Expert: Joseph Logue - 5/20/2009

Question
I am a high school student trying to write a research paper on currency and poverty in the Elizabethan era. I have a few questions like:  What were the general social classes in that time period?  Who made the most money?  Why did the people go into an economic crisis?    If you could please answer these questions for me I would greatly appreciate it and if you could give me any other general information on my topic that would be great too.

Thanks,
Christian

Answer
Hello Christian,

The social classes consisted of the Royal Family, the nobility, the tradesmen, the farmers, and the peasants.  The most money was earned by the nobility in the form of rents on their lands and the proceeds of sales of their output.  Economic crisis was most severe in the 1590s when England suffered a severe drought.

Keep in mind that people did not go to "jobs" as we understand them today.  In the great cities (London and Manchester) industry had not yet appeared, so farmers and peasants lived on what they could take from the ground (which is why the drought was so devastating).  The Royal Family and the nobility had all the money; there was some to be found in trade, but those men -- and some women -- would have to wait until the 17th century to see their fortunes expand with the beginning of worldwide trade.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue