Source question - Pilgrimage of Grace 1536

Question 1

What religious demands did the PoG rebels make? (Examples from the Pontefract Articles)

Answer 1

1 “heresies of Luther…annulled and destroyed…”

2 “The Supreme head of the church…restored…”

First two demands were religious, showing they believed them to be important

18 “Privileges and rights of the church to be confirmed by parliament”

Question 2

What socio-economic demands did the PoG rebels make? (Examples from the Pontefract Articles)

Answer 2

14 “discharged of the quindene”

13 “enclosures and intacs to be or in execution”

15 “A parliament in the North… Nottingham or York

Question 3

What political demands did the PoG rebels make? (Examples from the Pontefract Articles)

Answer 3

8 “Cromwell… to have condyne punishment”

3 lady Mary to be made legitimate

“Expulse all villein blood and evil councillors”

Question 4

What religious actions did the rebels of PoG take?

Answer 4

Rebels marched under the 5 wounds of Christ

Robert Aske named it the Pilgrimage of Grace - strong religious connotations “pilgrimage”

Aske made rebels swear a religious oath before joining

Question 5

What act was signed in 1534 that the rebels took issue with?

Answer 5

“Act of Supremacy” 1534 - broke away from Rome

Question 6

What did the new prayer book do that angered the rebels especially?

Answer 6

Omitted 4 of the 7 sacraments

Question 7

How many closed monasteries did the rebels re-open in Yorkshire?

Answer 7

16 out of 55

Question 8

Why was the monasteries being shut such a problem for society?

Answer 8

Prior to welfare state - many relied on monastic charity
Monasteries were big employers
Previously monastic land was bought up by wealthy southerners - fear that coins were leaving the north (drainage of coin)
Co-current economic distress as well as bad harvests, inflation, population increase and high tax burden

Question 9

Why are Darcey, Percy and Hussey suspected to have played a large role in the Pilgrimage of Grace

Answer 9

Percy was Aske’s lawyer - Aske is speculated to have been a puppet
Darcey and Hussey had previously been found guilty of a pro Spanish conspiracy - link to being a member of the Aragonese faction (also religious)
Darcey, Percy and Hussey suffered Cromwell’s centralising policies
The northern nobles had factional differences with Cromwell
They wanted to regain the power they lost after Henry divorced C of A

Question 10

What made the leadership of the Pilgrimage of Grace threatening?

Answer 10

Robert Aske was respected by the commoners and trusted by the nobility - socially amphibious (best of both worlds)

An effective organiser

Question 11

What made the leadership of the Pilgrimage of Grace NOT-threatening?

Answer 11

Naïve - allowed his brother, Christopher Aske, to sit in on meetings even though he was a known royal spy

Rebellion was divided - a peace faction (Aske) and a war faction (Bigod)

Question 12

What made the military force of the pilgrimage of grace threatening?

Answer 12

50,000 total, 30,000 in Yorkshire/Lancastershire phase of rebellion - larger than any royal army or other peasant army

Noble leadership - Darcey + Hussey, was able to provide cavalry

Militarised north

Royal forces were unpaid/underpaid, demoralised and outnumbered 4:1

Question 13

How much were the royal forces outnumbered by rebel forces during the Pilgrimage of Grace 1536?

Answer 13

4:1

Question 14

What made the regional variation of the pilgrimage of grace threatening?

Answer 14

Yorkshire/Lancashire phase of rebellion = was the most dangerous

Question 15

What made the regional variation of the pilgrimage of grace NOT-threatening?

Answer 15

Lincolnshire only had 10,000 men - 1/3rd of the Yorkshire/Lancashire - the men dispersed when confronted with royal forces
Bigod - several hundred men defeated at Carlisle

Question 16

Why was the government choice of the Duke of Norfolk to settle the rebellion considered a good choice?

Answer 16

credible, northern background, catholic sympathiser, had a fearsome military reputation

Question 17

What made the geography of the pilgrimage of grace NOT-threatening?

Answer 17

Up north, not threatening to London, got no closer than Doncaster

Question 18

What made the timing of the pilgrimage of grace NOT-threatening?

Answer 18

October - cold, 1536, adult male, established king Henry VIII

Question 19

Reasons to argue the pilgrimage of grace achieved its religious aims:

Answer 19

The Bishops Book (1537) reinstated the 4 sacraments,
Temporary restoration of 16 monasteries,
Mary was reinstated in 1543,
Cromwell executed 1540 as a “heretic”
Promised a parliament in the north (devolution)

Question 20

Reasons to argue the pilgrimage of grace did not achieve its religious aims:

Answer 20

Papal authority was not restored
By 1540 - all monasteries had been closed
Mary’s restoration was not a result of the Pilgrimage of Grace - Henry only had one heir and needed a backup
Council of the North was restored but it was just used as a tool to further control the North

Question 21

Reasons to argue the pilgrimage of grace achieved its economic aims:

Answer 21

Promise of gressom achieved

Question 22

Reasons to argue the pilgrimage of grace did not achieve its economic aims:

Answer 22

Taxation was at its highest it had ever been in the 1540s

Question 23

What happened to the majority of the rebels after the rebellion?

Answer 23

Pardon was offered
Rebellion had relatively low executions

Question 24

What happened to the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace?

Answer 24

Aske, Darcy and Hussey were all executed and all the Percy land was confiscated