Merchants The merchant class went up in popularity after the Wars of the Roses. Merchants made good profit shipping from England to various other European countries. Many merchants also made a good profit importing things from other countries, of which they could then gain a monopoly on all imported goods.
Class Structure in the Elizabethan Era
The Nobles
The Monarch
Connections with Romeo and Juliet
By: Michelle, John and Lauren
The monarch is definitely at the top of the class. The monarch is undoubtedly the highest you can get. During the time of the Elizabethans, Queen Elizabeth 1 was the monarch of England.
Nobility were the rich and powerful. The head of each noble family is a duke, a baron or an earl. Many nobles were also knights. The nobles have big, large houses. To become a noble, you have to either be born into a noble family, or receive a grant from the queen. The title of noble was passed on from father, to oldest son.
The Monarchy- Prince Escalus
The Nobles- Paris and Mercutio
The Gentry- Capulets and Montagues
The Yeomanry-Nurse, Friar Lawrence, Servants
The Laborers-Citizens of Verona
The Merchants
The Gentry
Gentry included knights, squires, gentlemen, and gentlewomen who did not work with their hands for a living. This class grew during Queen Elizabeth’s reign and it became the most important social class in England. You have to be very wealthy to be in this class, which was acquired from owning lots of land and becoming wealthy land owners. Gentry is kind of like a mix of being a noble and a peasant. They have the wealth of a noble, and the energy of a peasant.
The Yeomanry
The Yeomanry are all those who have enough money to live well, and comfortably, but if one little thing went wrong, they could plunge into poverty. The people in this class were the farmers, tradesmen, and craft workers. In some cases their wealth could exceed those who belong to the gentry class, but the difference was how they spent it. Yeoman’s were more content with living simpler and they put their wealth to good use to help them further in the future.
The Laborers
The laborers were the poorest class. They all worked with their hands, doing jobs such as artisans, carpenters, and even shop keepers that didn’t own their land. Some people in this class were beggars as well.