The Early Modern Age – The Age of England/Britain

• The Early Modern Age was in many ways the age of the rise of England• By the time Elizabeth

I died in 1603, England had established itself as the world’s elite maritime power

The Rise and Fall of Spain• Prior to England’s

rise, Spain was the world’s number one maritime power• Spain had a

formidable navy and was expanding its reach in both Europe and the rest of the world

Spain, Flexing its Muscles• King Philip II of Spain tried to

force English Queen Elizabeth I to marry him

• This would had a twofold purpose:

• 1. It would force England to become Catholic again

• 2. It would reinforce Spain’s claim, which already controlled Belgium and Holland, as the Europe’s number one power

England Sends to Spanish Armada in 1588

• When Elizabeth refused to submit to Phillip’s marriage request, Spain sent a massive fleet to conquer England

• This was a David versus Goliath match

• The English navy was small and not well organized

• In fact it was little more than number of privateers and pirates loosely led by Sir Francis Drake

A Miracle on Water• Miraculously England would

defeat the mighty Spanish Armada

• The smaller English ships had a slight advantage in that they were more maneuverable against massive Spanish ships

• The key reason, however, why England would win had to do with mother nature

• A great storm destroyed a considerable part of the Spanish fleet

• This signaled the decline of Spanish naval supremacy

England controls the high seas• After the defeat of the Spanish

Armada, England would become the world’s number one colonizing nation• Control of the high seas meant

control of overseas trade• Trade would make England a

powerful nation• Population soars• Business and agriculture

expand• Middle class merchants and

manufacturers reap great rewards

English Societal Problems

• Yet in spite of its greatness, England was not without its own internal problems• Big economic divisions between the classes

existed• The wealth that England gained was not equally

distributed• There was a great divide between the rich and

the poor

Upper Class• Barons and Earls• Noble birth and

lineage• King’s advisors,

members of the House of Lords, and upper clergy• Land rich aristocracy• Lived in fine country

homes and estates

Upper Middle Class• Now fabulously

wealthy and challenging the upper class in wealth and power• Bankers, shipbuilders,

developers, rich merchant traders• Lacking noble lineage

but able to purchase noble status

Lower Middle Class• Skilled tradesmen, shop

keepers and minor merchants

• Members of guilds• Not rich, but able to

achieve a decent standard of living

• Soon would be organizing themselves into labor unions

• Would be able to bargain affectively because they possessed marketable skills

Lower Classes• Ordinary unskilled laborers• Would eventually form

labor unions as well but lacked the leverage of skilled workers because a lack of marketable skills

• Many could only find temporary or seasonal work

• Agricultural workers tended to be even worse off

• Devastatingly poor

What the poor ate

• Bread• Water • Oats• Mush• Beer• Meat was far too

expensive for the poor to afford

What the Rich Ate

• Enormous quantities of meat• Prior to refrigeration• Meat was heavily salted

and spiced to cover up bad smell and rotten status

Henry I• Died from food

poisoning• Was said to have

gorged himself on lampreys (eels)

King Adolf Frederick• King of Sweden• Died in 1771 , after

having consumed a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, kippers and champagne, which was topped off with 14 servings of his favorite dessert, semla, served in a bowl of hot milk.’’

What about Fruits and Vegetables?

• Either not popular or not available• People were not aware

that these types of foods were good for them• Vegetables, when eaten,

were usually in mush and overcooked to the point where most of the valuable nutrients were lost

New Products from the Colonies

• Pineapples• Bananas• Watermelon• Corn• Potatoes• Coffee• Tea• Chocolate

Tobacco• Non-agricultural crop• Imported from

America• Became very

fashionable to smoke• People were

unaware of the health risks

The Evolution of Tobacco Usage

• Not that long ago it was not uncommon to see pregnant women smoking or even drinking for that matter

• During WWI and II, most soldiers smoked and were given an allotment of cigarettes each day

• In 1960, a pack of cigarettes cost 35 cents. Today - $10.00 or more

• Tobacco was very cheap and readily available

• Smokers smoked when they wanted and where they wanted to

Smoking today• Today, about 14% of British

Columbians smoke• There are more and more

areas where it is illegal to smoke

• Recently, a former B.C. Minister of Health, Mike de Jong, speculated about the possibility of making smokers pay higher MSP premiums because of the burden they place on our health care system?

Should we maker Smokers Pay?

• Is it fair to single out smokers?•What about people who eat unhealthy

foods?•What about people who abuse alcohol and

drugs?• How would you administer the penalty?