History!! Please help.

Explain why there was an increase in poverty during Elizabeth’s reign from 1558-1588.
You may use the following in your answer:
- There was a series of poor harvests in the early 1570.
- Henry VII closed the monasteries down. 12 marks






Poverty dramatically increased during Elizabeth’s reign due to rapid population growth, rising prices and poor harvests that featured in the early 1570s. England’s numbers rose by 35% during Elizabeth’s reign. As England’s population rose, prices were rising. It caused more demand for food, an increase in demand for land and jobs, making prices rise, thus causing wages to fall. Wages fell as more people were needing work, therefore, labour became cheaper. It was a huge problem for people living in towns and cities, as many could not afford food and rent prices rose, leading to more people left wandering the streets and starving.
Secondly, poor harvests increased poverty as population growth was increasing at a faster rate than food production. Furthermore, this led to an increase in pricing for grain particularly. 80% of poor people’s income was spent on bread, conveying that as a result, more and more people had fallen into poverty.



Can someone please help with this question? I've talked about rising prices and population growth as well as poor harvests.