8-1ClassDistinctions

What were Class Distinctions in Elizabethan England? //Answer prepared by Jack C.//  According to __The Age of Shakespeare__, in Elizabethan England social classes were distinguished in different ways than today. Social classes were divided up into nobility, knights, and gentlemen as the upper class. Citizens held the middle class. And below this is the laborers, servants and artisans. Each section of the class has strict guidelines and everyone in these groups is in their class for a reason. Also, in __Life in Elizabethan England: the Countryside__ peasants were a very low class and lived a hard life working under others with very little power.

The highest class, nobility, knights and gentlemen, are all wealthy landowners and people born into high society. The nobility is automatically in the upper class as a Birthright, knights earn their position through some sort of accomplishment, and gentlemen are men who own land and are considered wealthy among the other people of society.The next class which comprises of citizens is reserved for all free men, men who were not in debt and not slaves/servants, of the city who usually hold educated positions but are not wealthy enough to be considered gentlemen. Another defining aspect of this class is that all in this class are able to hold a public office, unlike the class lower. One example of men in this class are merchants, educated members of society who are not wealthy enough to be considered gentlemen. According to __Life in Elizabethan England: the City__ the final and lowest class is that of the servants and workmen. These people are men who do not have the ability to hold office in the government and do not have land. Typically these men are very poor and have slim to no education. The lower class was the largest in Elizabethan England and took up the most space in the slums of the cities. As you can see classes were much more definitely defined in Elizabethan England than today and many things in society were also far different than today. Works Cited Hinds, Kathryn. __Life in Elizabethan England: The Countryside__. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2008. Hinds, Kathryn. __Life in Elizabethan England: The City__. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2008. Laroque, Francois. __The Age of Shakespeare__. Abrams, NY: Discoveries, 