EARLY ELIZABETH I ECONOMY Flashcards
WHAT five key problems did the English economy face when Elizabeth I came to power?
- Bad harvests
- High mortality rates
- High taxation
- Cuts in real wages
- Fear about social instability (rebellion)
WHAT was the problem with no economic legislation being passed into law at the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign?
They were left with two ineffective solutions:
1) Issue instructions to JPs and other officials (less effectively enforced without government support)
2) Royal Proclamations (would effectively admit to government impotence)
(AND local authorities trying to deal with the social/economic issues)
WERE real wages falling or rising at the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign?
At the time, most thought that wages were too high, but historians now know that real wages were falling.
WHAT were local authorities doing to combat perceived high wages at the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign?
Some local councils tried to establish wage rates for various trades.
WHEN was the Statute of Artificers passed?
1563
WHAT did the Statute of Artificers (1563) do?
- Enforced compulsory labour, particularly during harvest periods
- Created a minimum period of a year in which workers couldn’t leave their masters
- 7-year apprenticeships compulsory for skilled workers
- Set maximum wage rates, enforced by JPs in every county.
HOW effectively did the government combat perceived high wages 1558-1563?
Not majorly. They lacked the powers of enforcement (no one could travel across the country to investigate wages). Even JPs struggled to do so in their districts.
WHAT were the causes of poverty 1558-1563?
- Increased population
- Decreasing real wages for labouring poor
- Harvest failures and food shortages
- The destruction of Church institutions which provided poor relief, meant that there was less poor relief in general.
WHAT were the categories of poor people that were introduced?
‘Deserving’ poor (e.g. the elderly and disabled), who were entitled to some form of limited assistance, and ‘undeserving’ poor (e.g. able-bodied workers), who were entitled to punishment.
HOW effective was the poor relief provided by the government at the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign?
National government legislation was ineffective, and lagged behind local provision set up in some boroughs. Didn’t introduce any major changes, and it was only until 1570 that parliament began to deal with the issue.
WHAT did Elizabeth do to stabilise the currency 1558-1563?
- Introduced a scheme for the withdrawal of debased coins and their replacement with soundly minted coins
- The government didn’t resort to debasement again during the rest of the century.
HOW effective was the introduction of soundly minted coins, 1558-1563?
While debasement had ended, prices continued to rise and some suffered from this scheme. However, the government could not be responsible for this problem anymore.
