L9 - 1549 rebellions (effective government?)

what should be addressed in a question w/ key word ‘governed’?

• effective? impact of the POLICIES of government

• HOW? ACTIONS? of government

key question topics involving rebellions

• effective response from government?

• causes of rebellion

• extent of support for rebellions

what were the 2 1549 rebellions?

• the western (prayer book) rebellion

• kett’s rebellion

economic causes of the western rebellion

• resentment over some gentry gaining land from the closure of the monasteries

• impact of the debasement on inflation & poverty

• increase in enclosure

• resentment of the sheep tax being introduced march 1548

demonstrations of enclosure and the sheep tax contributing to rebellion

• somerset and bristol mobs tore down fences and hedges

• farm labourers resented the sheep tax as added financial burden

  • some welcomed attempt to prevent arable land being enclosed for pasture land

  • burden to struggling hill farmers in exmoor and dartmoor

religious causes of the western rebellion

• 1547 - agents sent across the country to check on progress of church reforms

  • reported resistance from local communities

• april 1548 murder of william body

• introduction of 1549 first book of common prayer

how did the murder of william body 1548 contribute to rebellion?

• had been given the task of removing statues and images from local churches

• under sparked local protests against iconoclasm

how did the 1549 first book of common prayer contribute to rebellion?

• main reason for wider outbreak of violence

• religious grievances ran deep, many rebels wanted full reversal of religious reforms

how did the 1549 first book of common prayer specifically contribute to the western rebellion?

• leaders of revolt were catholic and wanted full reversal of religious reforms

• leaders in cornwall demanded restoration of catholic doctrine and practices

  • inc latin mass, ban on english bible

• when government ordered new prayer book to be used in all churches, groups formed to resist and full scale rebellion by june

how did the western rebellion begin?

• series of spontaneous local risings in june 1549

• rebel camp set up near bodmin in cornwall → murder of a farmer in devon marked start of rebellion in devon

• the 2 rebel groups gathered in crediton in devon

• advanced to exeter to set up camp

how did the government oppose the western rebellion?

• challenged by local JP → escalated dispute

• no attempt made to march beyond devon waited for king’s troops to march to them

• lord russell (west country nobleman) defeated rebels in battle near exeter at start of august

• all rebels defeated and dispersed by mid august

which noble led the royal forces to oppose the western rebellion?

lord russell

where was the western rebellion?

south west → cornwall, devon, exeter

why was the response of the government to the western rebellion weak?

• news of rebellion took time to reach london

• somerset initially underestimated severity of the revolt

• troops were stationed in north to defend against scotland and along coast in case of a french invasion

• coincided with kent rebellion → further divided royal forced

• russell’s military forces were reliant on foreign mercenaries

what was the intrinsic weakness of the western rebellion?

• collection of many riots that all lacked a genuine central purpose rather than organised attack on the authorities

  • reflected sense of desperation amongst the poorest classes

evidence that the western rebellion posed a serious threat to edward vi

• coincided with troops stationed in north against scotland, coast against france and west against kett rebellion

  • crown in fundamentally weak position, royal forces divided

• caused escalation of criticisms of somerset

• crown lacked efficient intelligence system → news of rebellion reached london too late

• somerset initially underestimated threat → forces reliant on mercenary troops

evidence that western rebellion was NOT a major threat to edward vi

• only a serious of weakly united spontaneous uprisings, lacked genuine central purpose and organisation

• rebellion itself was not a threat but circumstance made it so

• made no attempt to march beyond devon → no attack on london or king

• didn’t actively seek violent confrontation→ waited for lord russell’s forces to meet them

extent of western rebellion being a serious threat to edward vi

• rebellion itself very much a threat due to regional discontent and not a dynastic challenge

• threatening due to timing coinciding with other weakening factors → hard to quell rebellion quickly

• created instability in government → contributed to northumberland’s coup

• but rebels were poorly organised and NOT genuine threat to government

where was the kett rebellion based?

norfolk

causes/ rebels’ demands of kett’s rebellion (3 economic, 2 government, 2 religious)

• successive bad harvests

• rapid prices rises

• resentment - believed gov. officials were profiteering off absence of strong king

• resentment towards poor administration of local landowners → powerful howard family

• anger - landowners prevented peasant farmers grazing their sheep on enclosed common land

• demands for dismissal of inadequate clergy & those guilty of pluralism

• wanted more radical protestant reform

who led the kett rebellion?

robert kett → a landowner whose property was attacked, agreed to end enclosure on his land and lead rebels to secure their rights

how did the kett rebellion start?

• may 1549 - gangs emerged

• june 1549 - began to break down enclosures, tearing down hedges and fences

where did rebels go to host their rebellion?

• set up camps → largest in mousehold heath outside norwich

• did NOT march to london

• ran a peaceful campaign to end enclosures, improve local gov and secure better quality clergymen’s

• july - rebels captured norwich

how many men did kett claim to have?

15,000 men → would stand against royal army if attacked

where was the largest camp of the kett rebellion? significance?

• mousehold heath

• demonstrates predominantly peaceful movement, don’t intend to threaten king severely

• emphasises how majority of their problems lay with local government

why was the kett rebellion’s possession of norwich threatening to edward?

• 2nd wealthiest provincial city in england

• vital for trade and economic stability

who did somerset’s initially send to recapture norwich from kett’s rebels? outcome?

• earl of northampton

• failed in humiliating defeat

after northampton’s failure to defeat the rebels, who was next sent to do so? outcome?

• earl of warwick (john dudley)

• defeated on 27th august 1549

• army included foreign mercenaries

• 4000 dead from both sides with no change to enclosure or local government

when did the kett rebellion end?

27th august 1549

how many were killed on either side in the final stages of the kett rebellion?

4000 from each side

what was the most notable consequence of the kett rebellion?

• revealed huge weakness in government

• gave resentful critics of somerset the opportunity to strike → wanted change in leadership

• council ordered his arrest in october, replaced swiftly by earl of warwick who became duke of northumberland

2 similarities in the causes of the western and kett rebellions

• consequence of economic problems originating from government policies used for short term successes with long term failures → e.g. debasement of coinage

• fuelled by resentment towards enclosure → voicing discontent

how were the events of the kett and western rebellions similar?

• neither rebellion actively sought violent confrontation with crown forces

• ultimately received one → crown’s success hinged on involvement of foreign mercenaries

how were the kett and western rebellions different?

• western → vehemently catholic, absolute return to catholic doctrine and practice

• kett → discontent with protestant reforms, wanted more radical change

what evidence is there that somerset’s dealt with the rebellions ineffectively?

• continuously underestimated rebels

• delayed response to western rebellion

• earl of Northampton failed in attempt to recapture city of norwich

evidence kett’s rebellion was a serious threat to edward

• large rebellion (15,000 men) and highly organised

• captured norwich

• somerset’s initial attempts to oppose rebels were met with defeat

• 4000 dead from either side

• crown reliant on support from foreign mercenaries

• rebellion revealed huge weakness in government gave resentful→ northumberland’s coup

evidence kett’s rebellion lacked serious threat to edward

• relatively peaceful, sought to campaign rather than force

• campaign resulted in notable changes to improve enclosure or local government

• even when most militant (may-june) was only in form of gangs and relatively disorganised

themes of essay on main causes of rebellion

• religious disagreement

• government policies (taxation, debasement etc)

• local issues (enclosure etc)

• other (inc 1553)

themes for essay on extent of effective government response to rebellions?

• rebellions

• finance/economy/poverty

• religious disagreement

• succession/royal authority