Hunting in Elizabethan Times
Hunting was very important to the people of the Elizabethan era. However, hunting, also known to Elizabethans as "the art of venery," was not something to be enjoyed by everyone. Most often, only the upper class could take advantage of hunting. They mainly hunted boar and a few species of deer. These noblemen hunted to show their status in society, to practice for war, and for the dietary nutrients of meat.One of the main reasons venery was important to the upper class is that it showed superiority over the commoners. Hunting for sport was restricted to the upper classes for the most part simply because of the incredible costs needed to hunt. The crossbows and longbows that were often used certainly were not cheap. Some noblemen even used guns, which were much more expensive. Decent horses added to the cost along with the food they ate, the stables in which to keep them, and the equipment necessary to ride them. Proper hunting required several good hunting dogs, as each team typically had two to five dogs. The best dogs, mastiffs, alaunts, and lymers, could be exceedingly costly. The dogs had to be fed and sheltered, too. Servants were needed to take care of the dogs and horses and they also n
eeded housing. If a nobleman especially wanted to flaunt his status, he could participate in a technique called "conspicuous consumption," meaning he would get large amounts of only the finest dog, horses, and imported guns to show to the commoners and his peers in the upper class that he could afford the best. Additionally, noblemen utilized hunting as a means of showing their incredible bravery and horsemanship to their friends. Venery was considered to be fashionable because it was a favorite sport of royalty. Queen Elizabeth I herself loved to hunt and it was said that even at sixty-seven years old she hunted for hours with her crossbow every other day. Of course, all the noblemen wanted to emulate what the Queen thought was fashionable. On one occasion, Elizabeth was invited on a hunting trip with James I, during which she accidentally shot and killed his best hunting dog. The Archbishop of Canterbury also hunted from time to time and he, too, took a hunting trip with James I. The Archbishop was apparently not as good as the Queen because he accidentally shot a servant. There were many royal forests which acted as hunting preserves and a nobleman could increase his prestige further by receiving an invitation to hunt on
Some common words found in the essay are:
James Archbishop, Sport Hunting, Consequently Elizabethan, Queen Elizabeth, upper class, Archbishop Canterbury, hunting trip james, hunting trip, trip james, accidentally shot,
Approximate Word count = 835
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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