OCR A-Level History Tudor rebellions: Causes - Political causes of rebellion

--- POLITICAL CAUSES OF REBELLION: OVERVIEW ---

What four political motivations most commonly drove Tudor rebellions?

Political rebels could be motivated by a desire to overthrow the dynasty, an intention to change the line of succession borne out of personal vengeance or ambition, a wish to remove evil advisers from power, or a reaction to government centralisation which threatened to destroy traditional ways of life.

How did political causes relate to other causes of Tudor rebellion?

Political causes were many and varied and although they changed over the course of the period, other causes and personal motives were frequently interwoven with them.

--- DYNASTIC ISSUES AND THE SUCCESSION ---

Why was Henry VII's dynastic position particularly vulnerable to challenge?

Henry VII had a weak claim to the throne, having gained it on the battlefield at Bosworth by defeating the Yorkist Richard III, meaning he was seen as a usurper whose presence on the throne suggested that another king could similarly be overthrown.

What were the political motivations behind the Lovel conspiracy of 1486?

Francis Viscount Lovel, a former Lord Chamberlain, and his Yorkist associates Humphrey and Thomas Stafford raised troops in 1486 with the aim of killing the king as he progressed north through England.

What political motivations lay behind the Lambert Simnel rebellion of 1487?

The Earl of Lincoln was politically ambitious and dissatisfied with his position at court, figures like Lovel and Margaret of Burgundy were diehard opponents of the regime, and Gerald Earl of Kildare and the Irish nobles who backed Simnel believed their interests would be best served by overthrowing the dynasty.

What was the basis of Perkin Warbeck's claim and who supported him?

Warbeck pretended to be the Duke of York, the younger of the two princes likely murdered by Richard III, and was backed by France, Burgundy and Scotland, each intent on weakening or removing Henry, with all foreign support evaporating after the challenge came to a head in September 1497.

Why did the Pilgrimage of Grace represent a dynastic threat to Henry VIII?

Henry's recent divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the disinheritance of his daughter Mary had alarmed northern nobles, who among many demands wanted Mary legitimised and restored to the line of succession and feared Henry might determine the succession by will rather than by parliament.

What dynastic concern motivated Northumberland's role in Edward VI's Devise of 1553?

Northumberland wished to hold on to power and led an armed uprising in July 1553 in favour of his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey, aiming to exclude Mary from the succession and prevent a reversal of the Protestant settlement.

What dynastic concerns motivated Wyatt's rebellion of 1554?

Wyatt feared the consequences of Mary's planned marriage to Philip of Spain and was particularly concerned about the possible exclusion of Princess Elizabeth from the throne, although the rebels never admitted to wanting to overthrow the queen.

What dynastic issue underpinned the Northern Earls' rebellion of 1569?

The earls wished to bring about Mary Queen of Scots' succession and cited the preservation of Elizabeth's person and the securing of the succession as their justification for rebellion, according to the Earl of Northumberland.

Why did Mary Queen of Scots' claim make the succession question so dangerous under Elizabeth?

As long as Elizabeth remained unmarried and childless the succession was in doubt, and the rebellious earls wished to bring about Mary's succession, denying treason but asserting they were the queen's most true and lawful subjects.

What was the dynastic aim of the Earl of Essex's rebellion in 1601?

Essex denied wishing to harm the queen but sought to endear himself to James VI of Scotland, and if he could persuade the queen to dismiss her advisers and replace them with councillors sympathetic to a Scottish succession he would be rewarded as the kingmaker.

--- EVIL COUNCILLORS ---

What was the evil councillors accusation and how was it used by Tudor rebels?

The accusation that the monarch was surrounded by evil councillors preferred over the long-established nobility was a recurring justification for political disturbances throughout the Tudor period, allowing rebels to present themselves as loyal subjects seeking to protect the monarch and the commonwealth.

Which councillors were targeted as evil advisers during Henry VII's reign?

Reginald Bray and John Morton were dubbed evil advisers by English rebels in 1497.

Which councillors were targeted as evil advisers during Henry VIII's reign?

Suffolk protesters in 1525 said they were going to complain of the Cardinal referring to Wolsey, and in 1536 Cromwell, Cranmer, Audley and Rich were the targets in ballads and manifestos written by the Pilgrims of Grace.

What did Wyatt claim about his targets in 1554?

Wyatt claimed in 1554 that he sought no harm to the queen but better counsel and councillors.

Who did the Northern Earls target as an evil adviser in 1569?

The northern earls held William Cecil responsible for their revolt in 1569.

Who did the Earl of Essex aim to remove in 1601?

In 1601 the Earl of Essex aimed to remove Robert Cecil, Elizabeth's principal adviser.

What does the actual social background of so-called evil councillors reveal about the rebel accusation?

Cromwell had been a merchant and one-time professional soldier, Cranmer was a Cambridge academic, Audley had been a town clerk in Colchester, and Rich was a Welsh lawyer, suggesting that self-serving upstarts really had deceived the monarch and that their removal would be followed by wiser and more effective policies.

--- FACTIONS ---

What were factions in Tudor political life?

Factions were small numbers of like-minded people who rivalled an established and larger group for political, religious or social power, and it was widely believed that if there was no parliament and a crisis occurred the old nobility should be consulted.

How did the Aragonese faction contribute to the Lincolnshire rising and Pilgrimage of Grace?

Catherine of Aragon's supporters had links with several leading rebels including Sir Robert Dymoke, Sir Christopher Willoughby and Lord Hussey, while Lord Darcy absented himself from parliament over the Act of Succession and Sir Robert Constable fiercely opposed the divorce, making this Aragonese faction an important though not sole driver of the 1536 rebellion.

What factional motivations drove the Northern Earls' rebellion of 1569?

Westmorland and Northumberland together with southern privy councillors including Arundel, Pembroke, Lumley, Leicester and Throckmorton schemed to overthrow William Cecil and held him responsible for ill-advised political, religious and foreign policies, with Westmorland personally motivated by financial difficulties and Northumberland by resentment at losing his wardenship of the middle march to a local rival.

What factional grievances drove the Earl of Essex's rebellion of 1601?

Essex had been suspended from the Privy Council and banned from court, charged with treason and in financial difficulty after the queen rescinded his patent to sell sweet wine, and he opposed Robert Cecil who as Master of the Court of Wards and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster held all the aces, leading Essex to gamble on his popularity and strength as a factional leader and lose.

--- GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION AND CENTRALISATION ---

How did government centralisation contribute to Tudor rebellions?

As centralisation took hold and the Crown became more omniscient, political and legal privileges were eroded and traditional practices swept away, meaning those most affected resided in the more distant parts of England and Ireland and these same regions were most prepared to revolt against Tudor despotism.

What specific grievances did Cornwall and northern England hold against government intervention?

The Cornish rebellions of 1497 and 1549 were partly driven by a feeling that Cornwall ought to be treated differently from the rest of the country, while northern counties complained of being ruled by strangers from London, of having less say in how their counties were governed, and of stewardships, custodianships and wardenships being taken from them by the Crown.

--- IRELAND: POLITICAL CAUSES ---

What was the general political context for Tudor rebellions in Ireland?

Ireland, like northern England, increasingly resented interference from central government in its affairs, with the Tudor government needing to work with Anglo-Irish nobility and manage feuding among rival families, and between 1534 and 1603 five major rebellions occurred each of which can be attributed to political causes.

What were the political causes of Silken Thomas's rebellion of 1534?

From 1532 Cromwell acted to favour Kildare's rivals for government offices and the current earl resented his declining influence in court circles in both London and Dublin, and following Henry VIII's demand that he visit London and a further demand to transfer weapons and gunpowder from Dublin Castle, Silken Thomas raised 1000 men in Munster, invaded the Pale and called on the Catholic Church for support, with the objective to expel English administration and become sole ruler of Ireland.

What were the political causes of Shane O'Neill's rebellion between 1558 and 1567?

Shane O'Neill wanted to rule Ulster and was willing to murder his older brother to achieve it, and although he begged forgiveness from Elizabeth and agreed to recognise him as captain of Tyrone and the O'Neill, he was soon plotting with Charles IX of France and Mary Queen of Scots and claiming to be the true defender of the faith.

What were the political causes of Fitzgerald's first rebellion of 1569?

Fitzgerald resented Elizabeth's attempts to colonise Ireland and the imposition of martial law, and was especially aggrieved that his cousin the Earl of Desmond had been put in the Tower following a feud with the Butler clan, though his stated grievance was that Elizabeth wanted to introduce another newly invented kind of religion.

What were the political causes of Fitzgerald's second rebellion of 1579?

The rebellion was fundamentally about politics as Fitzgerald returned from Rome and saw an opportunity to rally the Catholic Irish against English rule, with the pope giving the rising his blessing and 600 Spanish and Italian troops being despatched to assist.

What were the main political causes of Tyrone's rebellion?

The plantations in Connaught and Munster provoked resentment as new owners raised rents, claimed land to which they were not entitled and bribed juries to obtain favourable verdicts, while government policies establishing Protestant churches and seizing attainted lands fuelled resentment, and Hugh O'Neill had come to the defence of English garrisons in the early 1590s but felt he had not been adequately recognised or rewarded.