1. SOCIAL ISSUES DURING THE ELIZABETHAN PERIOD
During the 16th Century the main problem of the so-called Elizabethan period
was poverty.
This was caused by an increase in the population because of a rise in
the birth rate and a decrease in the death one; the number of inhabitants in
Elizabethan England rose from 3 to 4 million. That huge number of people
provoked financial problems that people weren’t able to handle. Also, the
country was affected by poor harvests, which entailed a limited supply of food.
The resulting rise in food prices led, in some cases, to starvation amongst those
who could not afford to pay.
Many people became homeless because there was neither money nor
food, since the resources available in the country had to be distributed among a
bigger number of inhabitants. Many people became unemployed and the
number of beggars in the streets increased.
Queen Elizabeth and the English Parliament tried to find a solution to this
problem, and a series of laws was introduced, culminating in the 1601 Poor
Law. Views on the poor changed throughout this period beginning with a harsh
attitude toward the poor that later changed into a more compassionate
approach, since measures such as burning the ears of the homeless to mark
them and send them to prison afterwards led to social disorder. Therefore, the
Queen tried to solve the problem with the afore-mentioned laws, which imposed
taxes on all citizens in order to ease poverty, since it was a widespread
problem.
In the last years of his rule, Henry VIII, Elizabeth’s predecessor, debased
coinage, which means that the amount of gold and silver in coins was reduced.
In 1560 Elizabeth's government tried to solve this problem by replacing all
debased coins with new ones, thus restoring the country's currency to its proper
levels. This move served to combat the problem of inflation in the early years of
her reign.
Another significant problem in Elizabethan England was religion. The two
major religions during this period were the Catholic and Protestant ones. The
2. convictions and beliefs in these different religions were so strong that they led to
the executions of many adherents to both of these Elizabethan religions.
In spite of all these social problems, Queen Elizabeth was a wise woman
who was determined to turn England into a powerful empire. Therefore, she
fought to bring peace and prosperity to the country and put an end to the
disputes between Protestants and Catholics. That is why the Elizabethan Era is
also remembered as a period of great splendour which gave rise to magnificent
artists such as Shakespeare.
