Living standards and fashion in Elizabethan England

Why was Elizabeth’s rule described as a golden age?

It was a time with a blossoming of culture through the developments in architecture, theatre, fashion and literature

How did fashion change?

Ruffs became larger in both men’s and women’s fashion

What was the great chain of being?

A hierarchal system with God at the top, then the Queen, the nobles, the gentry, then the ordinary people and finally animals then plants

What was a noble?

A person with a title passed down from father to son (not usually through women) as well as a land-owner. They had some influence over the Queen, although she could easily take it away. Their average income was £6000 a year (£1 million today). Most were born into the role although some were given by the Queen

What was the gentry?

People with land who lived on the rent of their tenants - their average income was between £10 and £200. Many of these were justices of the peace or Members of Parliament as part of the House of Commons

Who were the peasantry?

Labourers and the poorest members of society who often struggled with poverty, which was made more of an issue due to the rising population

Is social position fixed?

For the most part, although some people moved up levels (for example, the gentry increased in size, wealth and power during the Elizabethan Age, and Bess of Hardwick married William St Loes to become part of the nobility after she was born into the gentry

How much did the population rise by?

From 2.8 million in 1558 to 4 million in 1603 (the start and end of Elizabeth’s reign)