Depth Study 2 - Challenging religious changes, 1533–37 Flashcards
How powerful were monasteries, and why were they a threat (The impact of Henrician religious changes) (2,3)
-There were 900 religious houses in England, housing 12,000 monks/nuns
-Not all monasteries were perfect, but they were still regarded highly, especially in the poorer north
-Most monastic orders were controlled by foreign catholics
-Ultimately, monks’ loyalties lied with the pope, a fear post break
-For reformers, the monasteries represented the wealth/corruption of the catholic church, as well as promoting the superstitious belief of purgatory
Why were the monasteries closed (The impact of Henrician religious changes) (2,3,3)
Allegiances to rome
-Monks and nuns owed obedience to the pope
-Most monastic orders were controlled by foreign catholic orders (france, italy, spain)
Wealth
-Monastic income over 3x that of income from royal estates
-Total income of all religious houses was £160,000 per year and 1/3 of landed properties belonged to monasteries (rent and tithes)
-Valuable income to defend threats/fund war/reward supporters
Abuses/decays
-A lot of money went to own peoples gain or rome
-Monasteries represented wealth/corruption of the church
-Practised the superstitious purgatory and criticised indulgences
How were the monasteries dissolved from 1533-36 (The impact of Henrician religious changes) (1,1,3,5)
1533:
-Henry announced his goal to increase crown revenue by taking church lands
1534:
-Rumours of cromwell confiscating all lands to provide income to Henry spread
1535:
-Cromwell carrys out Valor Ecclesiasticus, ‘the value of the church’ in september
-VE was intended to gauge the church’s wealth and cast monasteries negatively
-Cromwells 6 ‘visitors’ provided exaggerated/fabricated evidence of mass corruption
1536:
-Using VE’s evidence, the first act of the dissolution of the smaller monasteries was passed
-All houses worth less than £200 per year were shut, heads of house were offered pensions and larger houses were praised
-The act was presented as a reformative, not destructive measure
-Gradualism was the key, explaining the delay in dissolving larger
-The delay could also be explained by the 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace, origining from a reaction to the initial dissolutions
How were the monasteries dissolved from 1537-1540 (The impact of Henrician religious changes) (3,1,1,2)
1537:
-A large number of ‘voluntary’ surrenders of larger houses took place
-A key moment was in december, when the great priory of Lewes in sussex was handed over
-It was clear that this was an attack on all monasteries
1538:
-In the 16 months since Cromwell started his dissolution, 202 houses had been shut
1539:
-The second act of the dissolution of the larger monasteries was passed, legitimising the voluntary surrenders by giving parliamentary sanction, and all property of great houses was transferred to the crown
1540:
-Waltham abbey was the last monastery to be handed to the crown in march
-In total, 563 monasteries had been shut down, 8000 monks pensioned off as crown income doubled from £125,000 annually to £250,000 and land was sold off starting at £1.3 million
What were the impacts of the dissolution of the monasteries (The impact of Henrician religious changes) (4,3,4)
Population:
-Aggravated an already worsening situation for the poor
-For those who relied on monasteries for alms/food/education now had nothing
-6500/8000 monks were pensioned off, a few found new employment but the 2000 nuns weren’t allowed to become priests and struggled
-New catholic grammar schools set up + Christ Church Oxford and Trinity Cambridge
Culture:
-Patronage now lied with Squires, JP’s and chief landowners
-Religious issues more conflicting, as shown by Pilgrimage of Grace’s discontent
-More established men bought their way into politics
Crown:
-A major source of potential discontent was gone
-From may 1543, most land was sold off to fund wars (around £2 million made long term)
-By 1547, 1/2 of monastic land remained in the crown’s possession, and the £800,000 raised by then allowed for lower tax
-Resale value of monastic land started at £1.3 million, crown’s income doubled from £125,000 to £250,000
What caused the rebellions of 1536 (POG) (4,4,3)
Religious:
-Dissolution of monasteries and activities of officials sparked rebellion in Louth, Lincolnshire
-Wider discontent about Henry’s religious policy, now in the hands of Cromwell and Cranmer
-Attacks on traditional practices/belief (afterlife and pilgrimages) threatened centuries of belief
-Affected everyone, and it was such drastic change in such a short time
Socioeconomic:
-Entry fines and enclosures caused resentment up north
-1534 subsidy (a tax) coincided with 2 years of poor harvest and weather
-Rumours spread that the government was planning more peacetime taxes
-Landed Gentry resented the 1536 act of Uses, which restricted enfeoffments (land/money transfer in wills)
Political:
-Some thought it was a court based plot to restore Mary to succession and remove Cromwell
-Some northern gentry (sir Christopher Derby) were sympathetic to rebels
-However this was not too significant as it only applied to rebels, most of who didn’t mind Henry
What were the aims, motives and support for the lincolnshire uprising (POG) (2,2,4)
Aims:
-Restore Catholicism
-Get rid of the ‘evil counsellors’, who were ABoC Cramner and Chief minister Cromwell (not Henry)
Motives:
-Unhappy about 1534 subsidy and 1536 enacted act of Uses
-Against the dissolution of the smaller monasteries
Support:
-Ordinary men and women of Louth, led by a shoemaker (3,000 commons)
-Members of the local gentry, including JP’s
-Some said gentry joined in to remain in control and ensure protests didn’t become violent
-Members of local nobility (Lords Hussey and Clinton) fled when 10,000 rebels marched to Lincoln
What happened in the lincolnshire uprising (POG) (8)
-On October 2nd, the Bishop of Lincoln’s officer arrived at Louth to carry out a visitation of the clergy
-On October 3rd, armed men who had spent the night guarding church treasure marched to Legbourne nunnery, where they captured the commissioners there to dissolve it
-3,000 met at Louth, as the government commissioners were forced to flee
-On October 4th, trouble spread, as Dr Raynes, chancellor of the bishop of Lincoln was killed
-Lincoln articles (a petition) were drawn up, with grievances over dissolution of the monasteries and promotion of reformers such as Cramner
-On October 7th, 10,000 rebels marched to Lincoln, as Lords Hussey and Clinton fled
-Second set of articles sent to London, as the kings army, led by the Duke of Suffolk, started marching up
-On October 11th, the king responds to the petitions threatening severe punishment, rebels decide to ask Suffolk for a pardon
What were some points drawn up in the Lincoln articles (POG) (5)
-“the suppression of so many religious houses” (complaining about dissolution of smaller monasteries)
-“Act of uses may be suppressed “ “restrained of their liberties” (gentry annoyed at act of uses taking rights on how to give lands away in wills)
-“Tax or a quindayne [15th[ granted […] leviable of sheep or cattle” (annoyed at paying tax on sheep/cattle, already poor enough
-“we your true subjects […] procurred the premises most especially for their own advantage” (Cromwell, cramner, Richard Riche and kings council mislead king for personal gain)
-“diverse bishops of England […] hath falsid the faith of christ” (Henry’s protestant bishops destroying the catholic faith, rebels blaming Bishopp of Lincoln for rebellion)
How did the lincolnshire uprising pose a threat, and how did Henry deal with it (POG) (5,5)
-Rebellion spread quickly and attracted wide support from all sections of society
-10,000 rebels marched to lincoln as nobility fled
-Local nobility/gentry became involved
-clergy/monks, who usually kept peace, got involved
-Lincolnshire rebels in were in touch with discontented yorkshire
-Yorkshire commons not ready to rise
-Gentry leadership was half-hearted, as they were reluctant to risk lives/property
-Duke of suffolk’s royal army convinced rebels to go home
-Henry’s threat of treason put many off
-Rebels were loyal to Henry, and didn’t want a battle
What was some support for the pilgrimage of grace (POG) (7,1)
-POG led by Robert Aske, an educated lawyer
-30,000 commons support in Yorkshire
-6 abbots, 38 monks, 16 parish priests executed for treason
-Lord Darcy and Lord Hussey both members of a conservative faction at court with conservative religious sympathies
-Gentry such as Robert Bowes, a lawyer
-Sir Ingram and Thomas Percy (Earl of Northumberland)
-Sir Robert Constable, an advisor to the earl
-Earl of Derby and Clifford family remained loyal to Henry
What were the events of the pilgrimage of grace from october 2nd to 21st (POG) (1,1,2,2,3,1)
-On October 2nd, Yprkshire rebels communicated with lincolnshire rebels
-The POG began in Beverley, East riding of Yorkshire on October 10th
-On October 11th, North riding of Yorkshire rose up, supported by local nobility (Lord Latimer) and gentry (Robert Bowes)
-These rebels captured Barnard castle then met with Aske’s rebels in York
-By October 16th, 10,000 rebels had taken York, as the rebellion erupted in Westmoreland
-Aske issued a proclomation stating the rebels peaceful demands, as 2 religious houses were restored
-On October 19th, rebels captured the port of Hull and Pontefract castle
-Lord Darcy was trying to defend the castle, but eventually joined the rebels
-4 more rebel hosts marched to Carlisle
-On October 21st, rebels gathered in Westmoreland/Cumberland, and besieged Skipton castle and Henry Clifford
What were the events of the pilgrimage of grace from late october to december 8th (POG) (5,1,2,1,2)
-By late October, the rebellion covered mst of the north/north east
-9 rebel hosts held 30,000 people, with well trained fighters
-Henry’s military resource were overstretched, Suffolk was still in Lincolnshire
-Henry had sent home a second army, giving the rebels extra time to prepare
-Rebels, however, were least successful in Lancashire, as the earl of Derby remained loyal and so did local gentry
-On October 23rd, the Duke of Norfolk and Earl of Shrewsbury marched north with 8,000 men, but they were outnumbered
-On October 27th, Norfolk met rebels at Pontefract, and rebels presented 5 articles
-Henry’s response was an angry letter, then rebels frew up 24 complaints (pontefract articles)
-On December 6th, a second meeting was held at Doncaster, where the rebels agreed upon a pardon and a couple promises
-When news of the pardon reached rebels on December 8th, many went home
-Aske went to London, and was treated well at court, but Henry was simply biding his time
What were some reasons the POG posed a threat to Henry’s government, and why was he able to deal with it (POG) (5,5)
-Events in Lincolnshire diverted the Duke of Suffolk and his army
-Nobility/gentry/JP involvement was bad, as they usually dealt with local trouble
-Rebels were well organised under Aske, well trained, and well communicated
-Leadership of Aske ensured the rebellion remained peaceful, attracting gentry
-30,000 rebels > 8,000 army, Duke of Norfolk forced to negotiate
-Aske was naive in believing Norfolks promises of a northern parliament
-Norfolk took advantage of commons’ obedience to higher up’s (Norfolk was in Kings court)
-Rebels weren’t interested in removing Henry from the throne/fighting him
-Not enough conservative court faction joined to sustain a political challenge
-Henry used patronage to reward men like the Earl of Derby, who remained loyal
What were the pontefract articles (POG) (3,6,1)
-The Pontefract articles were the second set of 24 demands issued by the rebels
-They originally sent 5 articles to Henry (27/10), who responded with an angry letter
-These articles show what rebels were unhappy about, and what change they wanted
-Restoring dissolved monasteries = religious and all
-Punish officials sent to dissolve abbeys ‘Dr Lighe and Dr Layton’ = religious and all
-‘Lord Cromwell and Sir Richard Riche to have condign punishment’ = political and all
-‘to have a parliament at Nottingham or York’ = political and nobility
-to not pay the 1534 subsidy = economic and commons
-To reverse the act of Uses = economic and landed gentry
-9/24 demands were religious
