Elizabethan society and government Flashcards
In what year did Elizabeth become Queen?
1558
Who were Elizabeth’s parents?
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
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
What was the Royal Court?
The group of courtiers (advisors and noble families) who surround the Queen - NOT a physical place
Give two examples of things the Privy Council would do on behalf of Elizabeth
Issue emergency laws
Act as a court of trial (called Star Chamber)
How many people were in Elizabeth’s Privy Council?
19
Why was Parliament Elizabeth’s largest body of critics?
Elizabeth could not control the elections of MPs
How many times did Elizabeth call Parliament in 45 years?
13 times
Give three ways Elizabeth could control Parliament
She can appoint the Speaker of the House of Commons (who controls debates)
She can ban MPs from the House of Commons
She can dismiss Parliament (stop it from sitting)
Describe Elizabeth’s tactic of ‘divide and rule’ for her privy councillors
She encouraged competition between the different men on the Privy Council so no-one had enough power to challenge her
Name the four parts of local government in Elizabethan England
Lords Lieutenant, Justices of the Peace, parish constables, sheriffs
How many counties was England divided into in 1558?
39 counties
How many Lords Lieutenant did each county have?
One
What role did the Lords Lieutenant play in Elizabethan England?
Controlled the local militia and dealt with foreign threats
How many Justices of the Peace were there in each county in 1558?
30-60 JPs
What roles did the Justices of the Peace have in Elizabethan England?
Kept law and order by hearing court cases
Administered poor relief - looking after the poorest members of their county
Who did the parish constables work for?
Justices of the Peace
What role did sheriffs have in Elizabethan England?
Collected taxes
