Elizabeth Section 5 Flashcards
What sports were played in Elizabethan England?
. Football
. Bear-Baiting
What was bear-baiting?
Spectators bet on a pack of dogs attacking a tied up bear
What festivities were popular in Elizabethan England?
. Saints’ day
. Christmas
. May Day
. Harvest Home
What happened on Saints’ day?
Villages held parish ales - festivals of drinking, eating and dancing
What happened on May Day?
People danced around the maypole and watched plays
Why was harvest home celebrated?
It was celebrated once all the crops had been harvested at the end of August
What was the most common pastime for the labouring poor and the middling sort?
The Alehouse
Who was responsible for the decrease of popular pastimes in Elizabethan England?
Puritan Ministers who wanted people to live purer Christian lives
How did they clamp down on popular pastimes?
. Preached sermons attacking festivities such as parish ales
. Persuaded JP’s to ban maypoles and introduce licenses for selling ale
What drove Puritan ministers to attack popular pastimes?
. Protecting the Sabbath
. Stopping pagan practices
. Preventing violent disorder
. Preventing sex outside of marriage
Where did Actors perform before theatres (1558)?
Alehouses and Parish ales
What did actors do when the government started arresting vagrants?
They formed theatre companies
Why did Puritan Ministers oppose theatres?
Plays encouraged unholy behaviour and distracted ordinary people from prayer and bible reading
Why did the London city authorities oppose theatres?
Feared crowds of spectators would spread the plague or commit crimes
Who liked the theatres?
The Queen and Ordinary People
