Chapter 4- Pilgrimage of Grace Flashcards
What was the Church like before the Reformation?
-The Church was at the centre of the communities.
-Monasteries were places of learning and culture, offered medical treatment, and sometimes acted as refugees for the poor of homeless.
-So many people were worried to go to hell that they had paid the church indulgences, to be forgiven and helped to get themselves to heaven.
-This made the Reformation a religious movement in the 1500s because of the Church’s wealth and its influence in society.
Why did King Henry VIII support the Reformation?
-Henry saw the Pope as a competing power; he wanted the people of England to listen to him only.
-Henry wanted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon but the Pope would not allow it.
-He would not need to pay the Pope taxes if he was in charge of the Church himself.
How did Henry VIII become the head of the Church?
-He made himself the head of the Church of England in 1534 with the Act of Supremacy with the help of Thomas Cromwell.
-Cromwell also helped Henry divorce Catherine of Aragon and increase his wealth.
Why did Henry VIII shut down some monasteries?
-The Church had an annual income of more than 200,000 pounds, and this meant that it had earned nearly double that of the King so Henry wanted this wealth.
-Small monasteries with an annual income of less than 200 pounds were shut down in 1536.
-Valor Ecclesiasticus was set up by Cromwell to evaluate how the monasteries were spending their money and if the monasteries were not run properly, they would get shut down, and this gave Henry a lot of control.
Why were people unhappy about Henry’s changes?
-Rising prices.
-Landowners lost influence (those who supported Catherine of Aragon).
-Changes to religion, many people wanted the monasteries back, with the Pope as the head of the Church.
-Cromwell’s power led to many significant changes in the Church.
What caused the Pilgrimage of Grace?
-In 1536, a rebellion broke out in Yorkshire by devout Christians and this is because they were angry about the changes to the Church.
-They demanded for the restoration of the monasteries, to recognise the Pope as the head of Church, and dismiss Cromwell and other ministers who were giving the King poor advice.
How much of England did the Pilgrims take control of?
-They started in Lincoln with Lord Hussey who had supported Catherine of Aragon, who wanted a removal of tax in peacetime.
-Then the town of York was captured where they had been held by Lord Darcy but he had surrendered and joined the pilgrims.
-By the end of October 1536, they had control of most of England north of Cheshire and Lincolnshire.
-On 27th October, the Duke of Norfolk met the pilgrims at Doncaster bridge; he had an army of 8000 men and Aske has 30000.
What happened between Aske and Henry after?
-December 1536: List of demands was presented to the King.
-Aske spent the Christmas holidays with Henry at his palace and Henry reassured Aske that he was taking their demands seriously.
-Despite this, Henry started to strengthen his garrison in the north.
-January 1537: Castles in Hull, Beverley and Scarborough were attacked by the rebels.
-Henry used this to cancel the pardons and sent Norfolk north where another rebellion was taking place in Carlisle.
-The rebels then surrendered, several were hanged and the rebellion was over.
What were the consequences of the Pilgrimage of Grace?
-The religious consequences were that the dissolution of the monasteries were failed to stop.
Many more monasteries were dissolved in 1539.
-The economic consequences were that the economy improved and Henry was able to develop the Royal Navy.
-The political consequences were that Cromwell had Aske, Darcy, and Hussey killed. No more rebellions took place during Henry’s reign.
-Cromwell eventually fell out of Henry’s favour and was executed in 1540.
