Queen Elizabeth 1 Research Paper

“Are not these my brave men, brave shoemakers, all gentleman of the gentle craft? Prince am I none, yet I am nobly born, as being the sole son of a shoemaker.” -Thomas Dekker, the shoes maker’s . Holliday, 1599 (Kathryn Hinds, 33) Elizabeth I was the long-ruling queen of England, governing with relative stability and prosperity for 44 years. The Elizabethan era is named for her. Queen Elizabeth I was born on the September 7, 1533 in Greenwich England. She was a princess but declared illegitimate through political machinations. She eventually claimed the thrones at the age of 25 and help it for 44 years, keeping England in the ascendant through wars, and political and religious turmoil. She died in 1603. The Elizabethan era is the period

The population rose significantly during her reign, to about 4.1 million. Many people lived in the countryside, but in the sixteenth century, the town population grew at a greater rate. (Ic.galegroup.com, Shelly Monson, July 11, 2006) Prior to the Elizabethan times, only about 5 percent of the population lived in cities and towns, but during her reign, about 15 percent of the rapidly growing population had become urban. As businesses and industries developed, a new middle consisting of successful merchant and craftsman arose. These businesspeople thrived on the cities and often served in the urban government. During Elizabethan Reign as never before, it was possible for city merchants to become extremely wealthy and rise to social status. Among farm laborers, craftspeople, and families were viewed as working units. (Ic.galegroup.com, Shelly Monson, July 11, 2006) Each member of the family had a task. On a farm, a young boy might be in charge of showing birds away from the crops, an older boy might herd sheep, and the wife was in charge of maintaining the home, feeding the family. (Ic.galegroup.com, Shelly Monson, July 11,

For lower in rank are day laborers, servants, and all artificers, as tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, brickmakers, etc. These have neither voice nor authority in the Commonwealth, but are to be ruled and not to rule other; yet they are not altogether, neglected, for in cities and corporations’ towns. (Kathryn Hinds 33-34) People speak of merchants becoming gentleman and gentleman becoming merchants, but most men remained in the class they were born into. Still, a combination of hard work and good luck offered the possibility of rising in wealth and, sometimes, in rank as well. Nearly every young craftsman in London had the potential to eventually reach the top position in a livery company. The off real organization for workers in his trade. (Kathryn Hinds,