Elizabethan Society (AQA GCSE History)

What was England like in Elizabethan England? - Summary

Life in Elizabethan England varied significantly across social classes. For the peasants, daily existence was challenging. Their lives were marked by hard agricultural labour and poor living conditions. Their diets were poor, primarily consisting of bread, pottage and the occasional piece of meat, with seasonal variations impacting food availability. 

The nobility enjoyed a life of relative luxury and privilege. Their vast estates and wealth allowed for opulent lifestyles. This included grand feasts, elaborate clothing and patronage of the arts. They held significant political influence and often engaged in court life. 

The gentry, a class below the nobility, also experienced a comfortable life, though less extravagant. They owned smaller estates and were often involved in local government and trade. Education was valued among the gentry and many sought to maintain their social status through strategic marriages and purchasing land. 

Overall, the Elizabethan era was marked by a clear social structure and varying degrees of comfort and hardship.

What was the ‘Great Chain of Being’?

• Elizabethan society was based on the ‘Great Chain of Being’ 

• The ‘Great Chain of Being’ is a religious-based hierarchy as follows: 

  • God 

  • Angels 

  • Human beings 

  • Animals 

  • Plants 

• Elizabethan society created subsections for the human section which included: 

  • The monarch on top 

  • The nobility 

  • The gentry 

  • Peasants 

• These subsections in the Elizabethan times were seen as essential because they:

  • Enforced a social structure 

  • Prevented instability in England 

The nobility in Elizabethan England 

• The nobility were the most powerful, and often, wealthiest people in Elizabethan society

• Both Robert Dudley and Robert Devereux were members of the nobility  

• Being a member of the nobility had many benefits

The growth of the gentry in Elizabethan England

• The gentry was the second most powerful group in Elizabethan society

• Members of the gentry tended to be landlords in the countryside 

  • They lived off their tenants’ rents 

  • Their income depended upon the size of their land 

    • This could vary between £10 and £2,000 a year

• In the Elizabethan period, the gentry class was growing 

  • The growth of the gentry mainly occurred due to the increase in trade at the time 

  • Some members of the gentry were richer than the poorest nobles

• The members of the gentry could gain influence and power as they could become

  • Justices of the Peace (JPs)

  • Members of Parliament (MPs) 

  • Knights 

• There were many powerful and influential members of the gentry in court, and even in the Privy Council such as:

  • William Cecil 

  • Christopher Hatton 

  • Francis Walsingham