Cade’s Rebellion

Question 1

When was it

Answer 1

May to July 1450,

Question 2

Why was he known as ‘the Captain of Kent’

Answer 2

indicates the loyal following he developed in that

part of the country.

Question 3

What alias did he use in the hope of falsely giving the impression he was a family connection of Richard,
duke of York, whose mother had been a Mortimer before her marriage.

Answer 3

He also used the alias of John Mortimer

Question 4

The revolt started in Kent, partly as a result of local grievances against

Answer 4

two powerful men in that region, Lord Saye and William Crowmer.

Question 5

Who was Crowmer

Answer 5

the local sheriff and noted for his corruption

Question 6

Who was Lord Saye

Answer 6

A man of greater national significance, being the king’s treasurer, but also held a local reputation for violence and avarice.

Question 7

What was a key trigger of the revolt

Answer 7

corpse of the murdered duke of Suffolk was washed up on the shore in Kent, there were rumours that Save and Crowmer had threatened widespread destruction in the region
in revenge for the attack,

Question 8

The fact that the people of Kent feared these men enough to take the dangerous course of
action (open rebellion) indicates

Answer 8

the very poor level of law and order maintained in the area and the widespread assumption that powerful supporters of Suffolk habitually acted outside the law without redress from
the king.

Question 9

The unpopularity of Henry’s government was such that the

uprising swifly spread from Kent to

Answer 9

Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex

and Essex.

Question 10

Although not personally led by Cade, there were other

risings and riots that occurred at the same time in

Answer 10

the Midlands,
the South and the West, which appear to have been inspired by
the widespread insurrection in the South.

Question 11

Other riot not led by Cade

Answer 11

On 29 June in Wiltshire,
for example, Bishop Aiscough of Salisbury, the king’s confessor
and a leading adviser during many of the unpopular decisions of
the 1440s, was dragged from his church during Mass and brutally
hacked to death by a mob.

Question 12

In addition to concerns about law and order, Cade’s rebels were
also motivated by

Answer 12

complaints regarding high taxation to fund the spectacularly unsuccessful war with France. Lost Normandy 1450. And Evil councillors patronage

Question 13

Why was Saye particularly unpopular

Answer 13

he had become
extremely wealthy and powerful under Henry VI and, secondly, he
was the king’s treasurer at a time when it was
widely suspected that financial corruption in government had led
he misuse of taxes intended for the defence of France, thereby
Contributing to England’s defeat in Normandy.

Question 14

How did Cade’s rebellion begin?

Answer 14

The rebels marched on London and set up camp just outside the
city, at Blackheath on 11 June.

Question 15

What was the King’s initial response

Answer 15

Initially, Henry sent a delegation
led by Archbishop Stafford and Cardinal Kemp to try and calm
the situation, but this was rejected by Cade and so the king
marched against the rebels on 13 June, only to find the camp
deserted.

Question 16

Later in the month, what happened near Sevenoaks

Answer 16

Rebels ambushed a group of the king’s men, killing Sir Humphrey
tafford and William Stafford. This was an important act of
defiance to Henry’s authority

Question 17

What made the act of defiance worse for the government

Answer 17

there was mutiny in the ranks of
the royal army, with some of the king’s former soldiers rampaging
around London attacking the property of those they claimed were
‘enemies of the realm’.

Question 18

In an attempt to appease the mob, after the mutiny

Answer 18

Henry

ordered the arrest of Lord Saye and had him placed in the tower

Question 19

During mid- to late June the situation worsened considerably, with rebels gaining more support. What did Henry do as a result

Answer 19

On 25 June
therefore, the king fled to Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, while
most of his council took refuge in the Tower of London for their own safety

Question 20

What did the king fleeing do

Answer 20

Heartened by their opponents’ apparent cowardice.
Cade’s supporters returned to Blackheath four days later, after
which they briefly took and controlled the capital, ordering and
carrying out the execution of Lord Saye.

Question 21

Hiw did Henry compromise

Answer 21

Horrifed by the situation
unfolding, Henry agal sought to address the rebels’ grievances
by ordering a commission to investigate their complaints.

Question 22

What indicates how far

Henry VI’s government had alienated its own supporters.

Answer 22

the ranks of Cade’s army had been increased by some
Retainers of the king and his nobles who decided to betrav their
masters and support the
cause. This group, of course, included
many men who had fought in the English army in France and
were bitter about recent defeats in Normandy

Question 23

What did the increase in Cade’s army due to this meam

Answer 23

This rise in numbers also made the rebellion a far more serious threat to
law and order, as the men were seasoned veterans, accustomed to
looting

Question 24

Medieval
chronicles are notorously unreliable concerning statistics but the
fact that one contemporary believed Cade’s ‘army’ to be

Answer 24

46 000
strong indicates the perceived danger of the threat, if not the
precise figures

Question 25

How was Henry’s weakness shown when Cade’s rebellion ended

Answer 25

Henry’s weakness
Was shown again, on the night of the 5-6 July when it
was Londoners, not the king and his nobility, who fought Cade’s
army on London Bridge, there defeating the rebels decisively.

Question 26

What finally stopped Care’s rebellion

Answer 26

it was the prevalence of violence by rebels in the capital that lost the insurgents the crucial support of the
Londoners, despite many being deeply unhappy with Henry’s
government and the country’s financial situation.

Question 27

Though it was evil councillors they blamed, what can be seen from the document at a closer look

Answer 27

A close reacing of the text indicates
the popular unease with Henry as king and his unpredictable
personality, which was too easily influenced by advisers who
sougnt dellberately to mislead him. Comments on Henry s lack of
ability and discernment are necessarily veiled to avoid charges of
ledson, but there is a clear implication throughout the document
that the king was a poor judge or charactel.

Question 28

core complaints of the rebel regarding York

Answer 28

That Richard, duke of York had been excluded from government. rebels also wanted the duke of Exeter, the duke of Buckingham and the duke of Norfolk to form part of Henry’s royal council, to ensure that the king received a range of good advice.

Question 29

Complaints evil councillors

Answer 29

That the king was surrounded by evil councilors in particular Lord Saye, Lord Dudley (a diplomat and royal councillor) and Bishop Aiscough of Salisbury. It is notable that
many of those targeted had had some involvement with negotiating the truce of Tours in 1444. Bishop Aiscough officiated at the wedding

Question 30

Complaint regarding king

Answer 30

That there should be access to the king for the purposes of petitioning and obtaining justice, and
that currently a small group was controlling this access for its own purposes.

Question 31

Criticism money

Answer 31

That the country was bankrupt and that the government was persisting in financial corruption and
mismanagement.

Question 32

Complaint corruption

Answer 32

That there was misgovernment and corruption among royal law enforcement officers in Kent
especially.
That there was a need for law and order to be restored in many areas, that the courts needed to be
fair, and that bribery and corruption needed to be stopped.

Question 33

Aftermath of rebellion initially

Answer 33

Initially the king made promises of clemency to the rebels,
presumably partly in the hope of encouraging the crowds to
disperse.

Question 34

Aftermath of rebellion- As pockets of resistance continued around the country, a firmer line was taken:

Answer 34

in 1451. Henry toured areas of
unrest to entorce law and order, witnessing a significant number
or executions of rebels personally.

Question 35

What happened to Cade

Answer 35

Cade was mortally wounded
during his capture on 12 July, dying shortly afterwards, and his
body was returned to London where it met the traitors fate Of
being beheaded and quartered. His head was then boiled until
only the skull remained, before being placed on a spike and
publicly displayed.