Social discontent and rebellions

• Why did the Rising of the Northern Earls ultimately fail?

  Norfolk's lack of support and the royal army's strength
• How many men did the Earls manage to raise for the Rising?

  About 2,500 men
• What was the size of the royal army that faced the rebels during the Rising?

  28,000 men
• What happened to the rebels after the Rising failed?

  About 700 rebels were hanged and 200 gentry had their lands seized
• What economic change forced people off the land in the North of England?

  Enclosure of farmland for pasture
• What was the impact of the dissolution of the Monasteries on the poor?

  The poor could no longer receive help from the Church
• What was the purpose of the Poor Laws passed in the 1580s and 1590s?

  To tackle the problem of increasing poverty
• What punishment could beggars face at the beginning of Elizabeth's reign?

  They could be flogged or put in stocks
• Why were beggars not trusted in society?

  They had no fixed abode and were not part of traditional landed society
• What did the 1552 Poor Law Act establish?

  • Recorded the number of poor in each Parish Register
  • Suggested appointment of two collectors of alms in each parish
  • Alms collectors distributed money to the registered poor
• What was the aim of the Elizabethan Poor Law?

  To encourage vagrants to stay in one place and be looked after
• What was the categorization of poor people established by the 1563 Act?

  The Deserving Poor, the Deserving Unemployed, and the Undeserving Poor
• How were 'poor beggars' punished according to the 1563 Act?

  They were beaten until they reached the parish boundary stones
• What was established by the 1572 Act regarding local responsibility for the poor?

  Each parish was responsible for its own aged, sick, and poor
• What was the purpose of the 1576 Act?

  To require towns to provide work for the unemployed
• What was the role of the Overseer of the Poor created by the 1597 Act?

  To calculate and collect the Poor Rate for the parish
• How did the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 treat the sick and old?

  They were looked after in poor houses or almshouses
• What was the significance of settlement in the Elizabethan Poor Law?

  It determined where a person claiming relief had to be returned
• What was the state of the economy during Elizabeth's reign?

  The economy remained essentially agrarian with few innovations
• What caused food shortages during Elizabeth's reign?

  Bad harvests, especially from 1593-1596
• What impact did the loss of Calais in 1558 have on merchants?

  Merchants were forced to look elsewhere for trade
• What was the main export of England during Elizabeth's reign?

  Cloth
• How did the immigration of religious refugees affect the cloth trade?

  It led to the development of New Draperies as a leading sector
• What was the role of the East India Company founded in 1600?

  To trade in the Indian Ocean
• What was the impact of monopolies on trade during the 1590s?

  They often put up prices and became unpopular
• What was the outcome of the Commons questioning the validity of monopolies by 1597?

  It led to serious discussions about limiting royal prerogative
• What concessions did Elizabeth make regarding monopolies in 1601?

  She appeared to make concessions but continued granting them under another name