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England 1558–1603

Population, prices and the Elizabethan economy

  • 3 things to know
  • A2 Unit 2

Overview

Three causes of the Tudor price rise, new draperies and three industries that expanded in Elizabethan England.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What happened to prices and real wages under Elizabeth I?

Key term

What did the recoinage of 1560–61 do?

Key term

Name three industries that expanded in Elizabethan England.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How did England's population change during the sixteenth century?

    Model answer

    England's population rose from roughly three million in the 1550s to over four million by 1600, recovering ground lost since the Black Death.

  2. 2

    What happened to prices and real wages under Elizabeth I?

    Model answer

    Food prices rose far faster than money wages, so the real earnings of a labourer fell sharply and the poorest households spent almost everything they had on bread.

  3. 3

    Name three causes of the Tudor price rise.

    Model answer

    The price rise was driven by population growth outrunning food supply, by the legacy of the debasement of the coinage, and by harvest failure, with an inflow of American silver adding to the pressure.

  4. 4

    What did the recoinage of 1560–61 do?

    Model answer

    The Crown called in the debased coin and reissued money of proper fineness under the direction of Sir Thomas Gresham, which restored confidence in English currency and helped foreign trade, though it did not stop prices rising.

  5. 5

    What was enclosure, and why was it resented?

    Model answer

    Enclosure was the hedging of open fields or common land into separate holdings, often to convert arable land to sheep pasture, and it was resented because it took away common rights and needed fewer workers.

  6. 6

    What happened to the harvests in the mid-1590s?

    Model answer

    Four successive harvests failed between 1594 and 1597, grain prices reached the highest levels of the century, and there was real famine in parts of the north as well as widespread disorder.

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