life in elizabethan times

• Great chain of being:

  • monarch
  • nobility: most powerful + wealthy, titles passed from father to son, held most senior positions
  • gentry: often wealthy landowners, held important positions, might be richer but still below nobles in society
  • peasantry: poorest members of society, farm labourers, often struggled for work
  • animals and plants
• The rise of the gentry

  Before Elizabeth's reign, almost all wealth was held by the nobility. The stability that the Elizabethan period brought began to change this. People could make money from trade. The gentry grew as a result and began to fill powerful positions by becoming members of Parliament and Justices of the Peace.
• Changing homes of the gentry

  One way in which the gentry and the nobility could show off their wealth and privilege was by building lavish country homes:

  • Purpose: no longer defence, but to display refined taste.
  • Usually symmetrical with open courtyards, unlike the closed, secure ones that went before.
  • Lots of expensive glass windows showed owner's wealth.
  • Medieval great hall replaced by a great chamber.
  • Privacy: number of rooms increased, separating servants from owners.
• • Playwrights like William Shakespeare produced new works every year. included comedies, histories and tragedies.
  • Acting was a male profession, with female roles played by boys.
  • Popular actors like Richard Burbage became famous and would return to roles many times or have parts written specifically for them.
  • Works were performed by theatre troupes such as the Lord Chamberlain's Men (of which both Shakespeare and Burbage were members). Companies were named after the people who provided their funding: the patron. Being a patron was a good way to impress the queen.
• • Performances generally began at 3:00pm and continued into the evening.
  • The ticket price depended on where you sat (or stood).
  • Audience members would push and shove to get a better view and the atmosphere would generally be very boisterous.
  • It was a cheap afternoon out for the poor and an opportunity for the rich to show how cultured they were.
  • Although they occupied different parts of the theatre, the rich and poor would watch the same play.
• Why was the theatre so popular?

  • It was affordable.
  • It was new and exciting.
  • It was a social event.
  • It was entertaining - plays were humorous, tragic or historical..

  • It was contemporary and relevant to the time - many plays carried political messages.
• Opposition to the theatre

  • puritans saw theatregoing as a distraction from prayer
  • there were concerns that large gatherings might spread disease
  • theatres were dangerousnplaces where there was drunknenness crime and other immoral behaviour
  • sinful
• Although there were significant accomplishments during Elizabeth's reign, some have argued that the idea that it was a 'golden age' is a myth. They argue that:

  • Blood sports such as dog fighting and bear baiting remained popular.
  • Torture and brutal execution were still used by the government.
  • A small minority lived in luxury while the majority remained poor.
  • Life expectancy was low and medical treatment was ineffective.
  • Despite scientific breakthroughs in some areas, other practices were questionable - alchemy and astrology were very popular.
• • Elizabethan society had a very rigid structure with the monarch at the top, followed by the nobles, the gentry and then the peasantry.
  • One important way of demonstrating wealth and success was through the building of grand country houses.
  • The theatre was an important part of life for many Elizabethans.Rich and poor came together to watch plays.
  • The Elizabethan era was seen as a 'golden age' because of the many accomplishments, but some question whether this is an accurate description.
• The idea of a 'golden age' was encouraged by Elizabeth and her government. Plays, festivals and pamphlets (small booklets) promoted the idea. The term Gloriana was used to describe the spreading of this message. For Elizabeth, this was a useful way of securing her popularity and her throne.
• The deserving poor

  • The 'Great Chain of Being' made it clear to many nobles that they were simply 'better' than the poor.
  • Many believed it was their duty to help those below them in society.
  • They recognised that many paupers could not help their situation and were not to blame for their poverty.
  • Charities for the poor grew and almshouses were established.
• The undeserving poor

  • Some paupers were seen as undeserving: untrustworthy beggars who had no interest in honest work.
  • Warning Against Vagabonds by Thomas Harman, published in 1567, encouraged the view that many poor people were merely confidence tricksters or criminals. Others were seen as being idle or lazy.
• The vagabonds described by Harman included many scammers and confidence tricksters:

  • The Counterfeit Crank bit soap so that he frothed at the mouth. People would feel sympathy and give him money.
  • Baretop Trickster women would trick men into following them by removing clothing. The men would then be beaten and robbed by her accomplices.
  • The Clapper Dudgeon would cut himself and tie dirty bandages around the wounds to gain sympathy.
  • Tom O'Bedlam would pretend to be mad. He might stick a chicken's head in his ear or bark like a dog.
• Monarchs before Elizabeth, including Henry VIII and Edward VI, passed laws that tried to deal with poverty, but the problem got worse.

  • From 1495:
  • Beggars were punished in the stocks or sent back to their home towns.
  • From 1531:
  • Beggars were publicly whipped.
  • Those caught a second time would have a hole burned in their ear.
  • A third offence would mean they were hanged.
  • These laws remained in place for most of Elizabeth's reign.
  • The 1576 'Act for setting the poor on work' placed the responsibility on local authorities.
• London

  • Bridewell Palace was used as a shelter for the homeless.

  • Bedlam hospital was built to house the mentally ill.

  • Other hospitals were opened for the sick and for orphans.

  • Conditions in all these institutions were poor and could not cope with the growing numbers coming to the city.
• York

  • In 1515, the city authority issued beggar licences, with a badge to identify holders.
  • From 1528, a Master Beggar was appointed to keep the others in order.
  • If beggars refused to work they were sent to the House of Correction.
• Ipswich

  Introduced a licensing system for beggars from 1569.

  • Opened a hospital specifically to help the old and the sick.
  • A youth training scheme was introduced to help children learn a trade and escape poverty.
• Norwich

  • After a survey showed that 80% of the population lived in poverty in 1570, the city authorities separated the poor into the 'idle poor' and the 'unfortunate poor'.
  • The 'idle poor' were given work such as knitting or sewing. The 'unfortunate poor' were given food and other forms of care.

  • Rich citizens were taxed to pay for the care of the vulnerable.
• Government action:

  the Poor Law

  In 1601, the first ever Poor Law was introduced. It stated that:

  • The wealthy should be taxed to pay for the care of the sick and vulnerable.
  • Fit and healthy paupers should be given work.
  • Those who refused to work were still dealt with harshly: they could be whipped or placed in a House of Correction.

  The poor were categorised into three groups:

  The helpless poor (the sick and old): given food and

  accommodation.

  The able-bodied poor (those considered fit): had to work in exchange for food.

  The idle poor: punished and sent to a House of Correction.
• Although the 1601 law did make a difference to some, it was not properly enforced in many areas. Begging seemed to decrease, but this may have been due to the threat of the House of Correction rather than the extra help available.

  Some historians argue that the law was unsuccessful because it made each area responsible for its own paupers.

  Some were simply sent from one place to another without receiving any help.
• • Poverty was widespread in Elizabethan England for a variety of reasons, such as the closure of the monasteries, a larger population and changes in agriculture.
  • Many wealthy Elizabethans felt duty-bound to help the poor and gave to charity. Almshouses were established in some areas.Paupers were generally seen as either deserving or undeserving.Paupers were usually dealt with harshly but some cities began to take a different, more practical approach.The 1601 Poor Law introduced a new approach nationally.
• As well as a golden age', Elizabeth's reign has been called an 'age of discovery'. Although other countries, particularly Spain and Portugal, played a major role in exploring the world, it was England that led the way. Sailors like Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and John Hawkins helped increase England's wealth and power with their voyages.
• Sir Walter Raleigh and the New World

  • Sir Walter Raleigh was given royal permission to explore the Americas - the New World - in 1584.
  • He would be allowed to colonise any land that was not ruled by a Christian.
  • In return, he had to give the queen one fifth of the gold and silver he found
  • He did not sail himself, but sent others to explore colonies in the New World.
  • A colony was established at Roanoke on the east coast of America but did not last. A second was created in 1587 and seemed like it was going to succeed but it did not
• How was exploration possible?

  • Defences - better weapons such as cannons made it easier to explore hostile territory.
  • Navigation - the astrolabe allowed sailors to judge their position, and more accurate compasses made navigation easier.
  • Technology - better designed ships were much faster due to the triangular lateen sail.
• Between 1577 and 1580, Drake completed the first circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition.
• John Hawkins and the slave trade

  • John Hawkins was a respected sailor and courtier.
  • He was responsible for building up the navy and commanding it against the Spanish Armada.
  • In 1564, he kidnapped several hundred West Africans and sold them in South America. This was not the first example of the European slave trade, but it was the first time the whole process had been carried out by an Englishman.
  • He was also a successful privateer and is thought to have brought tobacco to England.
• What was one way England gained wealth through exploration?

  By raiding Spanish ships and ports
• How did raiding Spanish ships contribute to England's wealth?

  It allowed riches to be stolen and brought back to England
• What types of new products were brought to England through trade systems?

  Spices, silks, and porcelain
• How did the role of middlemen change with the growth of trade with the East?

  English sailors could deal directly with merchants in Asia
• What was the purpose of the Levant Company?

  To deal exclusively with trade in Turkey and the Middle East
• When was the East India Company established?

  In 1600
• What was the significance of the trade in African slaves for England?

  It brought significant wealth to individuals and to England as a whole
• How did Hawkins influence the involvement of other Englishmen in the slave trade?

  Other Englishmen saw how Hawkins had profited and became involved
• What was the effect of slave labor on raw materials produced in the Americas?

  It enabled raw materials to be produced cheaply
• What were the main ways England gained wealth through exploration?

  • Raiding Spanish ships and ports
  • Establishing trading systems
  • Direct trade with Asian merchants
  • Creating new companies for specific trade areas
  • Engaging in the African slave trade
• Power

  • Naval power had been growing under Elizabeth and was able to hold its own in any sea battle.
  • Improved weapons and tactics, and the skilled command of men like Francis Drake, played a key role in this.
  • The English victory over the Spanish Armada showed the dominant position that England held.
• Territory

  • England was not the first country to build colonies in newly discovered lands, and there wereseveral failed attempts. But perseverance led to increasing numbers of colonies, particularly in North America, being established in the name of Queen Elizabeth and her successors.
• • The Elizabethan period was a time of great exploration.
  • Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and others discovered and explored new lands and brought wealth back to England.
  • Trade was established in spices and other goods.
  • The slave trade was established by John Hawkins and grew quickly during Elizabeth's reign.
  • Exploration allowed England to gain in wealth, power and territory.