The Elizabethan Age (1558 - 1603) Flashcards
What day did Elizabeth’s coronation take place?
Sunday 15th January 1559
Where did Elizabeth’s coronation take place?
Westminster Abbey
How much did the coronation cost?
£16,000
Why was Elizabeth popular?
She was young, single and English
How did Elizabeth use portraits as propaganda?
She could create an image of a monarch who was ageless, strong and powerful
What did Elizabeth do on royal progresses?
She toured the countryside, staying in the houses of nobles and receiving free accommodation, food, drink and entertainment
Who was in the royal court?
Elizabeth’s advisers, government officials and ladies in waiting
What is patronage?
The power to appoint people to an important job or position
What were the responsibilities of the privy council?
To advise the Queen on policy, watch over the day-to-day government of the realm, consider petitions from private individuals
What did the number of people in the privy council vary from during Elizabeth’s reign?
12 to 20
Sir William Cecil
appointed as secretary of state in 1558, most important minister, moderate protestant, received title of Lord Burghley in 1571
Sir Francis Walsingham
devout puritan, in charge of Elizabeths secret service and advised on foreign afairs
Robert Dudley
Earl of Leicester, trusted advisor, rumoured to be Elizabeths lover, puritan
Sir Christopher Hatton
moderate protestant, appointed Lord Chancellor in 1587
Robert Devereux
2nd Earl of Essex, involved in plot to remove some of the Queens councillors, leading to his rebellion in 1601 - which he was executed for
Lord Lieutenant
One appointed for each county, in charge of local militia and supervised JPs
Justices of the Peace
30 to 60 per county, unpaid, looked out for poor, fixed prices and wages, sat in on court cases, organised parish constables
Parish Constable
watched out for vagabonds, kept peace and arrested those who broke the law, prevented trespassing and poaching, carried out punishments, kept order
Main functions of parliament (2)
Introduce new laws and raise money
How did Elizabeth control parliament?
They could only meet if she called it, they could only talk about topics that she allowed, used to grant her taxes - her main source of income
What were parliament prohibited from discussing? (3)
Elizabeths marriage and succession, religion, the declaration of war and peace
How many times did parliament meet over Elizabeths reign?
13
Nobles and lords
Great landowners, about 50 families, income of up to £6000 per year
Gentry
Lesser landowners, about 10,000 families, income of up to £200 per year
Wealthy merchants
Successful in the business of buying and selling goods, about 30,000 families
Professionals
Emerging middle class
Yeomen
Owned their own property, had a few servants and farmed some land
Tenant farmers
Rented between 10 to 30 acres from a landowner, about 100,000 families
Cottagers
Had small gardens to farm
Skilled artisans
Men with a trade; craftsmen
Landless unskilled labourers
Seasonal workers, unemployed during certain periods of the year
What percentage of the population lived on the edge of starvation?
20-30%
Why did so many people live on the edge of starvation?
Events such as bad harvests, rising prices and unemployment
How did nobles and lords increase their wealth during this period?
Many bought land during Henry VIII’s dissolution of monasteries, the expansion of overseas trade, investment in trading companies, the granting of monopolies, profits from the sale of wool
How would the sons of lords and nobles receive education?
Tutored at home, receiving education in the classics as well as French, Latin and Greek
How would the sons of gentry receive education?
Would attend grammar school, some would then go to either oxford or cambridge
What is the definition of “impotent poor”?
Those genuinely unable to work due to age or some other hardship - recognised that they were in need of poor relief
What is the definition of “able-bodied poor”?
Those considered capable of work but unable or unwilling to find employment
What caused the sharp rise of poverty during the sixteenth century? (9)
Rising inflation, bad harvest, changes in farming methods, rack-renting, rural depopulation, dissolution of the monasteries, rising population, changes in the cloth industry, costly foreign wars and demobbed soldiers
In what three years was there a particularly bad harvest?
1556, 1596 and 1597
How much did the population rise between the 1540s and 1601
2.7 million in the 1540s to 4 million in 1601
List the different types of vagrants (7)
Hooker or angler, clapper dudgeon, doxy, abraham man, ruffler, dummerers, counterfeit crank
What was a hooker?
Someone who would carry a long wooden stick and knock on doors to see what could be stolen
What was a clapper dudgeon?
Someone who tied arsenic on their skin to make them bleed in order to get sympathy
What was a doxy?
A female beggar that would carry a large bag and put stolen items in it
What was an abraham man?
Someone who pretended to be mad to get donations
What was a ruffler?
Former soldiers who have become vagabonds
What was a drummerer?
Someone who pretended to be dumb in order to beg for charity
What was a counterfeit crank?
Someone who pretended to suffer from “falling sickness” (epilepsy)
What was the success of Elizabethan poor laws? (5)
Did not end poverty and it continued to rise, helped thousands of people in need of support, threat of social unrest and possible rebellion was reduced, reflected a change of responsibility, remained in place for next 200 years
What was bull and bear baiting?
Bulls and bears would be chained to a post and dogs would be let loose on them
Give four examples of entertainment enjoyed by the rich
Hunting, hawking, dancing and ball games
What are strolling players?
Wandering groups of actors that toured the country and stopped in towns to perform their plays
In what year was a law passed that banned strolling players from performing without a license?
1572
Give three examples of theatre companies
The Earl of Leicesters Players, The Queens Men and Lord Admiral Howards company
When was the first theatre built, what was it called and who built it?
1576, The Theatre, James Burbage
Name five theatres
The Theatre, The Curtain, The Rose, The Swan and The Globe
Name three playwrights
William Shakespeare, Thomas Dekker and Thomas Kyd
Why did the authorities oppose the theatre?
Because it gave opportunity to pickpockets and it encouraged people to miss work
Why did religious groups oppose the theatre?
Puritans disproved of the non - religious nature of the plays and believed it kept people from going to church
