly IMO, by
the restoration and coronation of William of Orange (as this lead to the
introduction of Dutch farming practice, the enclosure of the commons and
the end of tied peasantry (which dramatically improved the commercial
quality of the people).
Regards
Hermit
[quote]And when the King and his train had arrived there they turned into
the Eastern meadow in front of St. Bartholomew's, which is a house of
canons: and the commons arrayed themselves on the west side in great
battles. At this moment the Mayor of London, William Walworth, came up, and
the King bade him go to the commons, and make their chieftain come to him.
And when he was summoned by the Mayor, by the name of Wat Tighler of
Maidstone, he came to the King with great confidence, mounted on a little
horse, that the commons might see him. And he dismounted, holding in his
hand a dagger which he had taken from another man, and when he had
dismounted he half bent his knee, and then took the King by the hand, and
shook his arm forcibly and roughly, saying to him, "Brother, be of good
comfort and joyful, for you shall have, in the fortnight that is to come,
praise from the commons even more than you have yet had, and we shall be
good companions." And the King said to Walter, "Why will you not go back to
your own country?" But the other answered, with a great oath, that neither
he nor his fellows would depart until they had got their charter such as
they wished to have it, and had certain points rehearsed and added to their
charter which they wished to demand. And he said in a threatening fashion
that the lords of the realm would rue it bitterly if these points were not
settled to their pleasure. Then the King asked him what were the points
which he wished to have revised, and he should have them freely, without
contradiction, written out and sealed. Thereupon the said Walter rehearsed
the points which were to be demanded; and he asked that there should be no
law within the realm save the law of Winchester, and that from henceforth
there should be no outlawry in any process of law, and that no lord should
have lordship save civilly, and that there should be equality among all
people save only the King, and that the goods of Holy Church should not
remain in the hands of the religious, nor of parsons and vicars, and other
churchmen; but that clergy already in possession should have a sufficient
sustenance from the endowments, and the rest of the goods should be divided
among the people of the parish. And he demanded that there should be only
one bishop in England and only one prelate, and all the lands and tenements
now held by them should be confiscated, and divided among the commons, only
reserving for them a reasonable sustenance. And he demanded that there
should be no more villeins in England, and no serfdom or villeinage, but
that all men should be free and of one condition. To this the King gave an
easy answer, and said that he should have all that he could fairly grant,
reserving only for himself the regality of his crown. And then he bade him
go back to his home, without making further delay.[/quote] Source: "The
Great Revolt of 1381", Charles Oman, Clarendon Press, 1906, p 201
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