1525 Amicable Grant Flashcards
Give an overview of the Amicable Grant
The rising was a response to the heavy tax demands to fund the war with France. The scale of the rising, which involved large numbers of peasants and had some noble sympathy, engulfed much of East Anglia and parts of the home counties and midlands, and forced the government to abandon the tax
What was the main cause of the Amicable Grant?
Taxation
Why did the tax cause such outrage?
The amount was £800,000, a large amount and was considered a forced loan which was not ordered by parliament
What was the subsidiary cause of the Amicable Grant?
Unemployment in the affected areas was rising sharply at the time, and inflation rising fast – 12% fall in peasant’s real income in this decade, prices up 60% since 1500
Who led the Amicable Grant?
Locals below gentry status
Why was faction considered to be a subsidiary cause of the Amicable Grant?
Those who opposed Cardinal Wolsey, who dominated the court, used the central opposition to the tax to stir up further unrest and made little effort to collect the tax. This allowed opposition to spread and opponents of Wolsey hoped Henry would lose faith in his minister
Explain the significance of the location of the Amicable Grant
There was a tradition of unrest in East Anglia, with outbreaks in 1381 during the Peasant’s Revolt, enclosure riots in 1525 and attacks on the gentry in 1540, before the major uprising in 1549. The rebels established a series of camp places where local government was administered, such as Bury St Edmunds
How many rebels were there in the Amicable Grant?
10,000
What were the outcomes of the Amicable Grant?
Major protests in Suffolk, and taxpayer discontent elsewhere
Wolsey is forced to climb down and Henry abandons his aggressive foreign policy
Ringleaders appear before the Star Chamber but are pardoned
Henry puts all the blame on Wolsey – first step on road to his fall in 1529
Tudors change policy to collect more tax from the rich and less from the peasantry in future
Which dukes ended the unrest?
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Suffolk
How did the Amicable Grant impact the government?
The failure to raise the Amicable Grant forced Henry to abandon an invasion of France in 1525, at the very moment France was at its weakest following the capture of Francis I by the Holy Roman Emperor
Why was the Amicable Grant successful?
Widespread protest
Rare example of multiple classes uniting – tax affected laity and clergy; nobility resented being made responsible for its collection and threatened with dire consequences if they failed
Protestors avoided violence and made it clear they were loyal to the crown and only protesting against this specific tax
Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk impressed by a calm demonstration in Suffolk – instead of attacking they wrote to London to request respite for the commons
Protestors were ready to march London, bringing the focus of the rebellion to the capital, there was enough discontent and sympathy inside London for the king not to be certain of their loyalty – the Londoners were the first to be informed that the tax demanded would be halved
Because the protests went on for some time, the king’s councillors got good information from the countryside and warned Henry of the likely dire consequences of not backing down. There was much better understanding of the feelings of the commons than in other rebellions in this period
Where were the uprisings?
Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Warwickshire
