The Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution had long term causes that benefited and detrimented England,however, before this revolution, the end of the Elizabethan society brought drastic changes to the country. In the early 17th century, England contained about four million people.The population had doubled in the previous century, creating social and economic problems. The highest number of population lived in the southeast and along the coasts. Although population had doubled, English society remained  predominantly rural. Small market towns were settled in rural areas to facilitate local exchange. Certain cities were growing such as London, Norwich, and Bristol the biggest provincial cities with populations of around 15,000. 

 

The structure of the Elizabethan society was divided into the Peasantry, the Gentry, and the Nobility. The peasantry, consisted of cottars, tenant farmer, and the yeoman. The cottars were at the bottom of the social structure. They possessed nothing but the rented cottage they lived in and a small piece of land. Cottars used their skills carpentry or weaving to supplement the minimal income gained from their little piece of land. Above the cottar was the tenant farmer, who didnt held his land freely, instead, he rented it from a yeoman or from the countries aristocracy. Many tenant farmers, held a lease that guaranteed them tenancy of the land for many years. Tenant farmers and their families usually had sufficient food.  The yeoman stood right next the tenant farmer, was controlled through a perpetual lease. They worked the land (but they did not own it) with the plow and had tenants of their own. Yeoman were at the top of the village community and they could make their way into the gentry, however, many liked to stay where they were.  

 

The Gentry consisted of the elite people of the countryside. People in this category were either lords of a manor or gentlemen freeholders (tenants of a greater lord). The Gentry did no manual labor since they lived off the rents paid by their tenants. The most significant gentlemen were established as Justices of the Peace.  Below the Gentry were the knights. During this time period, knighthood had ended but their title was still considered important. Even though they were treated with respect, their status did not increase their income or their power.

 

The Nobles were part of the Gentry, however, they had to be born in it. They were educated to differ from their social inferiors and could not be imprisoned for debt or tortured. If Nobles committed a crime, they could not be hanged or abused. Most nobles inherited vast lands and possessed large amounts of income. There were specific degrees in the nobility: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. Although there were degrees, the real power was not derived from the land but from the amount of land they owned .

 

 

The plague that broke out in London killed a significant number of people. When England recovered from the disease, towns remained devastated and lower class people became insolvent. This passage from The Tempest, a play written by Shakespeare, describes the outbreak of the plague.

“But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter;

Or rather a disease that's in my flesh, Which I must needs call mine: thou art a boil,

A plague-sore, an embossed carbuncle, In my corrupted blood.”