The Marriage And Family Of Nobility In The Age Of Elizabeth Ⅰ

The nobility is an important part of the age of Elizabeth I . The rise and fall of the English nobility has always been the very concern of the academic circles.The thesis intends to examine the English nobility of the Elizabeth I as a whole. presenting the scenes of noble life. exerting every means to ensure an accurate evaluation of the status and functions of the English nobility in the period.The nobility is a social stratum specially defined in law. In England, the nobility refers to those noblemen in the House of Lords. The English nobility with its full meaning in law eventually came into being in the sixteenth century. Title and privilege are the two prerequisites distinguishing the nobility from the rest strata of English society and also the two symbols of noble identity.In this period, many changes took place in the family and marriage life of the English nobility. However, these changes were rather slow paced. Patriarchy and primogeniture still defined the noble family life, while the notion of family origin, parental supremacy in marriage and endogamy controlled the noble marital life. The contend and means of education became drastically different from the chivalry education in the Middle Age. Whether family and marriage life or culture and education, they all reflect the way of noble life and represents the social features of the nobility. The nobility assumed a stable and important position in English in the Elizabeth I .