AQA · A-Level · History
Course version: 7042 · Version from Sept 2017
England, 1485–1603 – The triumph of Elizabeth, 1563–1603 (A-level only):…
Full specification wording
1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603 – The triumph of Elizabeth, 1563–1603 (A-level only): Economic development: trade, exploration and colonisation; prosperity and depression
Elizabethan economic development featured a stark contrast between expanding global horizons and domestic instability.
Checked against the AQA 7042 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 4 of 6
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Elizabethan economic development featured a stark contrast between expanding global horizons and domestic instability. Trade diversified as joint-stock ventures like the Levant Company sought new markets beyond traditional European routes. This era witnessed pioneering exploration and early attempts at colonisation, notably Walter Raleigh’s failed Roanoke settlement, laying the groundwork for future empire. However, domestic prosperity was highly uneven. While the gentry and merchant classes enjoyed increased wealth, building grand prodigy houses, the lower classes suffered severe depression. The 1590s brought consecutive harvest failures, rampant inflation, and declining real wages, demonstrating that economic development brought prosperity to a privileged few while plunging many into poverty.
What earns the marks
- Analyse the diversification of trade, including the establishment of new trading companies to bypass Spanish and Portuguese monopolies.
- Evaluate the motivations and outcomes of exploration and colonisation, assessing the achievements of figures like Drake and Raleigh.
- Assess the evidence for economic prosperity, focusing on the rising living standards, agricultural improvements, and architectural boom among the gentry.
- Examine the causes and impacts of economic depression, particularly the devastating effects of inflation, population growth, and the harvest failures of the 1590s on the labouring poor.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Claiming that Elizabethan exploration led to a massive, immediate influx of colonial wealth.
Put it right: Clarify that early colonisation attempts like Roanoke failed, and significant colonial wealth was not realised until the Stuart era.
Describing the Elizabethan period as a 'Golden Age' of universal prosperity.
Put it right: Contrast the growing wealth of the upper classes with the declining real wages and severe depression experienced by the lower classes, especially in the 1590s.
Confusing the different trading companies and their regions.
Put it right: Accurately distinguish between the Muscovy Company (Russia), Levant Company (Mediterranean), and East India Company (Asia).
Exam tips
- Contrast the economic experiences of different social classes to build a nuanced argument about prosperity and depression.
- Use specific examples of trading companies to demonstrate the shift away from the traditional Antwerp cloth trade.
- Link economic depression in the 1590s directly to the social discontent and Poor Law legislation of the same decade.
Try the lesson
The start of the 1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603 – The triumph of Elizabeth, 1563–1603 (A-level only): Economic development: trade, exploration and colonisation; prosperity and depression lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which of the following was the primary objective of Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions to North America in the 1580s?
Listen
Elizabethan economic development featured a stark contrast between expanding global horizons and domestic instability. Trade diversified as joint-stock ventures like the Levant Company sought new markets beyond traditional European routes. This era witnessed pioneering exploration and early attempts at colonisation, notably Walter Raleigh’s failed Roanoke settlement, laying the groundwork for future empire. However, domestic prosperity was highly uneven. While the gentry and merchant classes enjoyed increased wealth, building grand prodigy houses, the lower classes suffered severe depression. The 1590s brought consecutive harvest failures, rampant inflation, and declining real wages, demonstrating that economic development brought prosperity to a privileged few while plunging many into poverty. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Analyse the diversification of trade, including the establishment of new trading companies to bypass Spanish and Portuguese monopolies. Evaluate the motivations and outcomes of exploration and colonisation, assessing the achievements of figures like Drake and Raleigh. Assess the evidence for economic prosperity, focusing on the rising living standards, agricultural improvements, and architectural boom among the gentry. Examine the causes and impacts of economic depression, particularly the devastating effects of inflation, population growth, and the harvest failures of the 1590s on the labouring poor. A common slip: Claiming that Elizabethan exploration led to a massive, immediate influx of colonial wealth. Instead, Clarify that early colonisation attempts like Roanoke failed, and significant colonial wealth was not realised until the Stuart era. Exam tip: Contrast the economic experiences of different social classes to build a nuanced argument about prosperity and depression.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Globalisation and trade expansion
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Socio-economic inequality
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Demographic pressures
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Government economic policy
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See every definition
- Globalisation and trade expansion
- Trade diversified as joint-stock ventures like the Levant Company sought new markets beyond traditional European routes.
- Socio-economic inequality
- Economic development brought prosperity to a privileged few while plunging many into poverty, as the gentry and merchant classes enjoyed increased wealth while the lower classes suffered severe depression.
- Demographic pressures
- Population growth is examined as a cause and impact of economic depression, particularly its devastating effects on the labouring poor.
- Government economic policy
- Poor Law legislation of the same decade is linked directly to the social discontent caused by economic depression in the 1590s.
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