Topic 1 Flashcards
(123 cards)
What was nobility
- great landowners
- wealthy
- huge influence
- 50 families
What was gentry
- lesser landowners
- social elite
- owned land
- 10,000
- no other work
What was yeomen
Owned there own land
What were tenant farmers
Rented land from land owners
What were merchants and professionals?
Wealthy merchants then professionals
Eg. Lawyer, doctor
- 30,000 families
What were skilled craftsmen
Skilled employees and trainees
- in guilds on the standard of their trade
What where the landless labourers ans unskilled workers
Could join from bad harvests/illnesses
Eg, leather trade (forced into)
500,000 families
What were the 4 classes
Gentlemen
Middling sort
Yeomen
Fourth sort
Who were in the gentlemen class
Nobility
Lords
Gentry
Who were in the middling sort
Merchants
Master craftsmen
Professionals
Who were in the yeomen class
Owned there own land
Who was un the fourth sort class
Vagrants
Landless labourers
Unskilled workers
Tenants
Evidence to support that Elizabeth was well educated and intelligent
Learnt Greek, latin, french and Italian
Evidence to show that Elizabeth could cope in stressful situations
When Elizabeth was accused of a treason she kept calm when writing to mary
What were the doubts about Elizabeth as queen
Women were viewed as weak
She was seen as illegitimate
She was unmarried and without an heir
Evidence to show that women were viewed as week in the Elizabethan period
- in the 16th century it was believed that woman should be wise and silent, obedient and domestic under authority of men. Physically, intellectually and emotionally inferior to men.
- female rulers were seen as unnatural and a liability.
- thought that they were not strong enough to dispense justice, make harsh decisions, declare war, lead armies, keep powerful nobles under control.
- marys 1 reign seemed to confirm beliefs because she got England into war.
What was Elizabeths response to ‘women were viewed as weak’
Elizabeth couldn’t do anything to immediately solve the problem unless she married immediately and handed power to husband.
Only was to address gender problem would be to prove she was a good ruler as any man and win over critics
Evidance to show that Elizabeth ‘was seen as illegitimate’
E. Farther, Henrys Vlll had made himself head of the english church so he could divorce his first wife and marry Anne Boleyn. (Pope didn’t authorise)
Some catholics didn’t believe e. Had a legitimate claim to the throne as the pope didn’t authorise divorce , some believed that henry and annes marriage wasn’t valid
What was e. Response to ‘illegitimacy’
Little she could do s even marriage and children couldnt change the legitimate of his parents marriage so she needed to win people over.
Evidence to explain the reason that e. Problem of being ‘ unmarried and without an heir’
People expected e. To marry quick and have children to ensure political stability
In the early weeks of her reign E. turned down two potential husbands as she wanted to focus on her immediate problems of war with France and religious settlement
What was e. Response to her problem of being ‘unmarried and without an heir’
Elizabeth decided not to marry .regardless of who she chose to marry it would’ve caused more problems
- English nobleman would’ve been problematic as it would have caused anger and jealousy among other nobles
- yet marrying a foreign suit would be problematic as most were catholic and she didn’t want to anger her Protestant subjects
- later in her reign she said she was married to England
Local government: lords lieutenants?
Chosen by monarch
Nobility and or privy council
Raised, trained local military
Oversaw policies and country defences
Local government: justices of peace (JPs)
Large land owners Kept law and order in their local area Unpaid Reported to privy council Popular job Made sure all social and economic policies happened
Examples of the monarchs power
Punished criminals
Declare war + make peace
Call, dismiss parliament
Reject laws