The Pilgrimage of Grace and Bigod's Rising

Question 1

What were the aims and motives of the POG?

Answer 1

To express their anger over the dissolution and their fear of the economic and social consequences, also wanted to reflect wider economic concerns

Question 2

What were the concerns felt by the North of England put in the Pontefract articles?

Answer 2

Enclosure and unfair rent rises in rent imposed by landlords, also asked for remission from the 1534 subsidy

Question 3

Why did the clergy have complaints in the articles?

Answer 3

Over government attacks on traditional privileges of the Church such as the benefit of the clergy

Question 4

Why was it a benefit to the rebels to have a leader like Robert Aske?

Answer 4

He was an educated lawyer who was able to articulate the rebles fears, he also came up with the name

Question 5

What did the rebels want?

Answer 5

An end to the heresies of Luther and other thinkers, the restoration of powers of the Pope and the reversal of the dissolution of the smaller monasteries

Question 6

Which rebellion was the POG linked to?

Answer 6

The Lincolnshire rebellion, they were communicating throughout

Question 7

By the 16 October how many followers had the rebellion attracted and what were they planning to do?

Answer 7

10,000 who were planning to take over the city of York

Question 8

What did Aske’s proclomation state?

Answer 8

The rebels peaceful intentions and their determination to protect the church

Question 9

How did the rebels at York display their intentions?

Answer 9

By restoring two religious houses which had been dissolved, they then captured the Port of Hull and Pontefract Castle

Question 10

What did Lord Darcy do when they captured Pontefract?

Answer 10

He wrote letters to the king asking for help, did little to actually stop the rebels and then eventually got persuaded to join in

Question 11

Which leading members of the nobility and gentry supported the rebellion?

Answer 11

Lord Latimer, Robert Bowes and Sir Christopher Derby

Question 12

What did the North Yorkshire rebels do?

Answer 12

They captured Barnard Castle before meeting up with Aske’s rebels

Question 13

When rebels beseiged Skipton castle, which nobles were trapped?

Answer 13

Henry Clifford - Earl of Cumberland

Question 14

By late October where had the rebels reached?

Answer 14

Most of the North and North East of England, they failed in Lancashire because the Earl of Derby remained loyal to Henry

Question 15

How many armies were there and how many rebels in total?

Answer 15

9 armies with 30,000 rebels

Question 16

Why were Henry’s military resources overstreteched and what errors did he make?

Answer 16

The Duke of Suffolk was restoring order in Lincoln, Henry’s overconfidence led him to send home a second army - this gave rebels 3 weeks to form a strategy

Question 17

Why did the government have little choice but to negotiate?

Answer 17

They were outnumbered by the rebels

Question 18

What was Henry’s first response to the articles?

Answer 18

To write an angry reply

Question 19

How many articles did rebels write up?

Answer 19

24 articles

Question 20

What did Norfolk promise the rebels and what outcome did it have?

Answer 20

A parliament in the North and a pardon from Henry which led the rebels to go home

Question 21

What had rebels realised in 1537?

Answer 21

That Henry had trickd them and the Duke of Norfolk had returned to London for much longer than expected

Question 22

What did Sir Francis Bigod do?

Answer 22

Led a few hundred rebels but Bigod was eventually captured

Question 23

What did Bigod’s rising give Henry the excuse to do?

Answer 23

Punish the rebels: trials and 144 executions, Aske, Hussey, Percy, Bigod and Darcy were executed

Question 24

Who supported the POG?

Answer 24

Members of the nobility, gentry, clergymen and monks as well as commons

Question 25

Why isn’t it surprising that Darcy and Hussey would join the rebellion?

Answer 25

They had conservative sympathies

Question 26

Where did the rebellion start from?

Answer 26

Anger from the commons about the dissolution of the monasteries

Question 27

How can the extent of church involvement be seen?

Answer 27

In the number of executions of clergymen and monks: 6 abbots, 38 monks and 16 parish priests executed

Question 28

Who remained loyal?

Answer 28

The Earl of Derby and the Clifford family as they had been well rewarded in the 1530s

Question 29

How could the POG be seen as threatening?

Answer 29

It was an enormous logistical challenge for henry due to the speed and number of rebels, made worse by Lincolnshire, nobility and gentry joined in, Aske was leader, Henry only raised 8000 men

Question 30

How could the POG be seen as not threatening?

Answer 30

It was eventually defeated, Aske was naive and believed Norfolk, commons were still prepared to trust their superiors, they weren’t interested in removing Henry from the throne, his patronage worked well