Everyday life in the English Absolutist Era during the 16th and 17th centuries was marked by difficulties in the control of contagious diseases, climate catastrophes and food shortages for the population. The bubonic plague during the Stuart rule took the lives of thousands of Englishmen who did not have hospital help to contain the disease. Furthermore, wars also contributed a lot to the index of people without housing and without food. These situations portrayed the serious social problems of that period.
Another big problem was the absence of public toilets which contributed to the proliferation of dirt and disease in British society. The houses did not have sewage systems and human feces were thrown into the streets, further increasing the lack of hygiene and the possibility of major epidemics. The first sanitary investments for the English population only took place after the 18th century.
Resistance to bathing also represented the population's lack of hygiene, as many people influenced by religious issues said that the body was linked to sin and, therefore, it should not be exposed. Water was also interpreted as a problem in the popular imagination of individuals who believed that, by infiltrating the person's body, it weakened the organs. In addition to resistance, the full-body bath was performed in parts, first washing the face and head, then the torso and, finally, washing the legs and feet. The lack of hygiene was also seen in meals that were taken without the use of forks until the reign of Elizabeth I.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
Therefore, the daily life of the English during the absolutist period was surrounded by social problems regarding hygiene. The customs and culture of the time contributed for serious diseases to spread throughout the country, taking the lives of many people. These problems in relation to health infrastructure were only resolved in the mid-18th century, when, for example, Alexander Cumming registered the patent of a toilet created centuries earlier by the Englishman Henry Harrington, in 1589, quickly developing this product in England.
By Fabricio Santos
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SANTOS, Fabrício Barroso dos. "The English Everyday Life in the Absolutist Era"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/a-vida-cotidiana-inglesa-na-era-absolutista.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
General history
Absolutism, Absolutist States, National Monarchies, Absolutist Monarchies, Modern Age, Renaissance, bourgeoisie mercantile, feudal barriers, national symbols, unification of territories, Hundred Years War, War of Reconquest, theory absolute
