The Role of Leaders in the Challenge and Suppression; Kett, Somerset and the Earl of Warwick

Question 1

Who was Robert Kett?

Answer 1

From the ‘middling sort’, he was literate and increasingly became involved in local gov, respected by local community

Question 2

How was it beneficial for Kett that he was respected by the local community?

Answer 2

It helped him raise support, made rebels listen to him and helped him command obedience

Question 3

How was Kett in a position to survive inflation compared to the landless?

Answer 3

He owned land

Question 4

Why was Kett’s position as a landowner risky?

Answer 4

It put him in the group that was the main focus of the rebel complaint

Question 5

What did Kett do in response to rebel concerns of his enclosure?

Answer 5

He agreed with their concerns and offered to destroy his own fences

Question 6

In what sense could Kett be said to be idealistic?

Answer 6

He had a strong sense of social justice: Oak of Reformation

Question 7

How could Kett be said to be charasmatic?

Answer 7

He built up an army of 16,000 due to good persuasion, helped him gain loyalty

Question 8

How did Kett approach leadership?

Answer 8

Good organisational skills, kept the rebellion in good order and insisted on taking the moral high ground, few outbreaks of physical violence

Question 9

How did Kett act towards the gentry?

Answer 9

He embarrassed them by highlighting their mismanagement of local affairs

Question 10

What caused the failure of the rebellion on Kett’s behalf?

Answer 10

• Lacked tactical leadership to deal with Warwick’s army
• Only able to defeat Northhampton because he delayed dealing with them
• Once supplies were cut off, the camp couldn’t survive without it
• Moving to Dussindale was a tactical error due to flat ground

Question 11

How did Somerset approach leadership?

Answer 11

In a dictoral manner, careful to control access to the king - he fell once this failed

Question 12

How did Somerset make policy decisions?

Answer 12

By relying on a group of friends

Question 13

What policies did Somerset put in place?

Answer 13

Portrayed himself as a friend of the commons - anti enclosure policies, set up a special court for the poor to seek justice

Question 14

How did Somerset’s policies impact the rebellion?

Answer 14

His policies alienated the landed elite and sent a false message of alliance to rebels

Question 15

What impact did Somerset’s negotiations with rebels have on the rebellion?

Answer 15

Made rebellion worse, accused of endangering social and political order by negotiating and offering concessions, commissioners busy enquring into enclosure suggested the gov was on their side

Question 16

How did Somerset negotiate with rebels?

Answer 16

Sent letters which encouraged rebels, made promises which showed that he was sympathetic to their complaints, promised parliament would meet earlier

Question 17

How was Somerset giving mixed messages?

Answer 17

Partly encouraging them and partly bringing the rebellion to an end, rebels thought Somerset had betrayed them

Question 18

What gave rebels more time?

Answer 18

When the Marquess of Northhampton messed up the first attempt at dealing with the rebellion, rebels could organise themselves

Question 19

What did Somerset offer rebels and what happened?

Answer 19

He offered a pardon but the rebels rejected it as they believed they weren’t rebels

Question 20

Who replaced the Duke of Somerset?

Answer 20

The Earl of Warwick

Question 21

What was the Earl of Warwick’s role in the suppression?

Answer 21

• Initially very cautious
• Still had to be a political ally of somerset
• Didn’t want rebels to succeed but didn’t want Somerset to look good

Question 22

What was the Earl of Warwick’s approach dicated by?

Answer 22

His actions dicated by his vision that Somerset would fall and his need to secure his position at cout

Question 23

What were Warwick’s inital failures?

Answer 23

• Mixed loyalties
• Incident between rebels and Warwick’s troops and a rebel boy died
• Made rebels more aggressive

Question 24

How did Warwick attempt to defeat rebels?

Answer 24

• Ordered gates of Norwich to be opened, rebels refused, Warwick opened fire
• Captured many rebels, outnumbered them but some of royal army captured due to ambush techniques from rebels - knew the landscape

Question 25

What did the Earl of Warwick make his men do?

Answer 25

Take an oath to remain in the city until the rebellion was stopped

Question 26

How was the Earl of Warwick’s leadership helped?

Answer 26

By the arrival of the swiss mercenaries and the gradual reduction of rebel supplies

Question 27

How did Warwick take advantage of rebel movement to Dussindale?

Answer 27

Decided to attack the following day, Kett fled along with other rebels, 3000 rebels killed

Question 28

How did the gov treat Kett?

Answer 28

They chained him in the city of Norfolk and left him to rot and die in front of civilians as a deterrant