The Political, Social and Economic History of London/England

Politics England was still, in many ways, a feudal society. Elizabeth Tudor was Elizabeth I of England. She was known by three names the Virgin Queen (she never married), Gloriana or Good Queen Bess. Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII. Henry had six wives (not all at the same time!) and three children. After Henry died his son Edward reigned for 6 years. He died at age 15.

Politics cont. He was succeeded by Mary who tried to convert the whole country back to Catholicism. She married the King of Spain who was also Catholic. They failed to produce any children. After Mary died Elizabeth became Queen, even though she had previously been declared illegitimate! She consolidated England’s position as a world power with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in She reigned for 45 years, re-established the Protestant Religion and brought stability to England.

Society Population growth –Concentration of urban population. People were moving to urban areas in search of work. –London’s population grew 400% during the 1500s, swelling to nearly 200,000 people in the city proper. Education –Re-discovery of the “classics” –Increased literacy rates –Growing middle class meant that people who would have not previously been educated had more opportunities.

Exploration –Expansion of the known world; explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Marc Polo set out to discover the new world. –They sailed the world and returned with stories of strange and wonderful places, food, inventions and ideas that fed the already growing passion for new and interesting things. Arts and Culture –Revolution in thinking. Art began to focus on the human experience, the internal conflicts in humanity and the way we see ourselves in the universe. –The wealthy men of England became the patrons of writers and architects, which enabled art and literature to thrive. –The invention of the printing press allowed mass publication. –Money was spent of theatre and museums, which enabled the appreciation of these works by a much larger audience.

Ideas and Inventions During the Renaissance people developed different views of the world and found new ways to express themselves. The Renaissance thinkers changed the world. They invented/made developments in: Human Operations; The Microscope; The Submarine; The Theory of Matter; Spectacles; The Flush Toilet; The Printing Press; Hand grenades; Wallpaper; Theory of Flight; Observation of Red Blood Cells; The Lead Pencil; Clocks; The Calculator; The Theory that Diseases come from Outside the Body into the Body.

Economy –Rising Middle class –Shift toward mercantilism –Increased social mobility –The economy was booming –Extravagant upper class –However, the majority of the population were peasants and eked out a day to day existence udweb/middle/Lessons/Shakesphere/Im ages/cloths2.gif

The Geography of London at the Time The city of London was said to stretch from ‘Tower to Temple’ – from the Tower of London in the east, to the Temple Bar about a mile away in the west. It was bordered to the north about two miles long, and to the south by the River Thames. Beyond these boundaries were London’s suburbs, areas outside the strict control of the City authorities. Most of the theatres were therefore built of the South Bank of the Thames (among the prisons, brothels and bear pits) so they could be free from the restrictions of the city regulations. Theatre was also not considered to be very respectful so they often in the rougher parts of town.

The Geography of London at the Time

References mpedium/map-london.html Claybourne, A & Treays, R; ‘The World of Shakespeare’ Ryan, Jo; ‘Introduction to Shakespeare’