9 cades rebellion

Cade’s Rebellion

Background

Cade's Rebellion was a rising begun in Kent and ,led by a man named Jack Cade, although he used the name John Mortimer. It began in May and under Cade's leadership an army of discontented people gathered, growing in number as they moved through Kent. By the time they reached Blackheath on 1 June, Cade’s following included at least one knight, five parsons, a mayor and about a hundred members of the gentry. The army is thought to have totalled approximately 46,000, their numbers having been swelled by rebels from Essex, Sussex and Surrey.

Causes

The murder of the Duke of Suffolk has been recognised as a key trigger for the rebellion as the Kentish folk feared they would be held to blame for Suffolk's death given that his body had been left on a Kent beach, However, there were other causes as shown by the list of complaints drawn up by the rebels:

• Taxes were unfairly levied.

• Taxes had been increased because the King had given so much crown land away to his favourites.              ,

• Justice was not impartially administered.

• The Lords who were favourites at court were allowed to continue to hold office despite being responsible for misgovernment at home and the loss of territories in France.

In essence, the rebels wanted political reform, and they saw the Duke of York as the one to lead this reform acting as adviser to the King. There was nothing revolutionary about the nature of the revolt. If anything they wanted to restore government, not remove it. The rebels stressed their support for the King, blaming 'evil advisers' for the country's ills rather than Henry VI himself.

Events

Henry VI returned to London from the Midlands with an army of 10,000 men. Cade withdrew his army as he was unsure of their chances against the King's men but half of the King's army followed them. At Sevenoaks, the King's men were ambushed and slaughtered. In terror at the news of this event, the King fled back to Kenilworth in the Midlands, leaving Cade free to march on London. Meanwhile, the unrest was beginning to spread to other parts of the country, for example the Bishops of Lichfield and Norwich were threatened by mobs and the Bishop of Salisbury was killed.

Once in London, Cade’s army lost some of its early discipline and order.

Lord Say and William Crawmer were murdered, the latter having been the sheriff in Kent. There was so much looting and pillaging that after four days the people of London had had enough. They took to the streets and forced the rebels out of town. They were assisted in their task by the fact that the Queen, Margaret of Anjou, based at Greenwich, had promised the rebels a pardon if they dispersed. Most of the rebels went home.

Cade withdrew slowly and with his remaining army attacked the castle at Queensborough in order to try to capture it, but most of his remaining men fled when they heard their pardon had been revoked because they had taken up arms again. Cade was chased into Sussex where he was killed. His head was set on a spike in London and the four quarters of his body were sent to Blackheath1 Salisbury, Norwich and Gloucester.

Consequences

The rebellion had demonstrated the King's inability to cope in a crisis and highlighted the extent to ,which his government had failed. The rebels' complaints did not just represent the problems in Kent, but rather they resonated with the whole country as shown by the spread of unrest. The call for York to act did not go unheeded, although for whatever reason he did not rush back to England from Ireland, thus giving the Duke of Somerset tried to position himself as right-hand man to the King. There was to be no major change in the way the country was being governed: government was every bit as faction-ridden under Somerset as it had been under Suffolk.

This time, however, those in power had made an enemy of York to the extent that not only was he going to challenge their positions a·s the King's advisers, he was ultimately going to challenge for the throne itself, emboldened by popular support.

TASK 1: Answer the questions

1. What were the main grievances of the rebels in Cade's Rebellion?
 
2. Who was Jack Cade and why did he use an alias?
 
3. What was the initial response of the London citizens to Cade's Rebels?
 
4. What led to the breakdown of discipline among Cade's forces in London?
 
5. How did Cade's Rebellion impact the political landscape of England?

TASK 2: Sort the Statements

Jack Cade’s Rebellion was a major uprising during Henry VI’s reign. Below are a series of statements about the rebellion. Some describe causes, some describe events, and some describe consequences.

Instructions:

1. Read each statement carefully.

2. Write each statement under the correct heading: Cause, Event, or Consequence.

3. Be ready to justify your choices with historical reasoning.

Statements (Jumbled)

1. The rebels believed that “evil advisers” were to blame for the country’s mismanagement rather than Henry VI himself.

2. At Sevenoaks, Cade’s men ambushed and slaughtered part of the King’s army.

3. The Bishop of Salisbury was killed during wider unrest spreading beyond Kent.

4. Taxes had been raised because Henry VI had given away large amounts of crown land to his favourites.

5. Lord Say and William Crawmer were murdered by Cade’s followers.

6. Many Londoners turned against the rebels after four days of looting and pillaging in the city.

7. The murder of the Duke of Suffolk triggered fears among Kentish folk that they would be blamed.

8. Jack Cade was eventually chased into Sussex where he was killed; his head was placed on a spike in London.

9. The rebellion revealed Henry VI’s inability to manage crises and highlighted deep failures in his government.

10. The rebels drew up a list of complaints including corruption at court and unfair taxation.

11. The Queen, Margaret of Anjou, promised pardons to the rebels if they dispersed.

12. Although the rebels wanted reform, they stressed their loyalty to the king and looked to the Duke of York to provide better leadership.

13. The Duke of Somerset, attempting to take Suffolk’s place, positioned himself as Henry VI’s chief adviser.

14. The unrest spread to places such as Norwich and Lichfield, showing the grievances were felt more widely than just Kent.

15. Cade’s army, numbering around 46,000 at its peak, marched to Blackheath by 1 June.

16. York’s rivalry with the court hardened after Cade’s Rebellion, strengthening his eventual claim to the throne.

Extension Challenge

1. Which of the causes represent long-term structural problems in Henry VI’s government?

2. Which consequences had the greatest impact on England’s future political stability?