New
New
Year 8

The problem of poverty in Tudor England

I can explain why poverty became a 'problem' in Elizabethan England.

New
New
Year 8

The problem of poverty in Tudor England

I can explain why poverty became a 'problem' in Elizabethan England.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Tudor period saw great advances which were not equally enjoyed by the rich and poor.
  2. Poverty became a greater political issue in the late 16th century.
  3. The 1590s saw a series of bad harvests which accelerated levels of poverty.
  4. The Elizabethan elite were worried that rebellions fuelled by poverty might spring up.

Keywords

  • Poverty - poverty is the state of being extremely poor

  • Monasteries - monasteries are buildings occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows

  • Rebellion - a rebellion is an act of armed resistance against a government or leader

Common misconception

The government is there to help people when they are in need.

Throughout much of history, governments have regularly failed to support the most vulnerable in society, as many of them did not see that as their function.

After explaining what a Golden Age is, ask students to write down what they would and would not expect to see during a time like this. Draw out responses that consider the health and wellbeing of the people and discuss whether good health is a necessary requirement of a Golden Age.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words with their definitions.
Correct Answer:depiction,a representation of someone or something in words or pictures.

a representation of someone or something in words or pictures.

Correct Answer:symbolism,the use of objects or pictures to represent ideas or qualities.

the use of objects or pictures to represent ideas or qualities.

Correct Answer:interpretation,an historian’s opinion about past events.

an historian’s opinion about past events.

Q2.
What were royal progresses?
Correct answer: the journeys that Elizabeth and her court made from one stately home to another
when Elizabeth won in a negotiation with another country
Elizabeth's accumulation of weath
Q3.
Whose right hand did Elizabeth I have chopped off in 1579?
Correct answer: John Stubbs
the French Catholic Duke of Anjou
John Foxe
Edmund Spense
Q4.
The name given to the rousing speech that Elizabeth I gave in 1601 which increase her support was the .
Correct Answer: Golden Speech, golden speech
Q5.
Which of the following are examples of historians interpretations of Elizabeth I?
Correct answer: She is one of England’s greatest rulers.
Correct answer: William Cecil, Lord Burghley, was the real power behind the throne.
Correct answer: She was merely a lucky queen who hated making decisions and so often didn’t.
Q6.
Elizabeth's portraits often contained to represent a particular message that she wanted to convey to her subjects.
Correct Answer: symbols, Symbols, a symbol

6 Questions

Q1.
are buildings occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows.
Correct Answer: Monasteries, monasteries
Q2.
This keyword is an act of armed resistance against a government or leader.
Correct Answer: rebellion, Rebellion
Q3.
The closure of which buildings removed a valuable safety net for England’s poorest and most vulnerable?
Correct answer: the monasteries
the schools
the hospitals
Q4.
Which of the following factors contributed to the increase in poverty in the Tudor period?
Correct answer: the dissolution of the monasteries
more cow farming reduced the need for farm workers
Correct answer: crops failed for four years in a row during the 1590s
Correct answer: more sheep farming reduced the need for farm workers
Q5.
What is rack-renting?
a phrase that describes increased competition for jobs
when soldiers were left unemployed
Correct answer: when landlords increased rents to unaffordable prices
Q6.
Which of the following statements accurately describes the impact of poverty in Tudor England. Select all of the correct statements.
Correct answer: Many people were forced into begging.
Correct answer: Many people moved to the towns from the countryside.
Correct answer: England introduced some laws to try and help the most vulnerable.
The government intervened and resolved the impact of poverty.

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