Life in Elizabethan times Flashcards
Why is Elizabeth’s reign considered a Golden Age in terms of exploration?
- English privateers such as Sir Francis Drake travelled to
new lands and brought back riches and resources - Britain started to become a major power, especially
when it came to its Navy
Why is Elizabeth’s reign considered a Golden Age in terms of art?
- Portraits were very popular and included symbolism to
show sophistication - Mini portraits were also popular as personal
possessions - Decorative silverware and textiles were common,
showing the refinement of the era
Why is Elizabeth’s reign considered a Golden Age in terms of science?
- There were breakthroughs in astronomy, navigation
and magnetism - The invention of the printing press allowed ideas and
news to be spread faster
Why is Elizabeth’s reign considered a Golden Age in terms of education?
Education was becoming increasingly important, with wealthy boys and even some girls receiving lessons
Why is Elizabeth’s reign considered a Golden Age in terms of conflict?
Prior to Elizabeth’s reign, England had been at conflict for many years, but she established peace and order and allowed the country’s wealth to prosper
Why is Elizabeth’s reign considered a Golden Age in terms of theatre?
- Theatre was extremely popular
- Many theatres were built and plays were created that
are still performed today
Why is Elizabeth’s reign considered a Golden Age in terms of literature?
- Poetry, plays and Shakespeare’s sonnets were popular
- Included many references to sophisticated civilisations
of the past, such as ancient Greece and Rome
Why is Elizabeth’s reign considered a Golden Age because of its buildings?
- Stately homes were constructed that still exist today
- More importantly, buildings could be created without
defence in mind, unlike in medieval times
What were some reasons why Elizabethan England could not be considered a Golden Age?
- Blood sports (bear baiting, cock fighting etc) were very
popular - Cruel torture methods were used to punish criminals
even for minor crimes - Life expectancy was still fairly low
- Many illnesses that are safe today were lethal
- Divided population - minority lived in luxury while the
rest of the population suffered in poverty
Why did poverty increase before Elizabeth’s reign?
- Henry VIII put soldiers out of work by limiting nobles
from having retinues (private armies) - He also closed all monasteries during the Reformation
period, evicting church workers and removing a place
where the poor could receive aid - He debased coins, damaging trade as they were worth
less value - Debasing coins also caused Britain’s largest trade - the
cloth trade - to collapse, ruining further jobs
Why did poverty increase during Elizabeth’s reign?
Bad harvests between 1594 - 1598 caused food shortages, leading to starvation
The new system of farming, land enclosure, meant that fewer workers were needed, causing many to lose their jobs
Britain’s population increased by 35% due to an increased birth rate and decreased death rate, increasing demand for the already scarce food supply
Vast numbers of workers moved to big towns to find work, but there were not enough jobs to go around
Landlords raised rent prices (rent racking) due to an increased demand
Inflation of food prices
Taxed had been raised to pay for previous wars
An outbreak of flu in 1556 killed thousands, including workers who produced food
Who were the deserving poor?
People that could not find work, or were too sick or old to do so
They were viewed with empathy
Many wealthier Elizabethans worked hard to provide aid for these people, such as through the building of Almshouses
Who were the undeserving poor?
Beggars and thieves who tricked people into giving them money
In 1567, Thomas Harman published a book that warned of the scams that vagrants used
This caused many people to form negative stereotypes about all poor people, including the deserving poor
Begging was dealt with by severe punishment
How did the government treat the poor before Elizabeth’s reign?
Henry VIII and Edward VI tries to pass laws to deal with the problem of poverty, but it only grew more serious as time went on
1495 - Beggars punished in stocks and sent back to their
home towns
1531 - First offence = whipped
Second offence = burned hole in ear
Third offence = hung
Most of these laws stayed in place during Elizabeth’s reign
What act was created in 1576?
The Act for setting the poor on work - Local authorities given the responsibility for finding work for the poor, while the national policy focused on punishment