My British Empire

Chapter 73 Enclosure Movement

"Master Faris, it is really a pleasure to be welcomed by you!"

"My lord duke, you have made such a great contribution to England, it is only natural for me to welcome you!"

The Duke of Somerset had just returned to London today, and was about to go into the Privy Council to deal with matters. He saw Faris Alexander, the Minister of the Privy Council, standing in front of the Privy Council, welcoming his arrival.

Faris Alexander was born as a commoner. After studying at Oxford University, he was promoted by Henry VIII to the position of secretary of the Privy Council.

He has a strong learning ability and is also very beautiful in doing things. It just so happens that Henry VIII is also a person who loves learning, so he quickly became a hot political star in the Privy Council.

When Henry VIII died, he was already the speaker of the Privy Council and also the Minister of Finance, and one of the leaders of the Privy Council.

how to say! The Privy Council in the Tudor period was equivalent to the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty at that time. It had legislative power, executive power, and judicial, diplomatic, military and other rights. It can be said that during Henry VIII's period, he was the most powerful English government. agency.

What we need to make clear is that the Privy Council is just a general term, just like our State Council, under which there are various committees to exercise power.

For example, the Treasury Department, the Minister of the Seal, the Secretary of State, etc., and so on. The more ridiculous point is that the cabinet that will appear in the UK in the future is now just a small institution of the Privy Council.

In the 15th century, a committee of the Privy Council had the power to sentence prisoners to any punishment below the death penalty without evidence. During Henry VIII's reign, he could even declare laws to come into effect only by consulting the Privy Council, without the consent of Parliament.

The Parliament of England did not regain control of legislation until after the death of Henry VIII, and fully controlled the legislative power.

Because the Royal Privy Council still assumed considerable legislative and judicial responsibilities, it became a very important administrative institution.

However, the large number of Privy Council, such as in 1553, a total of 40 members of the Privy Council made it difficult to play its due advisory role.

Of course, this is also the strategy of the King of England, and one person cannot fully control this powerful government agency.

The two walked into the office of the Privy Council. Various secretaries were busy coming and going, and those ministers also signed with quill pens from time to time. The entire Privy Council seemed extraordinarily noisy and busy.

"Then! My lord duke, don't you know what's the matter with you coming to the Privy Council today?"

Sitting in his seat, Faris curiously asked Duke Edward who came here.

After all, important matters are generally discussed at the Regency Council, and usually the Duke will not come to the Privy Council.

"My Chancellor of the Exchequer, before getting down to business, let me tell you one thing!"

"Okay! Tell me, I will listen carefully!" Faris agreed casually.

"On the way back, I saw with my own eyes a group of refugees in ragged clothes walking aimlessly along the road!"

"Among them are wailing babies, and old people who are walking downhill!"

“Their eyes are full of sadness and despair of life!”

"So! Your Excellency, how do you say they became like this?"

Duke Edward stared at Faris, and said deeply and seriously. The whole person looked like a hungry wild wolf, and Faris shivered all over his body after being stared at.

"I think, maybe they are too lazy! This led to wandering!" Faris's voice was a little weak, without his usual full of energy, I'm afraid he himself didn't believe it.

In fact, the entire English society at that time had always held a contemptuous attitude towards begging homeless people, and believed that homeless people were lazy people in the countryside. It is ridiculous that this view has become the mainstream view of society.

"Hehe! Your Excellency, in your position, would you believe this is the reason?" Duke Edward smiled contemptuously.

"This? I think it's about the same!" Faris hesitated in his words.

"Your Excellency, let me say it directly. These are mainly caused by the enclosure of land by local gentlemen and nobles!"

Duke Edward ruthlessly pierced through the mist that covered up the facts, his tone full of hardness.

"So?" Faris asked with some guesswork, his thick eyebrows twitching.

"So I came here today because of the matter of restricting the enclosure, and I hope to get your support!"

Duke Edward occupies the moral high ground, and directly spits at Faris.

"But! Your Excellency, the local gentlemen and nobles are all potential opponents!"

Faris explained weakly, as if reminding Duke Edward of great resistance.

"Don't worry! Your Excellency, this matter has already been supported by Bishop Thomas. I think the local priests will definitely support us!"

Duke Edward's tone was full of confidence, and he also said something that reassured Faris.

"Besides, we can be regarded as carrying out the will of the former king! There is nothing to criticize!"

Duke Edward seemed to still feel Faris' inner uneasiness, and used Henry VIII as a shield to try to eliminate his uneasiness.

Before the rise of the British market economy, the village community was in the form of lords owning land-farmers renting land. This form was established by convention and formed the de facto long-term fixed use of land by tenants.

However, with the rise of the market economy, this kind of old lease contract has been impacted by "the highest bidder gets it". Some people (such as those who want to raise sheep) are willing to pay more land rent, and the landlord is also willing to rent it to them. But the original tenants refused to agree, so they were violently driven out.

The so-called **** violence of "sheep eating people" is only applicable to this kind of enclosure that breaks the lease. Of course, whether the scope and degree of violence are as serious as we usually talk about is another matter.

In medieval Europe, the open land system prevailed in the vast plains from England in the west, to the Ural Mountains in the east, to the Pyrenees and the Alps in the south, and to Denmark and southern Sweden in the north.

The so-called open land system originated from the land form of rural communes. After the annual harvest, the fields of the manor owner and the church, and the farmers' allotment are routinely removed from their respective fences, fences, etc., and opened up as public pastures.

The public land other than the open land is called the owner of the manor, and it is actually owned by the farmers. The dispersal of fields brings a lot of inconvenience to farmers' cultivation and management.

The land enclosure movement is that the gentlemen and nobles took back the land that originally belonged to the collective in name, but in fact it was the land of farmers.

And they represent the collective. Just like in ancient China, it was said that the whole world is the land of the king. All the land belongs to the emperor in name, but is this possible in fact?

So they can use the name to openly drive away the farmers who cultivate the land, and fence those lands.

And declare these lands to be theirs, no one shall cultivate them.

Thanks: On the feasibility of completing the homework, Jingbo, Earl Katywen, book friend 1887429393, Prussian nobleman, qus, Legolas~Windrunner, lp001735, w00753, lament-mo, I am not 2116, pull me down Da Qin is dead, loves the stratosphere, specializes in eating books, Fei Yuzhang, the cat who travels through time and space, Best MAN, and the speechless A Fei.

Thank you again for the great reward from Daqin who brought me down!

(end of this chapter)

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