An Analysis Of The Changes Of Mineral Rights In England In The 16th And 17th Century

From the 16 th to the 17 th century,a large-scale transfer of mineral rights took place in England,among which the change of mining rights caused by religious reform and the struggle between “free miners” and capitalists for mineral resources were the most prominent.Before this,three principles of mineral ownership were established in medieval England: gold and silver minerals were owned by the king,“base metal” minerals were owned by landowners,and miners were “exploited freely”.Until modern times,these principles are still important factors in standardizing mining rights.Through the Reformation,the King of England acquired not only ecclesiastical real estate,but also the ownership of “base metal” in the real estate.Out of the pursuit of profit,the “early capitalists” began to engage in mining activities,and they clashed with the operation of free mining groups.In the process of resolving the dispute,the mining rights of “free miners” have been respected and the rights and interests of investors have been protected.Although the principle of ownership of mining rights,which was popular in the Middle Ages,was broken through,it was still effectively inherited,on the basis of which the modern concept of mining rights emerged.This paper is divided into three parts.The introduction introduces the reasons for choosing the topic and a summary of the research at home and abroad,and makes a necessary explanation on the concepts and time periods used in this paper.The text consists of four chapters.The first chapter summarizes the ownership of mining rights in medieval England,pointing out the mining rights and interests and mode of operation of kings,landlords and free miners.The second chapter explains the change of mining rights caused by religious reform,and describes the change process of mining rights before and after the transfer of church real estate.The third chapter introduces the struggle for mining rights between free miners' groups and “early capitalists”,analyzes the causes of mining disputes,and shows the process of erosion and resistance of mining rights from the perspective of capitalists and free miners.The fourth chapter expounds the impact of the change of mining rights in England on societyfrom two aspects of the establishment of industry and private property.The conclusion summarizes the full text.The discussion of these problems is helpful for us to understand the evolution of mining rights in England,as well as the evolution of property concepts and other major historical issues.