Social Relationships

“For the narrator, the sharpest competition to Walshingham and Castelnau, not from those they served, but from those who served them: what happens in the story happens not directly between them, but somewhere along the chains of human connection which led from one to the other, through their respective bodies of servants and agents and their mutual friends.” (Bossy pg. 9)

Early modern England highlights the importance of alliances in blood and marriages. Beyond kinship, important positions within the English nobility greatly influenced society. Power was often distributed between the crown and religious representatives. However, the powerhouse behind the king or queen were the selected representative that had the control to oversee foreign, domestic, or religious policy. For example, Cardinal Wolsey was Henry VIII’s almoner who controlled all matters of the state and church or Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s statesman, who handled the laws and procedures. These individuals all work in connection to one another. Therefore, England had more than one ultimate authority, which is the reason for its complex social structure.

I think this is an important quote because it states that the basis of how England operates is due to various human connections. No single entity has the definitive control. Each individual had different levels of power in different sections. The entire country is ran by the perspectives and opinions of the elite. Thus, the system is shifted to favor a small portion of the society. The quote also highlights how the power within the elites are through friends or servants. This shows that the power within the system circulates between the same bodies of people. Thus, the story is a chain of human connection within the elite social group. Their behavior or decision is influenced and affect by one another, which ultimately controls the entire country.