Context For The Early Modern Period Flashcards
What key events happened through 111 years of Stuart Britain?
- Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot of 1605
- Bloody civil wars (1642-1651)
- Beheading of King Charles the I in 1649
- The Great fire of London in 1666
- The Glorious revolution and the joint monarchy of
William III and Mary II
What was it like living in poverty in Stuart Britain?
The majority were poor and lived in poverty.
During this period, the population increased massively and had negative effects on living standards, poverty and hunger.
Poverty was so bad that Poor Laws were instituted by queen Elizabeth I which were designed to help the poorest in society.
How many people worked for a master?
2 fifths of the workforce worked for a master as they could expect to be provided with a room and board, along with a wage
What was vagrancy like during the early modern period in Britain?
Before the welfare state, people would rely on charities, family and neighbours, and begging in order to receive a sufficient amount of money to survive.
John Morrill doing that more people emigrated from Britain rather than immigrated into Britain
What were food resources like during Stuart Britain?
They were very scarce and people relied heavily in finding their next meal with each and every harvest.
The situation was exacerbated by the bloody civil war were people needed to also provide food for hungry civil war soldiers
→This resulted in high rates of poor nourishment and starvation
How did diets differ between the rich and poor?
Poor: Generally vegetable and legume based and arguably healthier
Rich: Indulgence in meats and heavy sugary deserts
What happened to wealthier merchants during the years of plague?
These middle class merchants just like the upper class aristocrats were able to flee from cities and pestilence to the countryside were the plague was significantly less likely
