life in elizabethan england

Question 1

explain how poverty was perceived in the elizabethan times

Answer 1

• the number of poor people increased during elizabeth’s reign.
  -there was no welfare or support systems
  -Poverty was considered to be your own fault in Elizabethan times - the belief that you had a ‘divinely appointed’ position in society was reinforced every week at church and this attitude was widely held

Question 2

explain why there was an increase in poverty during the elizabethan times due to a
rising population

Answer 2

Rising population:The population rose by a million during the Elizabethan period. More people meant there was more demand for goods, and so prices rose.

Question 3

explain why there was an increase in poverty during the elizabethan times due to
inflation

Answer 3

Prices for goods rose, but wages fell as there were more people around to do the work

Question 4

explain why there was an increase in poverty during the elizabethan times due to
the cloth trade collapse

Answer 4

Woollen cloth was England’s main export. There was a decline in demand and this led to unemployment

Question 5

explain why there was an increase in poverty during the elizabethan times due to wars

Answer 5

Taxes were increased to compensate for the price of waging war.

Question 6

explain why there was an increase in poverty during the elizabethan times due to bad harvests

Answer 6

Harvests were particularly bad in the 1590s leading to even higher demand and more rising prices.

Question 7

explain why there was an increase in poverty during the elizabethan times due to changes in farming

Answer 7

Many landlords decided to enclose their fields and keep sheep instead of growing crops which led to high unemployment.

Question 8

why did attitudes towards poverty change during the elizabethan era

Answer 8

the government decided to take action. This was because of:
-fears that the ‘social order’ might be threatened if the growing number of poor people ganged together and vagabonds and beggars might turn to crime
-fears that the poor might spread disease
-landowners giving more to the poor

Question 9

what actions were taken to help target poverty

Answer 9

Unpaid local officials (Justices of the Peace) were made responsible for poverty related issues. They collected taxes in order to help the poor and unemployed. For much of the century the authorities grouped people into either the ‘impotent poor’ or the ‘able-bodied poor’:

Impotent poor – people unable to work due to age, disability or other infirmity. Limited relief was provided by the community in which they lived.
Able-bodied poor - people who were physically able to work and were forced to, to prevent them from becoming vagrants, beggars or vagabonds. It was thought many able-bodied poor were lazy, idle and threatened the established social order.

Question 10

what was the 1572 vagabond act

Answer 10

The 1572 Vagabonds Act introduced severe action against vagrants who could now be whipped, bored through the ear and put to death if they were repeatedly caught begging.

Question 11

what did the national level - 1601 poor laws say

Answer 11

Poor Laws were key pieces of legislation:

-they brought in a compulsory nationwide Poor Rate system
-everyone had to contribute and those who refused would go to jail
-begging was banned and anyone caught was whipped and sent back to their place of birth
-almshouses were established to look after the impotent poor

Question 12

evaluation-
did elizabeth successfully look after the welfare of people

Answer 12

By the end of Elizabeth’s reign, wide-ranging laws were passed to support the poor, which remained in place for the next 200 years. They played an important role in supporting the poor and signalled the first move into welfare from the state, but they did not end poverty and in fact more relief money still came from private charity.

Question 13

what was the importance of education like in elizabethan england

Answer 13

-there was no compulsory schooling
-Most children’s lives revolved around the family, the church and the farm or workshop. But Renaissance ideas spread and the idea that society could be improved through education and learning became popular. so the demand for education grew:

Question 14

what changes were there to education in elizabethan england

Answer 14

-The ability to read and write became a highly desirable asset.
-Wealthier boys were better educated than ever before.
-New universities and schools were opened. Some grammar schools with the name ‘Queen Elizabeth’ in the title still exist today. They taught exclusively in Latin to prepare the sons of the wealthy for university.

Question 15

explain what theatre was like in elizabethan england

Answer 15

Shakespeare wrote most of his plays during Elizabeth’s reign, in what was considered a ‘golden age’ of culture.

Purpose-built theatres were popular and offered seating with prices suitable for people from all ranks of society. Many nobles protected groups of actors and became their patrons.

Question 16

explain what the opposition to the theatre was like

Answer 16

The Puritans believed theatres were the work of the devil, spreading rude ideas encouraging poor moral behaviour. They also associated the theatre with the Romans, who had persecuted Christians.

The authorities - a law passed in 1572 stated that: “All common players…who wander about and have not a license shall be taken, adjudged and deemed rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars.”

Question 17

give examples of past times in elizabethan england

Answer 17

By Elizabeth’s time the upper classes saw their culture as superior.

Higher society - the invention of the printing press and spread of education meant gentlemen were part of an elitist culture involved in intellectual pursuits, e.g. reading the classics, studying music, hunting and hawking.

Lower society - the vast majority were involved in popular cultural pursuits, which gave them a escape from their harsh living conditions. Inns and taverns were important in social rituals. Drinking, gambling on bear-baiting, cockfighting, cards, dice and racing were popular. Tobacco smoking was new and expensive but growing by the end of Elizabeth’s reign. Ordinary people also took part in wrestling, running races and football.

Question 18

explain the benefits of exploration during the elizabethan era

Answer 18

Advancements in the practical skills of navigation allowed explorers to thrive during the Elizabethan era. The main benefit of exploration around this time was to open up trade routes with countries around the world. There were a number of famed explorers who led these voyages.

Question 19

who was francis drake

Answer 19

Francis Drake was the most famous seaman of Elizabeth reign. He grew up as a Puritan who hated Catholics and he was very anti-Spanish. His first voyage in 1566 was as a trader of enslaved people. He was attacked in 1568 by the Spanish at San Juan de Ulua in Mexico, losing four ships and over 300 men. He sought to take revenge on the Spanish after this.

Question 20

what role did drake play in the spanish armada

Answer 20

He went on to play a role in the Spanish Armada by attacking Cadiz in 1587 and delaying preparations. He was also vice-admiral during the Armada.

He:
Launched successful attacks on the Spanish empire, bringing back gold, silver and jewels, making a huge profit.
Claimed new lands for England and made valuable trading contacts with the Spice Islands.
Knighted by Elizabeth and made an admiral.

Question 21

who was john hawkins and what role did he play

Answer 21

He was a navigator and trader of enslaved people and Sir Francis Drake’s cousin.

He made three voyages during the 1560s, capturing Africans people and selling them into slavery in Central America to Spanish settlers.

After this he returned to England and designed and built ships for the navy. Elizabeth appointed him as a vice-admiral fighting against the Spanish Armada.

he developed a new type of fighting galleon which was faster, lighter and better able to withstand harsh weather conditions than ships in the Spanish fleet.

His innovative designs were important in helping to lead England to victory.

Question 22

who was walter raleigh and what role did he play

Answer 22

He was a famous sailor and explorer . The queen invested in his expeditions against the Spanish. He wanted to establish colonies for Elizabeth in North America. The area was thought to have a good supply of wine, oil, sugar which would reduce England’s trading dependence upon Europe.

In 1584 he got a royal charter to establish a colony on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. He organised two expeditions to take settlers to the colony.

The first group came home after a year; the second were left there but disappeared. There is no proof of what happened to the colonists -

The reasons for their disappearance are unclear and Roanoke is known as ‘The Lost Colony’.

Raleigh didn’t play a major part in the Armada campaign.

He was part of the later on-going attacks against the Spanish in the 1590s and contributed to intellectual culture by writing poems.