Society In elizabethan England

Question 1

Society in Elizabethan England

Answer 1

-Continuity
-remained under Aristocratic domination during the reign during the reign of Elizabeth
-nobles- great landowners, dominant political and social role, senior military positions
-gentry- included a wide social range (knights, gentleman, esquires), prominent in local government by 1570, served as MPS
-bulk of population- mostly lived in rural areas, low standards of living, population growth

-Change
-nobles- no dukedoms created after 1572, indulged in massive house- building projects, less opportunity to fulfill a military role
-gentry- growth in numbers, landed incomes increased especially after 1570
-Bulk of population- growing mercantile an professional classes in towns with political influence sometimes bought landed estates and entered ranks of the gentry , some families married up which increased social mobility, widening gap between rich and poor (60% of population at or below poverty line), decline in real wages,increase in landless poor

Question 2

Poverty and poor relief

Answer 2

Further measures to relieve poverty were put in lace as destitution and vagrancy was seen as a source of crime
-1572- Act required local ratepayers to pay a rate for the relief of their own poor
1576- act required towns to make provision for employment for the deserving poor
1597/8- act provided a code for poor relief establishing overseers of the poor
160- Elizabethan poor law created a national system for poor relief based on the parish (poor relief would be conducted on a local basis until 1929) eg:
- each parish was required to raise the rates for, and administer, poor relief through an overseer of the poor.
-the impotent poor (those unable to work) were to be cared for in a poorhouse
-the able-bodied poor and vagrants were to be sent to a house of correction or prison
-pauper children were to be apprenticed to a trade
Although it was a harsh system, creation of a national system showed a more enlightened attitude to relief and donations increased towards almshouses, schools and hospitals

Question 3

Problems in Ireland

Answer 3

Elizabeths government wanted to impose English control in both religious and secular matters
Elizabeth was proclaimed supreme governor of he church of Ireland in 1560 however Ireland was specifically catholic which differed from England
-1569- 73 rebellion against English rule in the south
-1579-82 rebellion linked to a Spanish incursion into County Kerry. Brutally suppressed
-1595 Earl of Tyrone led rebellion in Ulster, linked to Anglo-Spanish War
-1598 rebels victorious at the Battle of Yellow Ford, Tyrone and allies controlled most of ireland beyond the pale with Spanish support
-1599 Earl of Essex sent to Ireland as Lord Lieutenant. Essex made a truce with Tyrone (against orders) and returned to court on expiration of the truce, Tyrone moved south,hoping to link up with a Spanish army
-1601 Over 3000 Spanish troops landed in support of the rebellion, rebels were defeated by the new Lord Lieutenant, Lord Mountjoy
-1603 piece concluded, following Elizabeths death

It was difficult to enforce Protestantism and the behavior of English incomers and use of Martial law built relaying with Irish lords
Much of Ireland was impoverished due to the troubles and the crown was financially destroyed, leaving a legacy or bitterness

Question 4

Problems in wales

Answer 4

Wales was integregated into England although some linguistic and cultural differences remained eg
- the council of wales and the Marches continued to police the border so conflict there was no longer an issue
-the welsh language (widely spoken among the welsh people) was no longer used in government. Nevertheless, the book of common prayer and the Bible was translated into Welsh, and Welsh dictionariesand grammars were published
-much of wales remained poor

Question 5

The North of England

Answer 5

For the most part, England remained on reasonable terms with scotland where the Protestant lords of the congregation held sway
-when the rebellion broke out in the north, some of the English rebel leaders evaded capture by escaping into scotland
- when the grip on power of the Protestant lords in Scotland was uncertain and the English position was less secure
- order was mostly maintained by the border lords while the council of the north based in York also tried to curb lawlessness on the border