Connection of the rise in the gentry to Hardwick Hall

Who were the gentry?

People who owned land

Who were the nobility?

People who owned land and titles

What was the difference between the gentry and the nobility?

The nobility owned titles given to them by the queen while the gentry did not

What status did Bess have?

Born into the gentry, but married into the nobility

Was there a rise in the gentry during the Elizabethan period?

Yes, partly caused by the dissolution of the monasteries

What was the dissolution of the monasteries?

In order to change the national religion of England from Catholic to Protestant through the creation of the Church of England, King Henry VIII ordered the monasteries to close

How did the dissolution of the monasteries lead the gentries to be more powerful?

The church had previously owned lots of land, so the dissolution of the monasteries enabled around 25% of England’s land to be bought - much of this was done by the gentry, so more people entered this class and the gentry became more powerful as a result

How did owning land enable the gentry to become more wealthy?

They were able to rent this land to labourers

How else did the gentry grow in power?

At the time, the wool trade became worth more money and it enabled the gentry to have higher wealth (and therefore more power) due to the gentry being able to grow their sheep farms and sell their wool - the practice also required fewer workers so gave higher profits too