Edward VI - Society

What did 1549 England look like?

major rebellions in East Anglia and South-West, as well as considerable levels of disorder throughout much of the rest of the country

How did John Guy describe England in 1549?

“the closest thing Tudor England came to a class war”

Did Somerset’s government find it difficult to cope with the rebellions?

yes - thin resources to cope with unrest as troops were engaged in Scotland, whilst others were stationed in the South-East of England to ward off a potential French invasion

What does the phrase ‘The Many-Headed Monster’ describe?

how educated ruling class saw the vast mass of common people - body that was essentially irrational, stupid and facile

• perception created by fear and the authorities failed to recognise the commoners were allowed few opportunities to voice their political concerns

In sixteenth-century England what was undoubtedly increasing?

the poor

When was the Vagrancy Act introduced?

1547

What did the Vagrancy Act in 1547 do?

able-bodied persons who had been out of work for three days were to be branded with a V and sold into slavery for two years

• further offences - punished by permanent slavery

• children taken from their parents and made to work as apprentices

Was the Vagrancy Act ever put into effect?

No - could be seen as a knee-jerk reaction by the Government to alleviate the concerns of the landed classes

Although the Vagrancy Act of 1547 was never put into effect, what did the Government do?

Government showed concern towards the poor relief provision

• ordered local officials to provide housing and collections for all ‘idle, impotent, maimed, and aged persons’ who were not vagabonds

Why was Enclosure a problem by 1547?

cause of many economic problems - Government acted forcefully against it

Who was commissioned to investigate enclosure in the Midlands?

John Hales

• although failed to bring any cases against Enclosure

In March 1549, what social policy did Somerset pass?

5% tax on personal property & special tax on sheep

What consequences did the Enclosure policy have for Somerset?

disastrous political consequences

• raised hopes of effective government action among ordinary people

• generated fear of unrest among the landed class

What reputation had Somerset gained due to the Enclosure laws?

reputation for being a poor man’s friend

How did Northumberland keep order?

• New Treason Laws in 1550

• used Lord Lieutenants and the retainers of trusted nobles to keep order

What kept rising during Northumberland’s reign?

population - putting pressure on food resoucres

What trade was suffering during Northumberland’s reign?

Cloth Trade with the Netherlands was suffering - sudden drops in exports in the summer of 1551 due to problems with Antwerp

• increased unemployment amongst textile workers in East Anglia and West England

What social policy act was reappealed by Northumberland?

Vagrancy Act

What was Northumberland’s priority with his social reforms?

peace in the realm - England needed a period of stabilisation (after Somerset)

• sought to have sound control over the Privy Council and localities

Which council did Northumberland purge upon coming into power?

Council of Conservatives - not massive change of faces (mutual allies with Somerset)

• Colleague Paget & William Cecil stayed

What did Northumberland create to secure his hold over central government?

created an inner council

What did the creation of a Inner Council allow?

policy could-by pass the Privy Council - could be implemented by inner council instead

Did Northumberland’s creation of a Inner Council cause problems?

made some members of the Privy Council very wary about his intentions

• on the whole, worked harmoniously with the council

Who did Northumberland prefer to have in Council?

Military men

• if another rebellion was to occur = men and arms at the ready

What did Northumberland prefer to proclamations?

preferred to make use of Parliament

What was one of Northumberland’s first measures?

sent the Lord Lieutenant out of court and back to their localities

Why did Northumberland immediately sent the Lord Lieutenant out of court and back to their localities?

ensuring that there was a member of the government’s executive in all the regions of the kingdom

What were Northumberland’s two prolonged approaches to Social Issues?

• withdrew unpopular legislation - 1547 Vagrancy Act

• tightened the legal control of officers

How did Northumberland try to relieve the distress felt by the poor?

vigorously upheld anti-enclosure legislation and the work of enclosure commissions was halted

• introduced legislation to stop excessive interest being charged on debts

• more legislation to ensure that local officers supported the ages, the infirm and disabled

By mid-1552, what did Dudley seem to have?

position so powerful that no one could dispute his power

• However, his power had major weakness - depended solely on Edward Vi

Did Northumberland continue Somerset’s anti-enclosure measures?

No

• commissioners were withdrawn

• unpopular sheep tax repealed in 1550

• existing enclosure legislation was enforces

By 1551, what had Northumberland’s government taken action to control?

stocks of grain - to relieve the crisis caused to the harvest failures

Why did Northumberland keep order by traditional means?

to prevent any kind of widespread disorder that occurred in 1549

When did the Western Rebellion occur?

June - August 1549

What nickname was the Western Rebellion given?

‘Prayer Book Rebellion’

What were the causes of the Western Rebellion in Cornwall?

• resentment sprang from the activities of the much-hated figure of William Body (commissioner investigating church property in the county)

• 1547 - investigation into chantries created a swirl of rumours and fears about the confiscation of Church goods

• final straw was the introduction of the new prayer book - 10th June 1549

What were the causes of the Western Rebellion in Devon?

people were also provoked into rebellion by their priest’s use of the new Prayer Book on Whitsunday 1549

Who were the leaders of the Western Rebellion?

• Humphrey Arundell

• Robert Welsh

How did the Western Rebellion in 1459 begin?

• Cornwall protesters assembled in Bodmin - under leadership of Humphrey Arndell

• produced list of articles (complaints)

• marched onto Devon

In Samford Courtenay, what did the rebels persuade the priest to deliver?

traditional Catholic Mass

When did the forces from the Western Rebellion join together?

joined forces from Cornwall at Crediton on 20th June

What was the local reaction to the Western Rebellion?

very quickly gentry lost their grip on the countries

• gentlemen unsuccessfully attempted to conciliate the rebels (Hellier & Carew)

What happened to the gentlemen Hellier who attempted to calm the rebels in Devon during the Western Rebellions?

hacked to pieces

What happened to the gentlemen Sir Peter Carew who attempted to calm the rebels in Devon during the Western Rebellions?

leading gentleman in Devon - rode to meet the combined force at Crediton on 21st June

• only succeeded in aggravating the situation

• nearly erupted into violence when one of his servants inadvertently set fire to a barn

What was the First Government response to the Western Rebellion?

Somerset was acting on inadequate information and had only limited resources at his disposal

On 29th June, what did Somerset urge Lord Russell to do as a response to the Western Rebellion?

urged Russell to find a peaceful settlement and wrote a conciliatory response to the rebel demands

Why could Somerset only provide Russel with a small army to respond to the Western Rebels with?

Somerset was struggling to suppress enclosure riots in the Midlands, maintain adequate forces on the Scottish borders and watch for any French aggression

During the Western Rebellion, what did Russell avoid?

knowing the weakness of his position - avoided confronting the enemy

When did Russell finally defeat the rebel forces during the Western Rebellion?

16th August at Sampford Courtenay

What is the estimate of the people killed during the Western Rebellion?

3000

Who was hung for their involvement in the Western Rebellion?

Robert Welsh

• hanged on gallows erected on his church tower, in his vestments and with a ‘holy-water bucket, a sprinkle, a sacring bell, a pair of beeds and such other like popish trash hanged around him’

How did the aftermath of the Western Rebellion deepen hostility towards Government forces?

Government operation further depended hostility as Government forces had acted illegally, executing without trails and confiscating and redistributing propety

When did the Kett Rebellion occur?

July - August 1549

Where did the Kett Rebellion begin?

East Anglia (Textile Centre - Cloth)

• collapse in textile industry - thrown large numbers of cloth workers out of work, independent & small farmers were badly affected by enclosure

What were the causes of the Kett Rebellion?

• anger over enclosure - crowd broke down fences

• possible anger over a local abbey being destroyed

(unclear motives)

Who was the leader of the Kett Rebellion?

Robert Kett (local landowner)

• yeoman farmers also joined in - no nobility/clergy

By 12th July what had the Kett Rebels done?

• crowd of 16,000

• Kett produced their list of articles (demands) - wait for the favourable Government response that he fully expected

What was the local reaction to the Kett Rebellion?

size and speed of the movement paralysed the authorities

When was the first Governmental response to the Kett Rebellion?

21st July - York Herald arrived to offer a full pardon to those who dispersed: suggest of stopping landowners from being farmers and reduce the price of wool

• many of the crowd wanted to accept

• Kett rejected - they had done nothing wrong

• Kett arrest ordered - mood grew ugly - herald forced to retreat

What did the Kett Rebels do after their disagreement with the government?

rebels got cannons - attacked Norwitch and took control

What was the Government’s first attempt at suppression of the Kett Rebellion?

small army of 1800 sent under William Parr to negotiate - a full pardon offered - only 20 took

What did Kett do to deal with the threat caused by the senior nobility?

left with no option but to attack - army succeeded in recapturing Noriwch

• turned into a popular demonstration into a full-scale rebellion

What occurred as a response to the full-scale Kett Rebellion?

Parr retreats to raise an military army - troops taken from Scotland; John Dudley arrives with 12,000 men

Upon the arrival of the royal heard at the Kett Rebellion what was offered again?

pardon - refused

Was Dudley successful in stopping the Kett Rebellion?

Yes - 3000 killed & Kett arrested

Who was hanged for the Kett Rebellion?

Kett - tried for treason and hanged on 26th November

What does Dudley ensure to consider when dealing with the Kett rebels?

ensured the law is followed to deal with them - unlike aftermath of Western Rebellion (Somerset)

How many rebels were executed for their involvement in the Kett Rebellion?

only 49 executed!