The Yorkshire Rebellion of 1489 Flashcards
How did it start
rebellion against him in the North, following the announcement
of a parliamentary tax of a ‘tenth’ to fund the defence of Brittany
against French aggression. In order to try and persuade people to
pay their taxes, Henry Percy, fourth earl of Northumberland made
a speech to an angry crowd at Topcliffe, in Yorkshire, in which
he attempted to explain the importance of the charges. He was,
however, set upon by the mob and lynched.
Hostility to the charge and to Northumberland was increased because: (reason about less taxes)
Traditionally the North of England paid less tax for defence of
the realm and wars on the continent because they were more
directly engaged than the rest of the country in defending the
border with Scotland. Henry, however, broke with this custom
in 1489 and instead insisted upon the entire country paying a
tenth. This provoked outcry in Yorkshire and Durham, with a
widespread refusal to pay the tax.
Hostility to the charge and to Northumberland was increased because: (reason about Richard III)
The North of England was where Richard III had most of his
estates and where most of his loyal following had been based.
so people may well have resented the Tudor regime more in
this area.
Hostility to the charge and to Northumberland was increased because: (reason about Percy’s retinue)
The earl of Northumberland’s retinue had previously had Richard III as their ‘good lord’. They failed to defend Percy against the mob and this may have been because they felt little loyalty towards him or to the new king, whereas they had supported Richard.
Percy’s murder indicated
Percy’s murder indicated a significant level of hostility towards the charges and to the reign of Henry VII. It was also a serious breakdown in law and order that undermined Henry’s claims to have brought peace to the country.
Percy murder particularly shocking because
The Percy family had a long tradition of governance in the North he was a senior nobleman with particular responsibility
for the Scottish Marches and the security of this sensitive
area. It was a serious embarrassment to Henry VIl, therefore,
and Northumberland’s death also potentially had important
consequences for the security and stability of the region as his
heir was a minor, leaving something of a power vacuum.
Henry
also was apparently concerned that the rising would develop from
a tax revolt into
a more general, pro-Yorkist rebellion and he was
determined to crush it with a large force.
The fear that the king’s reprisals would be felt across the area led to
the insurrection escalating under the leadership of Sir John Egremont,
a Yorkist sympathiser. The rebels declared that they would fight
against the king’s ‘evil councillors’ to defend their rights, leading
a rebellion
according to historian Anthony Goodman, the rebellion was
only briefly truly threatening to the crown.
What happened at the rebellion
Henry himself accompanied the earl of Surrey to subdue the insurgents. The rebels, however, quickly lost their determination and fled, although
some ringleaders were hanged at York. Egremont escaped and
found refuge with Margaret of Burgundy, who was in Flanders at
this time.
What was a significant consequence of the rebellion
Henry was careful in the future not to demand taxation against custom in the North. This placed a significant limitation on his military ambitions, and provides a reason for his more limited ambitions in the arena of
foreign war during his reign.
the modern historian Christine
Carpenter has argued that
Henry VI’s avaricious financial policies
were often liable to backfire, and that Henry’s keenness for money
was counterproductive, as it in fact made his throne more unstable
because it made him widely disliked.
