Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Roles during the Elizabethan era
Occupations and social classes in elizabethan england
Elizabethan era women's jobs
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Roles during the Elizabethan era
Western Europe Occupations The era of Queen Elizabeth is also known as the Elizabethan era. During her time of ruling there were many changes in the economy. There was a major growth of agronomy. The jobs and ways of life of the people in Western Europe are very unique. A look at jobs in the Elizabethan era reveals that jobs were based on social rank or gender. The majority of people in the era of Queen Elizabeth were landowners and farmers. Agriculture was the main focus of Western Europe (Cosman). There were many new innovations such as the elimination of fallowing and the introduction of cross plowing(“Commerce”). The farmers of this time realized that it was easier to plant a big portion of one species of crop than little portions of …show more content…
“Many middle-class people earned as much in a day as a working-class family earned in a year”(Price-Goff 58). This is an example of the kind of things poor workers went through on an everyday basis. The middle-class people who worked on land that their family has owned for a long time have way easier lives than people who slave over a factory machine for 14 hours a day. The highest class in this era were the nobles. Nobles were the wealthiest people of their time(Lace). Nobles were very well educated(Stephenson). They dressed in fancy clothing and looked all around, very neat and clean. “They were expected to serve in an office, such as being an ambassador to a foreign country… Most of Elizabeth’s council came from the nobility, and chief officers in the countries- such as the Lord Lieutenants and sheriffs- usually came from noble families”(Lace 43) These people did the jobs that everyone wanted to do. They mainly worked for the government and made plenty of money even though the money was not an issue. Secondly, the class of highest importance during this era were the gentry. These were wealthy people who acquired land and became rich landowners. Justice of the Peace and spots in the Parliament where two occupations a person of the gentry could have had(Lace). Poor children had very hard lives, “Children… were sent out as apprentices to craftsman.
The Elizabethan Era was a Golden Age for the English people during the late 1500s and early 1600s. This time period is referred to as the English Renaissance because new ideas were introduced to Elizabethan daily life. People enjoyed learning; they enjoyed art, culture, music, and food. The people also enjoyed celebrating many customs and festivals. These celebrations became a major part of daily life, and there were many customs to celebrate.
The upper echelons belonged to the aristocracy whose positions were granted them by birth and within this group there was a hierarchical system. The king was at the top of the hierarchy and the gentry at the bottom. Wood describes the gentlemen of the gentry as a help to the commoners. These men lent money to those of lower social standing and also purchased goods from them as well as acted as their representatives to the higher social structures. In turn the commoners paid allegiance to the gentlemen through conscription and political support.
The bottom part of the society included the peasants which made up 85% of the population, the peasants was divided into sub-classes, and these sub-classes involved the farmers, craftsmen or artisans and merchants (Hackney, 2013). The highest ranking of the peasants were the farmers, farmers who owned their own lands were ranked higher than those who did not. After the farmers, there were the craftsmen or artisans. The craftsmen or artisans worked word and metal and some of them became well-k...
Six social classes in the Elizabethan Era : Monarch, Nobility, Gentry, Merchants, Yeomen, and Laborers.
An Analysis on the lives of the Upper, Middle, and Lower classes during the Industrial Revolution
As stated in the textbook, the wealthiest people were seaport merchants that made their business on imports, exports, banks and insurance companies, and urban real estate. An example would be the Boston Brahmins who were a cluster of old Protestant families in Boston that constituted the city’s social elite by the early 19thcentury. The upper class enjoyed the prosperity industrialization granted them as they achieved luxury and extravagance. Below the social elite was a growing middle class that included lawyers, salesmen, clerks, retail merchants, and accountants. Industrialization provided occupations that allowed people to lift themselves higher in the social strata The middle class took advantage of their increased wages by living comfortably and providing an education for their next generation in order to maintain their social standing.
riche into riches surpassing those of the highest aristocracy. Their houses of course had to be decorated outdoing the splendor
The Elizabethan era was an era of art above all else. Elegance reflected in all areas of the peoples’ lives. From the entertainment and language to the churches and castles, beauty shone bright. There were many vents for artistic creativity during the Elizabethan era; countless instruments, painting, books, playwright, and last but not by any stretch the least, architecture. Elizabethan architecture has a vast amount of variety and personality, the buildings reflected the pride of both the inhabitants and the builders.
Nobility were at the top of the social classes. These men were rich and powerful, and they have large households. The real growth in society was in the merchant class. Within the nobility class there was a distinction between old families and new. A person becomes a member of nobility by birth, or by a grant from the queen or king. It took a crime such as treason for a nobleman to lose his place in this social class. Many died during the War of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought during the 15th century. Being a member of the nobility class often brought debt ...
"Elizabethan Era." Elizabethan Era | The Lost Colony. The Lost Colony, 2013. Web. 20 Mar.
Men in the upper class had jobs of high ranks and involved less manual work. Occupations of these high ranks would be in the possession of men that were considered Gentlemen. In the Victorian Era, jobs of high skill or importance would qualify men to be a gentlemen. (Victorian Web.) David Cody, in “The Gentlemen” specifies that some of these jobs would be clergymen for the church, parliament members and army officers.
The nobility included people who inherited wealth. They were inclined in cultural endeavors like arts and music. Wealth in this group was transferred from generation to generation.
The second shift occurred on a larger scale by using larger pieces of land to produce crops rather than rely on smaller pieces of land, which was the more traditional way to farm (Woloch 141). Lastly, the English began to introduce new crops that helped raise livestock, which resulted in an increase in crop production (Woloch 141). By integrating livestock with each other, farmers would access more usable manure which helped them maintain a successful and innovative farm. “In short, the land would always be growing something of value,” according to Woloch (142). These innovations began in England, but eventually had an impact on the rest of Europe (141-142)
England, in the eighteenth century, was driven by class distinction and wealth. In the lower class there was always a desperate struggle to survive which contrasted to the life led by the upper class, socializing with people like themselves. The servant trade, made up by the lower class, allowed the upper class to live their desired life whilst constantly maintaining superiority based on their position in society.
The Elizabethan age was a very important time in the history of England. The time period is named after the queen who ruled England during this time, Queen Elizabeth I (Haigh). This time was a great time for the advancement of England, as they were ushered out of the Middle Ages, and into this new era. While there were many hardships, and plague was a common occurrence, the people lived a much more comfortable life than they ever had before (Jonson). Many great accomplishments were also achieved, including Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation around the world, which was only the second time it had ever been done, and the victory of the British navy over the Spanish Armada (Haigh). Another one of the things that affected the Elizabethan age so greatly was the theater.