Rebellion and unrest under Edward

Question 1

What socio-economic problems affected England that were a cause of rebellion from 1547-1558?

Answer 1

population rise
inflation and rising prices
enclosure
decline in living standards
poverty and vagrancy
rising rents
poor harvests
influenzas and epidemics

Question 2

How did the population increase?

Answer 2

from 1525-1551 it rose from 2.3 million to 3 million.

Question 3

How were prices rising?

Answer 3

prices in 1520 were 37% higher than they were in 1508 and 69% higher than in 1530.
In order to finance wars against Scotland and France Henry VIII and Edwards VI’s governments had debased the coinage

Question 4

What was the impact of rising prices?

Answer 4

Falling standard of living, with estimates suggesting that half the population were unable to support themselves

Question 5

What were the socio-economic impacts of the Dissolution of the Monasteries?

Answer 5

Monasteries had helped the poor.

Question 6

What did the government do as poverty increased?

Answer 6

Vagrancy Act 1547, lacking a police force the government was forced into harsh measures to prevent groups of poor becoming a threat to law and order. The Vagrancy Act condemned vagrants to slavery for two years for a first offence and life for a second

Question 7

How did enclosures cause unrest?

Answer 7

Somerset established commissions in 1548 and 1549 to look into enclosures. The success were limited as landowners blocked any attempt to legislate over the issue, forcing Somerset to issue proclamations to force landowners to reverse the policy.
However this lost him the support of landowners
When legislation failed, lower orders often took law into their own hands and threw down what they considered to be illegal enclosures, believing that Somerset would support them

Question 8

How many rebellions were there in 1549?

Answer 8

At least 25 counties saw rebellion with the loss of life and destruction of property.
Government troops were required to put down the unrest in Devon and Cornwall, and East Anglia

Question 9

How did the Great Chain of Being affect Rebellions?

Answer 9

The ordinary people accepted the fact they were subordinate and were not attempting to overturn the order of the Great Chain of Being. However they had a clear sense of their rights and privileges.
The rebels saw themselves therefore as rebellion as a cry for help from the people to their monarch

Question 10

What were the two trigger causes of the Western Rebellion?

Answer 10

In Cornwall, resentment was towards William Body, a commissioner investigating church property in 1547, the final straw was the introduction of the new Prayer Book on June 10th 1549
In Devon, people were also provoked by their priest’s use of the new Prayer Book on 10th June 1549.

Question 11

How did the Western Rebellion begin?

Answer 11

In Cornwall, protestors assembled in Bodmin. They soon came under the leadership of Humphrey Arundell and a list of articles was complied then the crowd marched on
In Devon the rebels persuaded the priest to deliver a traditional Catholic Mass and then moved on to join the Cornwall forces on 20th June

Question 12

What was the local reaction to the Western Rebellion?

Answer 12

Very quickly the gentry lost their grip on the counties. Sir Peter Carew, the leading gentleman in Devon, rode to meet the combined force at Crediton on 21st June, but only aggravated the situation, he fled back to Exeter then London.
The sizeable rebel army moved up to the walls of Exeter 23rd June.

Question 13

What was the First Government Response to the Western Rebellion?

Answer 13

Somerset was acting on inadequate information and had only limited resources. On 29th June he urged Lord Russell, a Catholic member of the Council, to find a peaceful settlement.
Somerset only was able to provide Russell with a small army

Question 14

Why was Somerset only able to provide Lord Russell with a small army?

Answer 14

He was struggling to suppress enclosure riots in the Midlands, maintain forces on the Scottish border and watch for any French aggression.

Question 15

How did the Western Rebellion descend into bloodshed?

Answer 15

Loyalty to the Crown led to the citizens of Exeter to defend their city for six weeks.
Russell on the 8th July made his last attempt to reach a settlement with the rebels.
On 12th July reinforcements under Lord Grey were delayed by another uprising in Oxfordshire.
Finally on the 28th July in response to pressure from Somerset, Russell began his advance against the rebels aided by the much needed arrival of Lord Grey on 3rd August

Question 16

How did the Government suppress the Western Rebellion?

Answer 16

Confrontations between the rebels and government pushed the rebels back each time. On 6th August, Russell relieved Exeter and government reinforcements under Sir William Herbert arrived. Time was running out for the rebels. Somerset heaped yet more pressure on to Russell to finish the job as the French had declared war on England on 8th August. Finally on 16th August Russell advanced on and defeated the rebel forces at Sampford Courtenay

Question 17

Describe the aftermath of the Western Rebellion

Answer 17

3,000 people were killed. Robert Welsh, vicar and probably leader was hung.
The Government operation further deepened hostilities as government forces had acted illegally executing without trials.

Question 18

Where was Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 18

East Anglia- most densely populated and highly industrialised part of the country.
Many independent, small farmers were being badly affected by the enclosure of wooded pastoral areas

Question 19

What were the trigger causes for Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 19

Between 6-8July the entire community gathered at Wymondham. Anger and high spirits overflowed and crowds broke down some enclosure fences and hedges, including those of John Flowerdew, a local lawyer.
Flowerdew was unpopular because he had bought a local abbey and was pulling it down. He encouraged them to attack Robert Kett’s hedges instead

Question 20

How did Kett take control of the rebellion?

Answer 20

Rober Kett welcomed the action of the rebels in attacking his hedges and immediately assumed leadership.

Question 21

Who was involved in Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 21

Leading figures were all yeoman farmers. The absence of clergy, gentry and nobility was significant

Question 22

How did the Kett rebellion take hold?

Answer 22

By 10th July the rebels had reached Norwich and by 12th July they had encamped on Mousehold Heath with a crowd that had swelled to 16,000. Kett then produced their list of articles (demands) and waited for a government response

Question 23

What was the local reaction to Kett’s Rebellion

Answer 23

The size and speed of the movement paralysed the authorities of the county. Norwich found itself uneasily attempting to keep peaceful relations with Mousehold Heath.
The Sheriff was nearly arrested when he attempted to disperse the rebels and the rest of the gentry were powerless against this well-established force

Question 24

What was the First government response to Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 24

On 21st July the York Herald arrived to offer a full pardon to those who dispersed.
The offer was promising to prohibit landlords to act as farmers to reduce the price of wool by 1/3rd and to appoint commissioners to reform abuses. Kett rejected it.
The herald was eventually forced to retreat

Question 25

What happened to the York Herald in Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 25

It was clear the moment for negotiation and settlement had gone. The rebels fetched cannon from coastal defences and attacked Norwich after the heralds departure. By the evening of 22nd July, the rebels had taken Norwich and the herald had fled back to London.

Question 26

What was the role of William parr in Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 26

Somerset sent a small army of 1800 under William parr, Marquis of Northampton to negotiate with the rebels and cut off their supply lines. Northampton arrived on 30th July and occupied Norwich. he offered full pardon to any rebels who dispersed but on 20 responded

Question 27

How did Kett treat William Parr?

Answer 27

This was the first time the rebels had faced a senior member of the nobility but Northampton did not wield the weight of his authority in negotiations and Kett attacked and recaptured Norwich.
Northampton had succeeded in turning a vast popular demonstration into a full-scale rebellion.

Question 28

What happened after Northampton failed at negotiating with Kett?

Answer 28

Northampton returned in disgrace to London.
Commissions were issued for the militias to be raised in all the counties around Norfolk, troops were taken from all the garrisons on the border with Scotland and mercenaries were employed.
Northumberland (or Earl of Warwick) at the head of this force of 12,000 arrived outside Norwich on 23rd August

Question 29

What happened when Northumberland faced Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 29

Arrived on 23rd August.
Over the next three days Northumberland’s professional army defeated the rebels and on 26th August Kett abandoned their position on Mousehold Heath and took up the constructed defences at Dussindale.
On 27th August three thousand rebels were slaughtered and Kett was arrested.

Question 30

What was the aftermath of Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 30

Kett was tried for treason and hanged on 26th November. 49 executions of the rebels. Northumberland dealt with them inside the law and leniently

Question 31

What religious demands were there from the Western Rebellion?

Answer 31

Demanded the reintroduction of Catholicism
Reinstatement of Henry VIII’s Act of Six Articles, the use of Latin, Communion in one kind, prayers for the dead and Mass every Sunday.
The articles provided were solely religious concerns

Question 32

What were the economic demands from the Western Rebellion?

Answer 32

Complaints early on were dominated by economic grievances.
Taxes on sheep and cloth were complained about.
The initial list of demands produced included taxes and food prices, by the time the second list was produced a small group of clergy led by Robert Welsh had hijacked control and their theological concerns are heavily reflected in the articles.

Question 33

What evidence is there to suggest that Kett’s rebellion was caused by enclosures?

Answer 33

The rebels attacks on fences and hedges show that they were opposed to enclosure in wooded pasture areas.
The first article pf their demands opposed any future enclosure.
The list of demands however contains complaints on a whole range of local farming issues not just enclosure

Question 34

Describe the action the government had taken against enclosure before Kett’s rebellion

Answer 34

1st June 1548 Commission of inquiry established under John Hales to investigate the extent to which existing legislation on enclosure was being enforced in the Midlands.
Summer 1548 The Council voiced opposition to Somerset’s policy and accused Hales of stirring up trouble

Question 35

What action did the government take against enclosure in the Summer of 1549?

Answer 35

Hales began the work of his commission again, but his work failed miserably and did not manage to bring any proceedings against any enclosers

Question 36

What other concerns (than enclosure) did the rebels of Kett’s rebellion have?

Answer 36

Rents- strongly complained about the increase in rents, it was a period of inflation and rack-renting

Question 37

What evidence is there that Somerset would be “sympathetic “ to rebels?

Answer 37

His social policy and reputation as the “Good Duke”
He gave support to the “Commonwealth men” a group of Christian reformers who campaigned against the exploitation of the poor
He appointed John Hales to lead a commission into enclosure
He created a special tax on sheep with a higher rate for flocks on enclosed land

Question 38

What religious causes were there of Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 38

Articles call for more competent and involved clergy rather than controversial doctrinal statements
A concern with the poor quality of priests
Inclination towards Protestantism by their use of the new Prayer Book at Mousehold Heath camp

Question 39

In what ways did rebellions pose little threat to the government?

Answer 39

There was no attempts to cooperate the isolated uprisings, except Devon and Cornwall, However, there was no attempts at cross-regional co-operation which would have been dangerous
Rebellions were not directed at the Government or the monarch.
There was no attempt to march on London
The government was always in control of its forces
There was a noticeable lack of aristocratic and gentry leadership

Question 40

In what ways were the rebellions a threat to the government?

Answer 40

In some cases (Norfolk, Devon and Cornwall) the local gentry failed to deal with the uprisings and central govt. had to intervene
Raising troops was difficult and expensive, the normal metho of raising troops was through local militia but the government couldn’t ask the rebellious peasants for support
Against his will, Somerset had to return troops from Scotland which marked the end of his policy garrisoning the northern border

Question 41

How did Kett’s rebellion demonstrate discipline and order?

Answer 41

The Mousehold Heath camp was effectively organised and run by Kett.
A pseudo-county council was created and proper legal procedures were always followed.
They created their own open-air court with a jury so rebels could be “admonished to beware of their robbing’s and spoiling with a commission in the King’s name”

Question 42

What were the consequences of the rebellions of 1549?

Answer 42

The coup which removed Protector Somerset was made directly possible by the rebellions and by Somerset’s handling of them. Somerset’s support of the anti-enclosure measures had disastrously earned him the widespread reputation of being a friend of the commons.
Northumberland’s successful military suppression of Kett’s rebellion added to his own political credibility and status.
The French took advantage of England’s internal domestic turmoil by declaring war and besieging Boulogne in summer 1549.