EdVI REBELLIONS

Question 1

WHAT year did several rebellions take place in Edward VI’s reign?

Answer 1

1549

Question 2

WHEN was the Western rebellion?

Answer 2

June - August 1549

Question 3

WHAT were the causes of the Western rebellion?

Answer 3

• Religious grievances: the rebels wanted to reverse religious reforms due to the impact on their community
• Grievances over taxation: rebels saw taxes such as the sheep tax as a London imposition. Pair this with rising prices and falling wages and it can be seen why people were angry
• Class antagonism: rebels resented local officials and despised enclosure

Question 4

WHAT is the Western rebellion also called?

Answer 4

The ‘Prayer Book Rebellion’

Question 5

WHAT are some key events of the Western rebellion?

Answer 5

• 6th Jun: formation of Cornish rebel camp
• 20th Jun: Cornish and Devonian forces converge
• Rebels set up a camp near Exeter and then besieged Exeter
• Lord Russell begins advance on rebels
• 17th Aug: final defeat of rebels

Question 6

HOW was the Western rebellion suppressed?

Answer 6

Lord Russell used the help of foreign mercenaries to eventually suppress the rebels, although the fact that it took a while to suppress shows the scale of the rebellion. Martial law was used to deal with the rebels

Question 7

WHEN was Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 7

July - August 1549

Question 8

WHAT were the causes of Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 8

• Resentment of the promises Somerset’s government had made against enclosure
• Class antagonism (like the Western rebellion)
• Hatred of local government officials and local maladministration
• Norfolk foldcourse (sheep access to enclosed common land) began to be denied in some villages

Question 9

WHAT were the differences between the causes of the Western rebellion and Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 9

Western: wanted a reversal of government policy (religious)
Kett’s: wanted the government to act on their own policies (economic)

Question 10

WHAT are some key events of Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 10

• 8th Jul: rebels tear down hedges near Norwich
• Rebels fire on Norwich and take control of the city. John Dudley (Warwick/Northumberland) fails to recapture the city.
• 27th Aug: rebels defeated by forces led (12,000 strong) by Dudley (Warwick/Northumberland)

Question 11

HOW was Kett’s rebellion suppressed?

Answer 11

1) Earl of Northampton failed humiliatingly
2) Dudley (Warwick/Northumberland) had to use an army of 12,000 with the help of foreign mercenaries to brutally suppress the rebellion. Kett was convicted and hanged for high treason.

Question 12

HOW MANY rebels were killed during Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 12

3,000

Question 13

WHAT do some historians argue was the purpose of rebellions in the Tudor period?

Answer 13

Some argue that rebellion was used as a form of negotiation in the Tudor period, as most commoners did not have a formal way to express their grievances. Often, commoners did not want to overthrow the government, they just wanted their voices to be heard