Tudor England

Giving gifts was a key element in Tudor England and the patronage system; if you wanted something done, you gave the relevant person a gift, since this gift would have to be reciprocated; the hope was that a favour could be asked for. Many courtiers did not get paid a salary and relied on ‘rewards’. These gifts or rewards could be very personal, such as jewellery worn by the giver or clothing.

Nobelwoman Lady Honor Lisle often gave her prized quince marmalade as gifts, and it was greatly sought after. Animals were another popular gift. Lady Lisle gave Queen Anne Boleyn a spaniel, and Princess Mary (later Mary I) was given a parrot by the Countess of Derby in 1538.

Nobles competed to give the king or queen the best present. Such gifts usually involved gold and jewels but were sometimes more unusual: the Duke of Norfolk gave Henry VIII a chess set in 1532, and in 1557, Mary I and her husband, Philip II of Spain, were given "a Map of England, stained upon cloth of silver in a frame of wood". It is also said that Elizabeth I’s courtiers indulged her love of clothes with gifts of gowns and fabric. Whatever the gift, it usually came with a price!

Source:

Historyextra.com