The Stuff of Gentility : Class, Roles and Slander in Early Modern England

Sammanfattning: This thesis tests the models of Class and Roles on Early Modern English society through documents from the High Court of Chivalry. It analyses the role of the Court and the individuals who used the court in defining and negotiating class lines and the Social Order. It analyses how the class lines were perceived within the court and how the Court treated individuals differently dependent upon their Class and title. It shows how the line between commoner and gentleman was actively defined by those who claimed and challenged to be gentlemen. Then, the importance of Performative roles is introduced and how the “role of gentleman” was something that needed to be claimed, performed, and believed in order for people to treat someone like a gentleman. Furthermore, additional roles within a community are introduced that either overlapped or challenged the role of gentleman, complicating and confusing the expectations for social interaction.