Chapter 3 - Impact of rebellions on gov and society Flashcards
What were the impacts of rebellions on government and society?
Royal servants, religion, social and economic, royal authority, and foreign policy.
How did rebellions affect royal servants?
- Under pressure to resign.
- Many the subject of attack – Morton, Bray, Wolsey, Cromwell, Audley, Rich, Cranmer, William and Robert Cecil – all survived.
- Wolsey’s relationship with Henry VIII worsened because Amicable Grant - survived 4 more years.
- Rebellions direct attacks on advisors – Essex, Northern Earls.
- Henry was didn’t bow to pressure to chance the council that had served him well in the 1530s.
- They had not caused the Pilgrimage of Grace and he
rewarded their role in defeating it - Cromwell granted monastic land and annuities
- The Duke of Somerset was the only Minister forced from office as result of rebellion and, it was not because the rebels demanded it because he failed to suppress effectively and was overthrown by his fellow councillors.
How did rebellions affect religion?
- Crown resisted calls for reforms.
- PoG made Henry more determined to press ahead with religious reforms.
- Participation in the revolt by abbots and monks convinced him that their presence was a security risk and he supported Cromwell’s move to dissolve the larger monasteries in 1537 to 1538.
- Western didn’t stop implementation of prayer book.Cranmer published a more Protestant book 3 years later.
- Mary still married Philip of Spain despite Wyatt’s rebellion, and stepped up her campaign against heretics.
- Elizabeth not intimidated by the Northern Earls; 1571 introduced laws specifically against catholic recusants.
- Not a single religious revolt achieved its prime objectives.
How did rebellions affect social and economic policy?
- Yorkshire, Henry VII agreed not to collect the tax, no fine.
- Cornish also relieved of paying war tax.
- Amicable Grant, no one paid any tax.
- After Oxfordshire rising 1596, the Elizabethan council: gave sermons that advertised work gov doing to help poor, reminded wealthier subjects of Christian duty to organise charity collections.
How did rebellions affect royal authority?
- Henry VII 1487 Star Chamber Act - additional legal powers to deal with nobles, restrict the number of servants kept & used in private armies.
- Henry VIII - reformed Council of the North, strengthened his political hold - power to quickly supress rebellion.
- Henry VIII purged magistrates – only those in whom he had full confidence remained.
- Elizabeth transferred power from sheriffs to JPs. Constant turnover of JPs 1570s built up a more dependable bench.
- Ireland, Silken Thomas, Henry VIII ended dominance of Geraldine’s, replaced with English officials.
- Ireland, political and financial cost. Geraldine cost gov £250,000. Tyrone £2 million.
How did rebellions affect foreign policy?
- Support for Warbeck from foreign powers in the 1490s affected Henry’s relationships with Burgundy, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and Scotland.
- Henry VII, treaties of Etaples and Ayton to secure throne from Warbeck.
- Preparations to attack Scotland 1497 affected by Cornish – troops had to be recalled, embarrassing.
- Failure of Amicable Grant impact on Henry VIII’s plans to invade France in 1525. Without extra money, couldn’t raise enough troops and equipment for campaign.
- 1549 rebellions encouraged France to declare war - compounding Somerset’s problems.
How did rebellion effect social and economic reform?
Tudor governments took note of social economic problems which had caused unrest in 1549 and 1596
- Pilgrimage of Grace also saw some reform:
- Abandoned the 1534 subsidy
- However, in 1536 little else was done to tackle the social and economic ills,
In terms of economic and social legislation, the most important turning point was the 1549 rebellions.
- The legislation that followed the unrest was more far-reaching and dealt with a range of wider issues than the legislation passed in 1536.
- the Subsidy and Vacancy Acts repealed
- The issue of enclosure of common land, which had been an issue in some regions in 1536, was tackled
- Further acts fixed grain prices, banned exports and maintained arable land
After the Oxfordshire rising 1596, the Elizabethan council took steps:
- Two acts were passed to reduce social distress: an “act against the decaying of towns and houses of husbandry” and “an act the maintenance of husbandry and tillage”.
- The legislation did not tackle other issues such as taxation, which was a concern given the heavy demands of the wars against Spain whereas after both 1549 and 1536 taxation was dealt with.
How did rebellion effect foreign policy?
Support for Warbeck from foreign powers in the 1490s affected Henry’s relationships with Burgundy, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and Scotland.
- Henry signed the treaties of Etaples and Ayton to secure his throne from Warbeck’s claims, and put a three-year trade embargo on Burgundy.
- The failure to secure the Amicable Grant had an impact on Henry VIII’s plans to invade France in 1525.
- Without the additional money, he could not hope to raise enough troops and equipment for a campaign.
- Within a year, relations with Charles V had deteriorated and those with France had improved, and Henry’s hopes of leading an army on the continent were dashed.
- The rebellions in 1549 had a serious impact on Somerset’s foreign policy and in particular the war against Scotland.
- The government was already in serious financial difficulties and struggling to meet the costs of war
- Foreign mercenaries were redeployed to deal with the domestic troubles and the orderly withdrawal of English troops from the Scottish lowlands
- Relations with Spain: Wyatt may have failed to stop Mary from marrying Philip but revolt highlighted the xenophobic feelings of many Englishmen
- Spain also recognised the strategic opportunities that rebellion in Ireland presented, and in 1580 and in 1601 sent money, troops and priests to assist Irish rebels against the English
- Although neither expedition proved successful, they further damaged Anglo Spanish relations.
