Elizabethan society and government Flashcards
In what year did Elizabeth become Queen?
1558
Who were Elizabeth’s parents?
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
Give two ways in which Elizabeth’s gender weakened her position as monarch
Women were not allowed to be lawyers - a Queen could not legally interpret her own laws
Women could not hold high ranking positions in the Church - Elizabeth could not legally uphold the word of God
How many noble families were there in 1558?
About 50
The nobility were rewarded with land and titles by the monarch in return for their loyalty - what is this system better known as?
Patronage
How many families made up the gentry in 1558?
About 10,000 families
How were the gentry similar to the nobility? How were they different?
The gentry had land and wealth (but less of it), but they were not given titles
How many merchant and professional families were there in 1558?
About 30,000 families
Where in the country did most merchant families live and why?
They lived near ports, so they could be involved in trading, buying and selling
What was the difference between a yeoman and a tenant farmer?
A yeoman was a farmer who owned land. A tenant farmer was a farmer who rented their land from nobles
How many families were yeomen or tenant farmers in 1558?
About 100,000
How many families made up the poor in 1558?
About 500,000 families
Give three reasons why agricultural work could lead to poverty in 1558
Bad harvests could lead to a lack of income
Illness meant that you could not work
Agricultural work was seasonal - you couldn’t make money in winter
What was the population of England in 1558?
About 3 million
Name the four parts of Elizabeth’s central government
The Queen herself
The Royal Court
The Privy Council
Parliament
