Elizabethan England: life in Elizabethan times Flashcards
Explain the Great Chain Of Being
- the idea that everything in the universe has a rigid heirarchy
- God was at the top followed by the monarch
- at the bottom were workers and animals
Explain why the gentry grew
- Dissolution of monasteries made more land available to buy,
- Increasing wealth, trade, exploration, population growth and rising prices helped genries make their fortune (money was used to establish estates and build grand houses)
- Tudor suspicion of the “old” nobility, nobles were seen as a threat and thus given less titles and were exclded from government
What were the Sumptuary Laws?
- called the Statutes of Apparel
- passed in 1574
- these laws strictly controlled what people were allowed to wear based on their social rank
name some Elizabethan fashions for men
- hat
- beard
- ruff (which increased in size during the reign)
- cloak
- sword
- shoes
- silk stockings
- doublet (silk/satin long-sleeved shirt with ruffles)
- jerkin (colourful velvet jacket with embroidery)
name some Elizabethan fashions for women
- small hat
- heavy white make-up
- blackened teeth
- ruff
- undergown, gown and overgown (silk or satin)
- shoes
- farthingale (petticoat with wooden hoops)
change in population
3.2 to 4.1 million during Elizabeth’s reign
(1588 - 1603)
discoveries
potato
tomato
tobacco
inventions
gunpowder
printing press
compass
growth in literature
- the Bible was written in English
- more varied subjects of books published (philisophy, cookery, medicine)
- more education and grammar schools
- men who could read went fron 1/10 to 1/4
- women who could read went from 1% to 10%
growth in general architechture
- chimmneys were added (allowing larger houses as rooms could be more easily heated up)
- glass came along (a symbol of status as it was expensive), it allowed light into homes
- more privacy as there were separate rooms
growth in manor houses
- many new extravagant houses built to impress Elizabeth on her progresses
- no longer needed defense systems, they became more decorative
- influcence bu Italian Renaissance, focusing on symmmentry and size
- often built in “E” shapes (possibly in honour of the Queen )
why was London the centre of Elizabethan life?
- the largest population (went from 70,000 to 200,000 during the reign)
- it was the capital
- had may foreigners that brought in new ideas and culture
- it was the centre of international trade and govenment
what was theatre like at the beginning of the reign?
- no permanent theatres
- actors were seen as vagabonds and dishonest as they travelled around
- they often performed on temporary platforms or open spaces
- Puritan saw such peformances as dishonest and a distraction from God
how did theatre come about?
1572 - a law was passed requiring all bands of actors to be liscensed, this encouraged companies to organise themselves
1576 - the first theatre opened in London, called “The Theatre”
other theatres opened in 1577, 1587, 1596
The Globe opened in 1599
descibe the feature of an Elizabethan theatre
covered gallery - covered viewing area which cost about 2-3 pennies (could seat up to 2,000 people)
“groundlings” - uncovered circular pits in the centre (1 penny) and was filled by the poorest people, it was noisy, smelly and exposed to the weather
Lord’s room - a seating area reserved for the richest
“tiring house” - a hectic area were actors would dress and collect props
the stage - often had a trapdoor or special effects and entrances and had a door at the back wall
theatre plays
many plays were made to contain subtle political messages and propaganda
- many plays also flattered Elizabeth and supported her position
- they were carefully censored
- for example Shakespeare’s Richard III presented the Tudors in a positive light (saviours of England) while making Richard III seem like and evil monster
why did poverty increase because of war?
- war left many out-of-work soldiers and sailors
- wars meant increase taxes which hit the poor hardest
how did population and travel increase poverty?
- rise in population lead to more workers bur wages stayed the same, thus food prices rose
- discovery of the “New World” lead to more silver in curculation in Europe so they current currency lost value and prices rose
how did the rich contribute to increasing poverty?
- trade monopolies made the rich richer and the poor poorer as the rich could control prices
- rack-renting led to spirraling rents and lots of evictions (landlords became greedy)
- enclosure meant raditionally open fields were combined and enclosed with hedges to allow arable (crop) land to turn into more profitable sheep farming (required less labour), this removed common land on which the porr grazed their animals (thus loss of food source)
- dissolutionof monasteries took away the best source fo charity for the poor (providing shelter, food and medical care)
when were the harvest fails?
in 1550s and 1590s
types of poor in Elizabethan times
“impotent poor”- were unable to provide for themselves
- they deserved help and support
(either too young, old or ill)
“idle poor” - were seen as major threat to the social order,
- people thought there was enough work for everyone but they didn’t want to work
- seen as dishonest, vagabonds and “sturdy beggars”
- didn’t deserve help and support
Thomas Harman on the poor
published a book in 1567 about tricks different types of beggars would use to cheat people out of money:
“ruffler” - looked like an army officer but stole money
“abraham men” - pretended to be mad
“anglers” - used long sticks to steal clothes off washing lines
Statue of Artificers
1563 - put wage limits on skilled workers to try to slow down the rate of inflation
what was the 1576 legislation?
it set a third class of poor:
those who were able bodied but unable to find work
Poor Law and Act for the Relief of the Poor
1597 - poor law
1601 - Act for the Relief of the Poor
everyone had to pay towards a local poor rate, people who refused to pay it would be fine/imprisoned
- poor rate hepled set up work houses and the payment of the relief of the “deserving poor”
- “overseers of the poor” had to ensure orphans had apprentiships
- almhouses set up to provide for the old and ill to live in or could recieve money, food and clothing as “outdoor relief”
- begging was strictly forbidden (punished by whipping)
gove examples fo local measures for the poor
IPSWICH:
1569- introduced a liscencing system
- one of the first towns to open a hospital for the old and sick who could not afford treatment
- youth trading system
NORWICH:
1570 - conducted a survey finding that 80% of the population lived in poverty
- to help pay for the poor Norwich raised taxes for rich citizens
failure of the Poor Law
1601 - 1660: only 7% of money devoted to the poor relief was through taxation (still mostly donations)
- poor ate only collected in dire emergency
- still punished anyone deemed “idle poor”
- house of corrections were too much like prisons (more punishmnet than aid)
- poverty continued to increase
arguments against the Golden Age
- blood sports like dog fighting still remianed popular
- cruel torture and punishments continued to be used
- small minority lived in luxury whilst most people were very poor
- life expectancy was low and many minor illnesses were lethal
advantages of exploration
- new goods and luxuries from the “new world” (such as spices, silks, cottons and silver)
- discovery of the West Indies, Canada, South America, Africa and India
- brought prestige for England
- made up for trading difficulties elsewhere
- alternate and wuicker trade routes
privateers
privately owned ships, financed by merchants and even the Queen.
- they were like private pirates, they stole goods and money from spanish trading ships
- the Queen allowed this to happen as it brought in money and hindered the Spanish who had a monopoly on the New World goods
- Sir Francis Drake made a fortune and name for himself through being a privateer
circumnavigations
- travels all the way around the circumference of the earth
- Francis Drake being the first englishman to circumnavigate the globe in 1577-1580
Sir Francis Drake
- puritan
- 1572: captured £40,000 worth of Spaish silver attacking treasure ships from Mexico and Peru
- circumnavgated the globe from 1577-1580
- April 1581: knighted by Elizabeth on his ship (Golden Hind) despite King Philip II’s displeasure
- 1587: attacked Cadiz and delayed preparations for the Spanish Armada
John Hawkins
- navigator and slave trader
- redesigned English ships
- developed a new type of fighting galleon which was faster, lighter and better able to withstand harsh weather conditions
- Elizabeth appointed him as a vice-admiral fighting against the Spanish Armada
Walter Raleigh
- lead privateering expeditions against the Spanish
- wanted to establish colonies for Elizabeth in North America (the area was thought to have an inexhaustible supply of wine, oil, sugar and would reduce England’s trading dependence upon Europe)
- 1584: he obtained a royal charter to set up a colony on Roanoke island but both expeditions faild to achieve colonisation
- brought potatoes and tobacco back to Britain, (already known via the Spanish)
