Elizabeth: Life in Elizabethan Times
Elizabethan Society
The Great Chain of Being GOD
Elizabethan society was highly structured and everyone knew their place within it.
It influenced the quality of life – those at the top being far better off than those at ANGELS
the bottom.
It helped maintain order; challenging one’s place disrupted the chain and could MONARCHS
lead to terrible chaos. People were expected to respect position in the hierarchy,
and those who accepted it would be rewarded in heaven. NOBLES
Elizabeth had great religious power, and authority over the church (and no one
could challenge this nor her Middle Way). CLERGY, GENTLEMEN
Women were always considered beneath men in the chain, with the exception of
the monarch herself (as they were believed to be chosen by God and so held a COMMONER
divine right to their position). S
ANIMALS, PLANTS, MINERALS
Social Classes
Class determined how someone dressed, where they could live, and possible jobs they could have.
Land meant power, i.e. those earning vast sums of money weren’t considered powerful until they
bought land – increasing income, and social status.
The Nobility
The lords and ladies of the land, and were either granted their titles or passed hereditarily from father to eldest
son. Had landed titles, were rich and powerful, and were expected to have lavish lifestyles (luxurious homes,
fashionable clothing and opulent habits). Held the most powerful positions, e.g. privy councillors.
There were only about 50 noble families during the reign of Elizabeth I; it was the smallest class.
The Gentry
Composed of knights, esquires and gentlemen, and the rise was the dominant feature of Elizabethan society.
They were most important social class of the era. They were not manual workers, a key component was
wealth, and they were well-educated.
Knights, originally a military rank, but became a mark of honour in Elizabethan times, with the title
conferred by the queen.
Esquires (‘squires’) had knights in their ancestry.
Gentlemen were wealthy landowners who acquired large amounts of property.
The Yeomanry
Yeomen lived comfortably, but could lose everything at any moment e.g. illness or famine. They were
prosperous, not anywhere near the gentry, and were divided into various sub-categories: yeoman farmers,
traders and craftsmen, and hired help workers, e.g. waiters, governors, tutors.
The Poor and Unemployed
The bottom-most rung but the largest of the social classes, and consisted of almost anyone: children, widows,
abandoned wives, sick, disabled, elderly, soldiers with catastrophic war-wounds.
, The population of England grew from about 3 000 000 in 1530 to around 4 000 000 in 1600.London also
grew rapidly during the 1500s, with a population of around 200 000 by 1603.
Social hierarchy: countryside90% of people lived in Social hierarchy: towns10% of people lived in
the country. towns.
The nobility Merchants traders who were
<1% The gentry very wealthy
The yeoman farmers Professionals lawyers, doctors,
The tenant farmers (rented land clergymen
from yeoman farmers and 10% Business owners highly skilled
gentry) craftsmen e.g. silversmiths,
<10% Landless & Labouring Poor carpenters or tailors
didn’t own/rent land, work or Craftsmen skilled employees,
labour to provide for themselves including apprentices
and family Unskilled labourers and the
Homeless & Vagrants moved unemployed had no regular
from place to place for work. work, couldn’t provide for
themselves or family
90% 90%
Obedience, care and conformity
You owed respect and obedience to those above you and had a duty of care to those below you.
Landowners ran their estate according to these ideas, taking care of their tenants, especially during
times of hardship.
In households, the husband and father was head of the household. His wife, children and servants
were expected to obey him.
Rise of the Gentry
What was it?
The gentry grew in size, wealth and influence in Elizabethan England.
Some members of the gentry (e.g. Walter Raleigh, Francis Walsingham and Francis Drake) became
more influential at court and in government, so the influence of many noble families at court declined.
They dominated the House of Commons as they acquired local power through work as JPs.
Other members of the gentry were able to join the nobility, either through marriage, wealth or the
willingness of the queen to give them a title (make them a Lord). For example, William Cecil became
Lord Burghley in 1571.
Many members became increasingly wealthy.
What caused the rise?
The Tudors’ suspicion of the ‘old’ nobility: Tudors deliberately marginalised the nobles, who they saw as a
threat, by granting very few new titles and excluding them from government. This left a vacuum, filled by the
gentry who became very powerful politically.
Elizabeth dissolved the power of the nobility and took away their power. She preferred members of
the gentry, as the nobility members were more likely to be Catholic or sympathetic to Catholicism,
they posed the most threat to the monarch, and gentry were more likely to be loyal as she promoted
them.
The money of the gentry also fuelled cultural achievements of Elizabeth’s reign: they sponsored
architecture, art, intellect, and literary endeavours – keen to affirm their new status’ in society.
Gentry allowed for a stable economy, and an explosion of cultural development.
Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII: monasteries had occupied about a quarter of all land, the
dissolution meant there was more land to buy than ever before.
Increasing wealth: growth in trade and exploration, population growth, rising prices, and enclosure aided the
