The term may refer to new aristocracy, enriched gentry, or middle-class professionals who held important positions in government, most notably during the reign of Henry VII.
The continuously expanding economy had always afforded some space for the betterment of ambitious commoners, but they were traditionally expected to accomplish this within the ecclesiastical rather than the secular hierarchy.
These new men were most usually lawyers, clerics and financial administrators who had come to the notice of the king and had been granted ministerial positions because of their own skills rather than because of a noble background.
[dubious – discuss] Men like Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson were resented by both the nobles and the general population for the harsh taxes they collected uncompromisingly.
However, it is commonly agreed that there was a sudden rise in this type of administrator in government towards the end of the 15th century and this, rather than being a paradigm shift, occurred over a sustained period of time.