Henry VIII - Rebellion Flashcards
When was the Pilgrimage of Grace?
October 1536
How many people involved in POG at Doncaster?
40,000 - presented petition to Duke of Norfolk
Who led POG?
Aske
How did POG start?
Rumours that Cromwell’s commissioners were intending to strip parish church of ornaments
What happened on the 4th October?
18 local gentry arrived to lead rebellion - demanded broader reforms, dismissal of Cromwell and repeal of Statute of Uses
When did local monks join them?
When rebels marched toward Lincoln
What happened when rebels moved from York to Pontefract?
They seized the castle and formulated their demands
What happened to Aske at York in 1537?
Hanged
Four causes of POG?
Economic, Religious, Political, Hatred of Cromwell
Religious Causes for POG?
- Break with Rome in 1534
- Act of Suppression - smaller monasteries - 1536 (income of less than 200 pound per year)
- Objection to poor treatment of monks/clergy - destitute, homeless
- Dissolution unpopular in North - strongly Catholic
- 800 abbeys closed from 1536
- Parish church was central - fear of losing traditions
- Money from dissolution went to the crown
- Monks, canons, friars, nuns all forced out
- 30 percent small monasteries closed in 1536
Economic Causes for POG?
- North resented increased taxation, rent and enroachment of nobility on their land
- Enclosures - right to graze cattle taken away
- Insulting dignity and right to make a living
- Tensions from enclosures - 300 pulled down hedges and dykes in 1535 Yorkshire
- in Pontefract Articles - enclosures since 1489 to be pulled down
- 14 Articles of Pontefract wanted to not pay taxes due t Subsidy Act in 1534
- Bad harvest in 1535
- Henry VIII asking for too much, too extravagant
- Money asked for French war
- Rising food prices
Political Causes of POG?
- Many did not support Henry’s poor treatment of Catherine of Aragon
- Many wanted to restore Princess Mary to the throne (historian Geoffrey Elton)
- People feared James V Scotland would be heir
- Increased power of gentry
- Corruption of government
- Wanted ‘old nobility’ back
- Cromwell’s reforms reduced power of Northern Lords
- People wanted more say in how the North was run
- Nobility felt threatened by Cromwell’s power over King
- Struggle between conservative North and changing South
Hatred of Cromwell causes for POG?
- Increased government control in North
- Promotion of heretical bishops by Thomas Cromwell
- Low birth of Cromwell
- Protestantism of Cromwell
- Blamed for Break With Rome
- ‘corruption’ of Henry’s mind
- His removal could increase power of other nobility
Why was the POG not a threat?
- Cunning of Cromwell and Henry VIII
- Variety of pilgrims - disparity between rebels
- Conflicting interests led to conflict
- Failed to present united front
- Aske had no intention of violence or overthrowing Henry
- Only 9/24 of the Pontefract articles were religious
Why was POG a threat?
- Potential foreign support
- Involvement of nobility and clergy
- 40,000 much larger than royal army
- Pilgrims could have reached Deep South without facing opposition
- 1/3 openly rebelling against government
- Direct threat to Henry’s royal supremacy
- Size of rebellion could have led to abdication
Pontefract Articles Conditions
- 9 religious out of 24 articles
- Demand of return of papal authority
- End to enclosures since 1489
- Parliament in North
Why did POG fail?
- Army used force to break up smaller, scattered outbreaks
- 200 involved executed, people scared
- Peaceful agreements made for King to listen to grievances
- Experience, organisation of King’s troops
- Aske’s faith in King to keep promises
- Nobles eventually backed down - trusting the manipulative King
- Henry reacted strongly - willing to kill hundreds
- Nobles could have combined power to gain more support in North but they did not
