Elizabethan England - AQA GCSE - Part Two Flashcards
What was the Great Chain of Being? How did this affect Elizabethan England?
In the Great Chain, God is at the top, followed by his angels and other residents of heaven. Humans are beneath, followed by animals and plants. Elizabethan society was based on this and they broke this down further by having subdivisions. The monarch was at the top, followed by the nobility, the gentry and then the peasants. Class movement was almost impossible.
What were the two main rich groups in Elizabethan society?
The nobility and the gentry. The nobility was the most respected, earning around £1 million in today’s money on average. A member of the nobility was born into it or awarded the title by the Queen. They had special privileges like being exempt from torture. Most nobles had large amounts of land they gained from their ancestors. The gentry were landlords of the countryside, living off of rents from tenants. The income of a member of the gentry could be around £30,000 in today’s money. The richest gentry could be wealthier than the richest nobles. Some were given titles of JPs or knight or squire.
What was the housing culture like at the time?
The Elizabethan period saw growing prosperity and stability, reflected in the houses. A country house was no longer the communal centre of a village but the private residence of a noble. Architects like Robert Smythson, who designed Hardwick Hall, one of the grandest contemporary houses could focus on aesthetics and comfort rather than the security of the owner.
What was Elizabethan housing like?
During the renaissance, it was the height of fashion to be inspired by ancient civillisations like Greece or Rome. It demonstrated a cultured mind and refined taste.
The design of the building was symmetrical usually built around and E or H shape, which allowed for open courtyards as opposed to closed, secure ones.
Rich oak wood panelling and geometric plasterwork set off walls hung with colourful tapestries.
Glass was expensive and only affordable for the wealthy, so walls full or windows allowed the owner to show wealth from the outside and inside.
Chimneys were based on classical columns and were often in stacks of two or three.
What happened to Bess of Hardwick in 1527?
She was born in this year to gentry but rose in status and power through her four marriages to become the second richest woman in the country behind the queen.
What happened to Bess of Hardwick in 1557?
Bess’ second husband, Sir William Cavendish, whom she married in 1547 was a wealthy key figure in Henry VIII’ s court died in this year making Bess a much richer woman.
What happened to Bess of Hardwick in 1565?
Bess’ third husband was Sir William St Loe, from a well established family and a favourite of the queen. This marriage gave Bess a place at court. When he died in this year she inherited even more wealth.
What was it like to live in an Elizabethan house?
The medieval hall became a great chamber as the main room. Houses had a hall that guests passed through to get to the great chamber. With increased privacy, servants moved further away from the areas of the owner. The number of rooms showed the family’s wealth and importance. Rooms were accessible by a great staircase made comfortabke by the heat of a fireplace, and lit by light coming from the glass windows.
Who did Bess of Hardwick marry in 1567?
She married the Earl of Shrewsbury and became nobility. She arranged her daughter’s marriage with Charles Stuart, Mary Queen of Scots’ cousin. Any children they would have could challenge Elizabeth’s rule. A daughter was born and Elizabeth was enraged. She returned home and a new house was built for her called Hardwick Hall.
What was the role of theatre in Elizabethan society?
During Elizabeth’s reign, rich and poor visited theatre. There was a large appetite for new plays and many writers became successful. Playwrights like William Shakespeare produced new plays every year and their work was performed by theatre companies such as Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The companies were normally named after their patron (sponsor) . Women were not allowed to act, so boys played as women. The most successful actoes would often return for different roles.
What was an average day to the theatre like?
In Elizabeth’s early days, visiting a theatre normally involved going to an inn and watching a performance in the yard. Performances began at 3:00pm and continued into the evening. The performance itself was more like a circus rather than a modern theatre. Audience members would push and shove to try and get a better view and heckling was common. It was popular amongst the nobility. Being the patron of a theatre was an important way to show how cultured you were. For ordinary people it offered an afternoon’s entertainment.
What was Shakespeare’s importance in Elizabeth’s reign?
-He is perhaps the most highly regarded playwright ever.
-He was the main writer for Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
-He wrote 38 plays.
-His plays can be divided into three types: tragedies, histories and tragedies.
What was Burbage’s importance in Elizabeth’s reign?
-Burbage was one of the most celebrated actors of the Elizabethan period.
-As a main actor for Lord Chamberlain’s Men, he was the first to play Hamlet and King Lear.
-As well as acting, Burbage was a theatre owner.
What was the opposition to the theatre?
-Some believed the theatre was sinful.
- They were dangerous - drunkeness, crime and immoral behaviour was rampant.
-Many believed theatre was a spreader of disease due to the high concentration of people.
-Religious groups like the Puritans believed it was a distraction and that they should be reading the bible instead.
Why was Elizabeth’s era called a golden age?
-Portraits became very popular since people had much more wealth at this time, and the renaissance was occuring at this time.
-Europeans discovered new lands and people groups around the world (Drake’s circumnavigation) and England became a major naval power.
-Theatre was highly popular, so people had more time for leisure than before and this more money. High class people would show off their wealth.
-The Elizabethans built many stately houses, demonstarting a cultural shift and showing the wealth entering the country.
-Plays and sonnets were made around the time in England, showing a cultural richness.
-Francis Drake paid off the national debt with his wealth taken from the circumnavigation.
-Education became more common and more important, so knowledge of the world increased over this time period.
-Astronomical, theological and navigational knowledge in England increased.
-Catholics and Protestants lived in more unity than ever before.
