What sense do you get of what life was like in Elizabethan England? Try to include information on: The population, entertainment, religion, superstition, money, jobs, medicine, theatre.
Life was incredibly unequal. The class divide was massive, four main categories divided up society, the Nobility, the Gentry, the Yeomanry, and the Poor. This decided on your quality of life, job, where you lived and the kind of life your children would live. The gentry were the people who were knights, squires, gentlemen and gentlewoman whose fortunes were great that they did not have to work with their hands for a living. Their numbers grew rapidly, and became the most important class during Elizabethan time. Most of the important people of this time came from this class.
The Yeomanry were the ‘middleclass'. They could live comfortably with the little savings they built up, but at any moment, be it illness or famine, lose everything. The yeomen used their wealth more simply and instead worked to expand their land and improve it.
At the bottom were the Poor who find themselves without money, food, or shelter.
Because their numbers were increasing, the Poor Laws were passed: Any Poor person found guilty of being able to do an honest day's work but who chose not to, could be sentenced to death.
For those higher up in the hieracrchy life consisted of large banquets and extravagant entertainment. However vagrancy was increasing and becoming a problem, the economy was strained because most of the population was poor. More and more were finding themselves on the streets with nowhere to go .
In an attempt to combat this strict poor laws were passed which acknowledged that the care of the poor was now the community's responsibility, and that each citizen had to play his part. In this respect the Poor Laws were progressive for their time, and established a framework which lasted for many years.
In 1560 Elizabeth's government took steps to remedy Henry VII flawed system by replacing all debased coins with new ones, thus restoring the country's currency to its proper levels. This move served to combat the problem of inflation in the early years of her reign.
New Elizabethan superstitions arose due to the fear of witchcraft and the persecution of witches. Women were those most often accused of being witches. There were 270 Elizabethan witch trials of 247 were women and only 23 were men. During the Elizabethan era people blamed unexplainable events as the work of witches - the Bubonic Plague, unexplained deaths or unpleasant illnesses, bad harvests or crop failures, the death of animals and unexplained fires. Those accused of witchcraft, or being a witch, were generally Old, Poor and Unprotected Single women, widows or 'wise women' (many kept pets for company - their 'familiars'). The fear of witches and their supernatural abilities led to the following superstitions:
Medicine was basic, Physicians had no idea what caused the terrible illnesses and diseases. The beliefs about the causes of illnesses were based on the ancient teachings of Aristotle and Hippocrates. The Physicians paid attention to a patients bodily fluids, called Humours, which explains the reason why patients where subjected to 'bleeding'. Other beliefs of the Elizabethan Physicians centred around Astrology. The Elizabethan medical profession had no idea what caused the plague - the best they could offer was to bled the patient or administer a concoction of herbs.
For those higher up in the hieracrchy life consisted of large banquets and extravagant entertainment. However vagrancy was increasing and becoming a problem, the economy was strained because most of the population was poor. More and more were finding themselves on the streets with nowhere to go .
In an attempt to combat this strict poor laws were passed which acknowledged that the care of the poor was now the community's responsibility, and that each citizen had to play his part. In this respect the Poor Laws were progressive for their time, and established a framework which lasted for many years.
In 1560 Elizabeth's government took steps to remedy Henry VII flawed system by replacing all debased coins with new ones, thus restoring the country's currency to its proper levels. This move served to combat the problem of inflation in the early years of her reign.
New Elizabethan superstitions arose due to the fear of witchcraft and the persecution of witches. Women were those most often accused of being witches. There were 270 Elizabethan witch trials of 247 were women and only 23 were men. During the Elizabethan era people blamed unexplainable events as the work of witches - the Bubonic Plague, unexplained deaths or unpleasant illnesses, bad harvests or crop failures, the death of animals and unexplained fires. Those accused of witchcraft, or being a witch, were generally Old, Poor and Unprotected Single women, widows or 'wise women' (many kept pets for company - their 'familiars'). The fear of witches and their supernatural abilities led to the following superstitions:
Medicine was basic, Physicians had no idea what caused the terrible illnesses and diseases. The beliefs about the causes of illnesses were based on the ancient teachings of Aristotle and Hippocrates. The Physicians paid attention to a patients bodily fluids, called Humours, which explains the reason why patients where subjected to 'bleeding'. Other beliefs of the Elizabethan Physicians centred around Astrology. The Elizabethan medical profession had no idea what caused the plague - the best they could offer was to bled the patient or administer a concoction of herbs.
The Elizabethan Theatre was a booming business. People loved the Theatre. The Elizabethan plays and theatres were as popular as the movies and cinemas of the early 20th century. Vast amounts of money could be made. The inn-keepers increased their profits by allowing plays to be shown on temporary stages erected in the yards of their inns (inn-yards). Soon purpose-built playhouses and great open theatres were being constructed.
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