Childhood During the English Renaissance

Childhood During the English Renaissance In the 16th century, the English life style was dramatically affected by the renaissance. Because more than half of England's population was under 25 years of age, children were a primary focus in life. The form and quality of a child's education varied according to the economic and social status of the family, sex of the child, the expectations of their parents, and the availability of the schooling. At age seven, children were thought to be capable of being instructed. Childhood was also thought to begin at age seven and end at age fourteen. Children under seven years of age were still considered infants and were under the complete care of women. ("Encyclopedia" 417) In some cases, children under fourteen were able to commit adult crimes. On the other side of the legal system, however, some young men were forced to bear arms as young as nine years old. In the 16th century, children did not become adults when they reached a certain age. Adulthood only came when a child's father went before a judge and legally granted his child their independence. (Malvasi "Renaissance") A father would normally do this when his child was in their early teens to their late twenties. In some cases, boys were emancipated as young as nine years of age. ("Encyclopedia" 417) It was not uncommon for families to have twelve to fifteen children. In rich households, many servants did all of the housework. In poor households, children took care of all of the chores. (Marzalek "Life") Normally, the older children took part in watching the younger children. The rest of the daily chores were split evenly among all of the children. Because there were not any super markets in this time period, all meals had to be prepared from scratch. Normally this was the girls' job. Young women also helped their mothers with the needlework. (Marzalek "Life") They created blankets, mattresses, pillow cases, and the family's clothing. The young men of the