Tudor Rebellions: Nature

What were the four reasons as to why rebellions failed?

1. Communication and impact of localism - Rebels found it hard to communicate their aims and strategies to others beyond their locality eg. In Northern Rebellion as the Earls were unable to convince the Catholic nobility of Cheshire and Lancashire to join them. It also took a long time to build support which meant that it was difficult to take the government by surprise.

2. The attitudes of the nobles - Many Became Lord Lieutenants responsible for implementing militia reforms. Very few led or joined rebellions but instead commanded the crown’s armies. Once a royal army gathered its supplies it was difficult to beat them. few nobles led rebellions (Lord Darcy in PoG) did so because their influence was under threat. Nobles had the most to lose

3. Common’s reluctance to rebel - Notions of defence and obedience engrained. Sanctions for rebelling scared many. Many people simply wanted to live peaceful lives and do best for themselves and their family

4. Absence of effective foreign support - European rulers only helped ENglish rebels when it was in their interests to do so . Eg. 1487 French hoped H7 would help them against Brittany and so Di don’t give any aid to Simnel. But MoB gave aid to Simnel with mercenary forces because of her personal crusade against H7

What were the longest lasting rebellions?

9 years =469.286 weeks Tyrone, Shane O’Neill, Warbeck

What were the shortest rebellions?

Oxfordshire 4 hours, Essex 12 hours, Northumberland 15 days and Wyatt 18 days

What are the key conclusions regarding Duration and Location?

• The greater the distance from the seta of government, the more troublesome the area, and the longer a rebellion tended to last

• Irish rebellions often took a long time to put down due to communication delays with London, and the financial and military sources available

• Disturbances in SW and N often lasted 2-3 months, common delays and failing local nobles or gentry

• Some exceptions, PoG, Western, Kett were all underestimate by the gov

Why did some regions have more rebellions than others?

Most major disturbances and rebellions occurred in the most distant parts of teh kingdom (northern and SW counties, East Anglia and Ulster and Munster in Ireland)

Why were Pro-Yorkist areas popular?

Areas that had been populat with Yorkist kings were likely to present difficulties. Such as Lovell and Stafford 1486. Yorkshire faced serious disturbances when Earl of Northumberland was killed in 1489 for supervising tax commission on behalf of the King

Why was the SW popular as a location for rebellion?

It had no dynastic axe to grind, they simplu resented government interference in their daily life. Somerset county contributed most of the rebels that marched to Blackheath. Eg. In 1497 in Cornish rebellions. And proved unwilling to supply troops to suppress a rebellion in Devon 1549

Cornwall had a strong cultural tradition and resisted intrusions or innovations into its political affairs. Celtic languages spoken by many commons was contributing to the geographical isolation

Cornish Rebellion in 1497 and Prayer Book Rebellion (Wester) in 1549

Why did some rebels chose a location with customary practice?

In some cases rebel leaders selected the same town which had been te site of earlier disturbances.

Eg. Cornish rebels of 1497 chose Blackheath just as Jack Cade in 1450.

Eg. Some Rebels gathered outside their local church. The Western Rebellion 1540 assembled outside Bodmin Church like their ancestors Di din 1497 when they protested H7’s war tax in the Cornish Rebellion

Why was London not as much of a hotspot as a location for rebellion?

• In politically motivated rebellions such as Simnel, Warbeck, Wyatt, Northern Earls and Essex, their objective was to reach Whitehall, the seat of central Gov

• Most, with the exception of Wyatt and Essex, fell a long way short:

  1. Warbeck on landing in Cornwall from Scotland got only as far as Taunton, 160 miles from London

  2. Wyatt, who started his rebellion in Kent, came close but was repelled at Ludgate, 3 miles form London

• The capital was consistently loyal to the Tudors and never rallied to a pretender, illegitimate claimant or would be usurper

What are the patterns and themes when it comes to objectives?

• Political and religious objectives were predominant in the period 1485-1603 maybe not as a main objective but underlying

• Taxation became a less frequent objective because things got better under Elizabeth. Rather than wanting to manipulate the Tudor Dynasty, people want to manipulate who’s in charge next.

• Succession was therefore a more frequent objective as they wanted to decide who’s next

How important was size of rebellion?

• Tudor rebellions seem to have ranged from as small as 4 rebels in the 1596 Oxfordshire rising to as many as 40,000 in the 1536 Pilgrimage of grace

• Some saw their numbers increase as the rebellion progressed, while the majority fluctuated as circumstances changed:

1. The Cornish rebels of 1497 may have grown in size form a few thousand to 15,000 as they travelled east through Devon, Somerset, WIltshire, Surrey to Kent, but by the time they reached Blackheath an estimated 5000 rebels have deserted

2. The PoG, Some 30,000 rebels who occupied Lincoln in October 1536 left to join the Yorkshire movement, but a s different groups targeted particular towns, the numbers in individual rebel parties ranged from 3000 at Hull to some 20,000 at York. By the time they have reached Pontefract, there was as many as 40,000 rebels

• After 1536, rebellions in both England and Ireland were smaller affairs:

1. Wyatt 3000 supporters in Kent

2. Essex no more than 300 men

3. Irish generally a few hundreds

How important was support in a rebellion?

• The most serious revolts were those that attracted noble and foreign interest:

1. Nobles natural leaders in society and could therefore call on their own servants and tenants to fight for them, had access to military equipment and means to fund an army

2. Foreign troops were often skilled mercenaries and the English could not be sure when and where they might strike. Fortunately there was not that many rebellions with foreign support.

• Rebellions of this nature occurred either at the start or the end of the Tudor period and sought to remove the monarch or change the line of succession.

Henry 7th faced these rebellions that had foreign support:

1. Simnel and Warbeck attracted Irish interest and a small number of ENglish nobles took part. Simnel had the greatest support, ranging from Irish nobles and bishops to English nobles and clerics and German mercenaries, who were funded by MoB. Similarly, Warbeck’s support came from disaffected Yorkists keen to remove Henry from unhappiness of trade embargos with Flanders.

Each of the dynastic rebellions in the second half of the period had some noble support and had hoped for foreign commitment:

1. The Duke of Northumberland, in 1553, had the support of aristocrats like the Earls of oxford and Huntington, and Lords grey and Clinton, in his attempt to overthrow Mary, but significantly more nobles rallied to her defence and most of NOrthumberland’s army of 2000 deserted when a confrontation seemed likely

2. Essex, in 1601, had more noble support than any other rebellion. The Earls of Southampton, Sussex and Lord Cromwell and 12 deputy lieutenants of their counties gathered in London with their servants and retainers. Ins pite of soliciting Scottish and Irish aid, he received none , or the mayor, Sheriff and city of London.

How significant was frequency of rebellion?

• H7 faced 5 serious revolts , 3 of which aimed to overthrow him.

• The Summer of 1497 key as England was at war with Scotland, Henry had to fight the battle of Blackheath to suppress the Cornish rebellion and Warbeck was laying claim to teh throne

• As the Tudors became more secure, alternative claimants died out and people grew accustomed to their rule. At the same time, the nobility and gentry saw benefits of allying with the ruling family and turned away from rebellion as a means of resolving their problems. Issues of major concern came to be aired and resolved at court

• Most of the disturbances faced H7, E6 and M1, between 1536 and 1554 were merely a reaction to tehir religious and economic policies.

  Reasons for the decline in frequency:

1. The decline in dynastic unrest

2. The Decline in religious unrest = the Reformation was a source of provocation to many and it became less of an issue. The Elizabethan Church settlement of 1559 was a moderate policy that satisfied most religious groups. The Gov and the Church held back from strictly enforcing its terms.

3. The Decline in Social and Economic Unrest

4. Gov action and the decline in unrest = the poor and unemployed were helped rather than punished, JPs and Lord lieutenants kept a closer eye on local tensions and prevent outbursts, and people were encouraged to resolve their problems by peaceful means

What conclusions can we draw from size, support and frequency?

• Noble led rebellions are unsuccessful and poorly supported because the aim was mostly dynastic and therefore it achieves little support whereas religious and economic gain far greater support but tend to be common based

• Most successful rebellions are not noble led

• Amicable Grant was the most successful rebellions because is led by commoners and they have sympathy of royal councillors and Archbishop of Canterbury

• Pilgrimage of grace was so problematic fr the government because a wide range of social groups involved. It started with commoners but attracted support from gentry and nobility

Why was Organisational Skills/ Intelligence key within leadership in some rebellion successful?

Organisational Skills/Intelligence:

1. POG (Aske) = Took York on Oct 24th and was supported by about 40,000 men. Rebels were well organised and well behaved. He split them into groups under commanders and punished those who disobeyed orders. He was able to quickly move across the north and take control of the key towns and castele

2. Kett = Well educated and took control of a rebellion he was responsible for instigating. He created the objectives that clearly motivated large numbers of commons. He set up the effective local government systems

3. Tyrone (Hugh O’Neill) = managed to rally more than 6000 troops, traversed all 4 Irish provinces and side exceeded Ez’s resources. Used guerrilla tactics to fight a war, used range of propaganda and aims to get more support.

Why was Social Standing key within leadership in some rebellion successful?

PoG = local lawyer who was able to use his position as a member of the gentry to gain support from both nobility and commons

Kett = as a member of the gentry, Kett understood local grievances well and was able to draw up objectives and demands that suited a wide range of commoners

Hugh O’Neill = Earl of Tyrone, raised in Leicester but came back to Ulster because he wanted to be recognised as an O’Neill

Why was a wide range of objectives key within leadership in some rebellion successful?

PoG = Drew up demands on Dec 2nd at Pontefract Castle with demands including a return of England to papal obedience and summoning of Parliament freedom from royal influence

Kett = Drew up a list of demands that included that no lord of the manor should be able to exploit common land and that private jurisdictions should be abolished

Hugh O’Neill = At first defended E’s policies of garrisons when other clans attacked them, BUT he Did not feel like he was adequately rewarded. His aim was to expel the new English settlers and Anglo-Irish administration and to achieve independence

Why was Overconfidence key within leadership in some rebellion failures?

Lord Northumberland (LJG) = Ed died before he could change succession act to delegitimise Mary so had no time to turn people against Mary. The Old succession Act which disinherited Mary and Ez still existed and could’ve been used by him but it wasn’t

Essex = angry about the fall from power, extremely popular member of Ez’s court and people celebrated his successes against the Spanish. Made a few mistakes in Ireland which angered Ez but still expected to get lots of support for his protest

Northern Earls = Sick of Cecil’s influence in London and centralisation of power around the capital so led a rebellion against Ez in 1569

Why was Poor Planning key within leadership in some rebellion failures?

Lord Northumberland = Ruled well as Ed’s protector and in control of the Privy council and could’ve used it to his advantage but didn’t. Let Mary escape to London to her stronghold at Kenninghall where she gathered a big force. He went to defeat her as he had no patience, but ended up being unpopular there and had no one join, but instead leave and join Mary

Essex = Original plan was to seize Whitehall and ToL and make all members swear James VI of Scotland to be the next King. Ez found out and Essex had to quickly gather supporters, went to get support from the Sheriff of London but he refused to support him.

Northern Earls = started off as a well planned plot incl DoNorfolk to marry Mary QoS, regain Scotland and persuade Ez to name M and her kids heirs. Ez found out because of Norfolk and called to London - refused - had to start rebellion. Didn’t have long to raise forces and Took longer than expected and had trouble paying troops

What were some strategy and tactics used by the rebels?

Fear and intimidation:

• Gentry and lesser nobles appear to have been intimidated by commons and forced to participate:

EG. At Horncastle, in the Lincolnshire rising, WIlliam leach informed the sherrif of Lincoln that he must ‘be sworn to do as we do, or else it shall cost you your life. Outside a mob of 100 men waited

EG. Aske claimed he was ‘persuaded’ and Darcy yielded PC when 3000 rebels approached

EG. Western rebels kidnapped local gentry, detained passing merchants and put the sheriff of Devon under house arrest

• When violence did occur, the victim was usually a figure of hatred and the source of local anger:

EG. In 1489, Earl of Northumberland, H7s sheriff of Yorkshire, who was responsible for collecting an unpopular war tax

How far did Poor Organisation lead to a rebellion’s failure?

Western 1549:

• Animosity between Cornishmen and Devonians and tensions between peasantry, clergy and gentry

• Hints of social radicalism appear when some of those Clyst camp outside Exeter wanted to ‘Kill all gentlemen’

Northern Earls 1569-70:

• Poorly planned from the start and got worse

• In 1569, EoNorthumberland left insufficient time to call on his own tenants in Yorkshire to rise and failed to consider how long it would take to march from Durham to Tilbury in Staffordshire to release Mary from captivity or realise she had been moved 30 miles further to Coventry

• When they came to pay 1000 footmen at North Allerton, they could raise only £20 between them and so many deserted

Essex Rebellion 1601:

• had advertised he was going to do something dramatic and when it began he expected Londoners to rally his cause, instead most stood and watched his assembly pass by in bemusement

• Once he had failed to enlist support of mayor and sheriff of London he decided to retreat

• Had no exit strategy and finding Ludgate blocked he was forced to withdraw

Did Good Organisation lead to success?

PoG 1536-7:

• Captains of different towns and villages met each day and received instructions from Aske as to where they would be going and attended regular captain meetings with others

• Asked allowed the people to choose captains

• Each recruit was given a badge and a supply of food and wages

• When 8000 rebels approached York, Aske arranged half would camp outside city while the rest would accompany him and paid for their board and lodging

BUT

• There was tension between gentry leaders and commons

EG. Most commons feared that gentry would betray them as had happened in Lincoln in October, later events proved thru suspicion was not false

Kett’s rebellion 1549:

• Camps set up (Mousehold Heath) community occupied Surrey place, which was a mansion of Heath , and ran the camp like a model local gov

• Showed could manage business affairs as well as gentry and gov

EG. Each of 24 hundreds in county of NOrfolk that contributed rebels, elected 2 governors to sit on an advisory council, court sof justice imposed disciplinary fines and punishments and proclamations and warrants were issues. When seeking supplies a warrant undertook that ‘no violence or injury be done to any honest or poor man’ and this promise of decent behaviour was upheld

• Kett sent out Sarah parties to keep the camp supplied with food and beer

• Even when the rebels attacked the city and held it for a week , discipline was maintained

• No one was killed until royal troops and foreign mercenaries attired to recover control of the city

Success V Failure

• LJG - none of the dynastic rebellions achieved their goal and only Mary succeeded in removing the government

• AG - Only 1 rebellion that involved the commons achieve dits objective, AG. This was precisely because several councillors alerted the king of the consequences if he didn’t comply. Apart from wide geographical opposition, resistance in London was too close to gov. H8 was able to blame Wolsey for the problems and so government emerged with credit and king enhanced his undeserved reputation for generosity

• Yorkshire and Cornish - Discouraged H7 from making any further demands

• PoG - Protests against religious changes in 1536 may have deterred H8 from implementing further Protestant reforms and the repeal of Statute of Uses (One of the rebels’ requests)

• Western and Kett - Ed gov also made concessions. It responded to the 1549 Kett and Western Rebellions by repealing the Subsidy, passing enclosures and Tillage acts and enacting poor law legislation, all of which was designed to assist the commons in a constructive and benevolent manner

• PoG and Northern Earls - complaints by northern rebels in 1536 and 1569 led to changes in the composition of the Council of the North

• Western - Only 1 rebellion saw them overthrow of a leading politician. DoSomerset wanted so desperately to help the rank and file in times of economic and social crisis. His overthrow was less the objective of any rebellion but more the results of gentry and privy councillors reacting to his inept policies and failure to suppress widespread revolts