Edward

Question 1

Which two rebellions took place during Edward’s reign?

Answer 1

Western Rebellion + Kent’s Rebellion

Question 2

When did the Western Rebellion take place?

Answer 2

June 1549

Question 3

What were the two main causes of the Western Rebellion?

Answer 3

Religion + Economy

Question 4

What were the religious causes of the Western Rebellion?

Answer 4

Protestantism
Abolition of prayers for the dead
Destruction of Church images
Act Of Six Articles repealed
Services in English
New Prayer Book (catalyst event)

Question 5

Why was the aboution of prayers for the dead a big deal for Catholics?

Answer 5

Crucial Catholic belief - Souls were now in peril

Question 6

Who destroyed Church images?

Answer 6

William Body (hated figure)

Question 7

What was the Act of Six Articles?

Answer 7

The Church’s official doctrine

Question 8

When was the New Prayer Book introduced?

Answer 8

June 10th 1549

Question 9

What economic factors caused the Western Rebellion?

Answer 9

Taxes on sheep and cloth - generated rumours about other taxes
Food prices

Question 10

Info on taxes on sheep

Answer 10

Introduced in 1548
Portrayed gvmt as uncaring + ignorant

Question 11

When were economic factors most important in the Western Rebellion?

Answer 11

Early stage of rebellion - featured in first set of demands

Question 12

What were the trigger events behind the Western Rebellion?

Answer 12

William Body (commissioner investigating church property in the country in 1547) destroyed church images and was murdered for it. Important - built up resentment (even though Devon gentry quashed the uprising)

Introduction of New Prayer Book on June 10th 1549 ( Whitsunday) - People in Sampford Courtenay (tiny village in Devon) provoked by their priest’s use of the Prayer Book on Whitsunday

Question 13

What were the initial events of the Western Rebellion?

Answer 13

Protestors assembled in Bodmin, Cornwall under the leadership of Humphrey Arundell (local gentleman)

Compiled first list of demands (with greater emphasis on economic demands)

Joined forces with Sampford Courtenay on June 20th after marching to Devon

Question 14

How did the gvmt try to deal with the Western Rebellion?

Answer 14

Initially left the rebellion in the hands of local gentry (common practise for minor rebellions) - many tried but all eg. 10th Sir Hugh Pollard, 12th Hellyons (beaten to death), 21th Sir Peter Carew (Protestant)

Somerset was too busy to deal with the rebellion himself as he was already:
- Suppressing enclosure in the Midlands
- Maintaining forces on the Scottish border
- Watching out for the French

Lord Russell sent by Somerset to reach a peaceful settlement on June 29th BUT only given a small army so avoided confrontation.

Russell makes last attempt to reach a settlement on July 8th before approaching violently after pressure from Somerset.

Somerset piles on even more pressure on Russell to finish the job after France declared war on England on August 8th

Russell defeats rebels + Arundell on August 16th

Question 15

What were the results of the Western Rebellion?

Answer 15

~3000 casualties
Robert Welsh, vicar of church of St Thomas + probably ringleader hanged
Deepened hostility towards gvmt who:
- Executed without trial (Illegal)
- Confiscated + redistributed property

Question 16

Why was the Western Rebellion NOT a threat to the monarchy?

Answer 16

Not a direct threat - Main goals were to force the gvmt into reversing religious reforms. No plan to overthrow the monarchy

No foreign support and lacked nationwide support as almost all support was gathered from the West Country

Question 17

Why WAS the Western Rebellion a threat to the monarchy?

Answer 17

Strong leadership - Arundell was a strong leader and good tactician. He was organised and divided the rebels into military groups

Relatively large rebellion - by June rebels numbered 6,000

Slow reaction from gvmt who were preoccupied with religious reforms, foreign matters (France + Scotland ), economic issues, and enclosure riots in the Midlands

Question 18

When did Kett’s Rebellion take place?

Answer 18

Summer 1549

Question 19

What were the general causes of Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 19

Economic
Political
Social
Religious

Question 20

What were the economic causes of Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 20

Increasing rent
Rising food prices
Inflation
Enclosure

Question 21

Why did rents trigger Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 21

Landlords tackled inflation with rack-renting. Rents increased to extortionate levels for tenant farmers and were enforced through threat of eviction

Question 22

Why did rising food prices trigger Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 22

Grain prices increased particularly, which was notable because it was important for making bread and was a staple part of the diets of the masses

Caused starvation in towns and the countryside - trigger for violence

Question 23

Why did inflation trigger Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 23

By the middle of the century inflation had doubled - result of heavy taxation under Henry VIII to pay for wars

Value of people’s wages was less so they could afford less food (particularly detrimental coupled with rising food prices

Question 24

Why did enclosure trigger Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 24

Fewer jobs - less people needed to look after sheep than till the Iand

Common land now couldn’t be used for people to graze their own animals or supplement their diets by trapping rabbits and picking berries

Question 25

What were the political triggers for Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 25

Rebels saw Somerset as being on their side due to his policies against enclosure - gave people confidence to rebel as they believed they had the protector’s support

Bad government in East Anglia - Inability to resolve local problems so rebels appealed directly to the central gvmt

Rebellion led by people just outside the governing class - ambitious for power?

Question 26

What were the social triggers for Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 26

‘Class war’ between landowning gentry class and their tenants - gentry blamed for the suffering of their tenants (enclosure + rack-renting) which resulted in depopulated villages, unemployment, vagrancy, and hunger

Hatred of particular individuals - First fences and hedges to be uprooted were those of John Flowerdew (lawyer and landowner known for his greed who oversaw the demolition of Wymondham Abbey)

Question 27

What were the religious triggers for Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 27

Calls for more competent and involved clergy
- Concern over poor quality of priests and failure to fulfil their duties
- Requests that they do more to educate the poor + act as priests for the whole community, not just the gentry

Rebels had Protestant beliefs
- Encouraged by writings of Ridley+ Latimer (who wanted fairness for the commons)
- Demand for congregations to choose their own clergy

Question 28

Why was Kett’s Rebellion NOT a threat to the monarchy?

Answer 28

Not aiming to overthrow the monarchy or march on London - protesting against the gentry class and actually believed the monarchy was on their side

As the rebellion was Protestant it supported the religious change under Edward

No foreign support

Question 29

Why WAS Kett’s Rebellion a threat to the monarchy?

Answer 29

Kett was a strong leader - rebellion was well-organised

Widespread support, 16,000 rebels

Slow gvmt reaction due to preoccupation with foreign countries eg. Scotland

Question 30

What was the government’s response to Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 30

21st June: York Herald offered a a full pardon to those who dispersed - many wanted to accept but Kett rejected it, insisting they had committed no crime

30th July: Somerset sent small army of ~1800 under the command of the Marquis of Northampton. They occupied Norwich and (unsuccessfully) attempted negotiating with the rebels, but Kett fought back and recaptured Norwich.

Northampton’s interference had actually worsened the rebellion and created a crisis - point where the protest turned into a rebellion.

23rd August: Northumberland (Earl of Warwick at the time) arrived outside Norwich with 12,000 men

27th August: Northumberland (supported by an extra 1,000 foreign mercenaries) slaughtered 3000 rebels and arrested Kett

Question 31

What significance did geographical location have in the outbreak of Kett’s rebellion?

Answer 31

East Anglia was the most densely populated and highly industrialised part of the country. After London, Norwich was the 2nd biggest city in the country and a major textile centre.

A collapse in the textile industry had, however, thrown large numbers of cloth workers out of work, and many independent small farmers were being badly affected by the enclosure of wooded pastoral areas by gentry and yeoman farmers

Question 32

What effect did the rebellions of 1549 have on Somerset’s fall from power?

Answer 32

The coup which removed Protector Somerset was made directly possible by Somerset’s handling of the rebellions - Failure to quickly crush the rebellions + Somerset’s support of anti-enclosure measures had (disastrously) earned him the reputation of ‘friend of the commons’

Northumberland’s successful military suppression of Kett’s Rebellion added to his own political credibility and status, which he used to gain extra support for his bid to become ruler in January 1550

Question 33

Why, in general, were the rebellions of 1549 NOT a threat to the gvmt?

Answer 33

Virtually no attempt at cooperation or synchronisation between the isolated uprisings - Some uniting of forces within regions (eg. Devon + Cornwall joined forces) but no attempts at cross-regional cooperation

Not directed at the gvmt or monarch + no attempt to march on London

Gvmt was always in control of its forces and was never in danger

Significant lack of aristocratic and gentry leadership

Question 34

Why, in general, WERE the rebellions of 1549 a threat to the gvmt?

Answer 34

In some cases (notably Norfolk, Devon + Cornwall), local gentry failed to deal with the uprisings and the central government had to intervene

Gvmt struggled to raise troops (difficult+ expensive). Russell had to raise troops from distant counties and the gvmt had to employ foreign mercenaries

Somerset had to bring troops back from Scotland to assist in the crisis - marked the end of his policy of guarding the Northern border to protect against Scotland

Question 35

Overall, how significant were the uprisings of 1549?

Answer 35

Pushed England into a difficult position in regard to foreign policy - Need for troops forced Somerset to tone down his policy of garrisoning (defending) the Scottish border + France took advantage of England’s internal domestic turmoil by declaring war in the summer

Resulted in the overthrowing of Somerset, a well-established ruler.

Significant loss of life - around 10,000

Mobilised tens of thousands of angry commoners across the country and took the gvmt’s resources near to breaking point

BUT, rebellions weren’t threatening in a political way and didn’t aim to overthrow any member of the gvmt or ruling family