What was important about the gentry in Elizabethan times?

2 years ago

2 minutes

The gentry were the backbone of Elizabethan England. They went to Parliament and served as justices of the Peace. They combined the wealth of the nobility with the energy of the sturdy peasants from whom they had sprung.

What was important about the rise of the gentry in Elizabethan times?

The rise of the gentry changed Elizabethan society by:

The rise of the gentry was a key factor in establishing the Elizabethan Golden Age. The Gentry were important landowners in Elizabethan England. They lived in comfortable houses with servants and dominated the House of Commons in Parliament.

What did the gentry do?

They owned and ran plantations or large farms, owning slaves, controlling the contracts of indentured servants, and renting land to tenant farmers. Ultimately, the gentry had the responsibilities of patriarchs, with the lives of many relying on their decisions and planning.

What does gentry mean in Elizabethan England?

The gentry were knights, squires, gentlemen and gentlewomen whose fortunes were great enough that they did not have to work with their hands for a living. Their numbers grew rapidly, and became the most important class during Elizabethan time.

What were the lives of the gentry like?

Land – the Elizabethan gentry gained their wealth from their land. About two percent of the population were gentlemen and they owned over half the land in England at the time. The rents from their estates meant that the gentry did not have to work and they were free to enjoy leisure pursuits such as hunting.

What is gentry history?

Gentry (from Old French genterie, from gentil, “high-born, noble”) are “well-born, genteel and well-bred people” of high social class, especially in the past.