OCR History A Level Tudors 3 Rebellions Summary

TUDOR REBELLIONS
Pilgrimage of Grace 1536 – 40,000 rebels
Lincolnshire Rising – 10,000
Pilgrimage of Grace
Sir Bigod’s revolt and Cumberland Rising

Causes
Religious Causes
 9/24 demands religious and top of list so was primary concern
 Demands attacked recent changes: abolition of holy day and saints’ day -
>wanted them back
 Attacked taxes on baptism, burials and marriages – claimed the poorer
parts of society couldn’t afford
 Attacked reformist bishops like Thomas Cramner and European reformers
and Martin Bucer
 Rising was soon after smaller monasteries closed
 Lincolnshire rising was centred around where monasteries had closed
 Symbols of the rising: banner had the 5 wounds of Christ, Pilgrims ballad
and oath contained a strong religious message that they were undertaking
the pilgrimage in the name of Christ
 Rumours of further religious changes like the closure of parish churches
Political Causes:
 Percy lost influence in North
 Court factions: Argonese faction been defeated in court and parliament
following the fall of Catherine and break from Rome – 1529
 Tried to regain influence
 Henry’s centralising policy meant that they lost influence and angered
some
 Men involved in the rebellion who had lost out because of this policy like
Hussey and Darcy
 North excluded from key decision making so rebels asked for a parliament
in the North
 Clifford family who done well in the reorganisation remained loyal to the
King.
 Traditional advisers of the King replaced by men like Cranmer, Cromwell
and Richard Rich -> all attacked in the pilgrim’s ballad
 Rebels asked for the restoration of Mary to the line of succession
 Treason act, heresy act, royal supremacy all clear work of Cromwell
 Nobles resentful of positions of Cromwell and Anne Boleyn
 Organised NOT spontaneous
Economic Causes:
 1534 Subsidy Act attempted to raise money during peace time but this
was during a time of poverty

,  Poor harvests of 1535,36
 Complained about enclosure which was a problem in heavily populated
areas like the Lake District and West Riding of Yorkshire
 Complained about entry fines
 Rumours of new taxes on sheep and cattle
 Opposition to statute of uses – inheritance tax
What was Elton’s argument?
Court factions were the main causes particularly the Argonese faction
What was Dickens argument?
Protest of Catholic society against the Reformation
What was John’s Guy’s argument?
Political motives – the lesser nobility and gentry felt that they hadn’t been
consulted over changes
What was Haigh’s argument?
Religion as main cause.

Nature
Court factions
 Nobility and gentry involved has clear motives
 Nobles resentful of positions of Cromwell and Anne Boleyn
 Hussey and Darcy key role
 Hussey had been Mary’s Chamberlain and lost office; his wife has been
imprisoned for influencing Mary to reject supremacy
 Centralising policy had undermined positions in the north – outsiders like
Duke of Suffolk had been given large amount of land in Lincolnshire
Rebellion of the gentry
 Not spontaneous
 Only gentry had connections and ability to organise a rebellion of such a
large scale
 Demands of gentry: statute of uses, names of heretics only they would
have known – Rastall
Argument that it wasn’t a rebellion of the gentry
 They argued that they were coerced into joining as families with property
were threatened
 9 host armies began as protest of the people – series of interconnected
regional revolts -> BUSH
 For the commonwealth
 Gentry like Hussey didn’t have influence in local society to raise such
numbers
 Once the gentry were forced to join they tried to control and prevent it
from being violent