Week 5: Elizabethan Society + Scotland/Wales Flashcards
(42 cards)
What does the population increase of the 16-17th century cause in terms of socio-economic considerations?
Poor get poorer
Rich get richer
Why do labouring families suffer the most from the rising population?
- Grain prices increase by 400%
- Real Wages (value of what you earn) decreases 60%
- They don’t make enough money for food, and food prices are rising
What is Engrossment?
Getting/acquiring more land
What do many poor people resort to work-wise during the population increase and poverty rise?
- Migrate
- To another county
- OR to the New World
How many years of education could a poor boy expect?
2 years
What is Endogamy?
Marrying within your social class
What class of society typically marries far earlier than the rest? Why?
The Elite
Why? To have more time to have a lot of children
The switch from castles to mansion houses of the elite mirrors the switch away from ___________________.
A military society
Elite Mansion estate houses reflect the growing value and emphasis on ____________.
privacy
True or False: Divorces are expensive and much harder to obtain for lower class marriages.
TRUE
At what age did common folk usually marry? Why?
25
Because by the time boys finished their apprenticeship in the trades, and thus, the ability to even support another person in the household, they were at least 25.
At what age did Elites usually marry?
Girls: 12
Boys: 14
What did common folk NEED in order to divorce?
An Act of Parliament (extremely hard to get)
Why are widows typically the most sought after wedding partners?
- Because they inherited their late husband’s wealth
What is deference?
Showing acknowledgement of someone’s higher rank
How was communal justice carried out?
- The neighbourhood often dealt unofficially with its own justice
- Ex. if a woman in the neighbourhood had an affair, the community would shame her by making loud noises with pots and pans outside her home
What was seasonal labour?
- Going from village to village in order to find work
- Many villages hated this, because it meant another stranger to provide for
Who are the Deserving and Undeserving poor?
Deserving: Those who are physically unable to work (ex. sick, orphans, disabled, etc.)
Undeserving: Those who could work, but choose NOT to
What was the punishment for being an undeserving poor person?
- 1st time you were caught: Whipping
- 2nd time you were caught: Condemned as a felon
- 3rd time you were caught: Hanged
What is Indoor and Outdoor relief?
Outdoor relief: Financial help brought out to the poor on the streets (ex. clothes, food, etc.)
Indoor relief: Admittance of poor people into sheltered institutions (ex. asylum, almshouses, hospitals, etc.)
In general, what is England’s priority in terms of influence in Scotland and Wales?
- England wants to centralize them both under their control
How does Scottish kingship differ from English kingship?
- In Scotland, the nobles have much more power because the monarchy is so weak
What are lairds?
- Lairds are Scottish lords that lead their own clans and own their own territory
- Leaders of the Scottish clan system
- They have military retainers (followers)
What greatly reduces the power of the Scottish monarchy?
- Lairds (Clan System)
