Uprisings Against Henry VIII

The Pilgrimage of Grace

The Pilgrimage of Grace was motivated by a complex mix of reasons. Historians view the Pilgrimage of Grace as the commons efforts to restore harmony in society.

Causes

Religious causes:
- The rebellion was a response to Henry VIII’s religious policy and, in particular, the suppression of monasteries.
- Williams: "The pilgrims were protesting against an unprecedented intrusion by the Crown into their local communities and traditional ways".
Economic causes:
There had been an extreme expansion in tax. E.g. on food, levies on Churching.
Rumours began to circulate that the government was going to introduce more taxes (such as tax on white meat).

Course

The riots grew to become a rebellion of 40,000 people, called the Pilgrimage of Grace.
The rebellion was led by Robert Aske.
The rebels issued a range of demands, including ending the Statute of Uses (a property law that Henry VIII passed), Princess Mary to restored to the succession, the dismissal of Cromwell, stopping enclosure, elections and the Catholic Church to be restored to all its former rights.

Consequence

Henry VIII agreed to pardon the rebels and said Parliament would look at their demands.
Fresh rebellions in the north in January 1536 gave Henry VIII the excuse he needed to execute the rebel leaders and go back on his promise.

Historical debate

There has been considerable historical debate about the causes of Tudor rebellions.
- For example, Marxist historians focus on material causes and discount factors such as religion.
- Today, religion is being taken more seriously as a factor.
- Lockyer and O'Sullivan remind us of the complexity of the Pilgrimage of Grace's causes: “The Pilgrims’ Articles were a mixture of economic, political and religious grievances.”

1Monarch & Government

1.1Tudor Monarchs

1.1.1Henry VII

1.1.2Henry VIII

1.1.3Edward VI

1.1.4Mary I

1.1.5Elizabeth I

1.1.6Succession Disputes

1.2Changing Role of Parliament

1.2.1Parliament & Henry VII

1.2.2Parliament & Henry VIII

1.2.3Parliament After the Reformation

1.3Principal Servants to the Crown

1.3.1Principal Servants to the Crown

2Religious Changes

2.1Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change

2.1.1The Henrician Reformation

2.1.2Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

2.1.3Religious Change Under Edward VI

2.1.4Religious Change Under Mary I

2.1.5Elizabethan Settlement

2.2Catholicism & Survival

2.2.1Popular Attitudes to Catholicism

2.2.2Catholicism Under Henry VIII

2.2.3Catholicism Under Elizabeth I

2.2.4Catholic Nobility

2.3Protestantism & Puritanism

2.3.1Protestant Influences

2.3.2Protestantism Under Edward VI

2.3.3Protestantism Under Elizabeth I

3State Control & Popular Resistance

3.1Tudor Control of the Country

3.1.1Councils

3.1.2Role of Nobility

3.1.3Justices of the Peace

3.1.4Lord Lieutenant

3.2The State & the Poor

3.2.1Reasons for Growth of Poverty

3.2.2Punishments for Paupers

3.2.3Role of Charities

3.3Resistance to Tudor Rule

3.3.1Resistance to Tax & Subsidies

3.3.2Uprisings Against Henry VIII

3.3.3Uprisings Against Edward VI

3.3.4Uprisings Against Elizabeth I

3.3.5Decline of Popular Resistance

4Economic, Social & Cultural Change

4.1Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade

4.1.1Wool & Cloth

4.1.2Exploration & Trade

4.2Changing Structure of Society

4.2.1Population

4.2.2Dissolution of Monasteries

4.2.3Enclosure

4.3Cultural Change

4.3.1Education & Literature

4.3.2Impact of Religious Change

4.3.3Patronage

4.3.4The Arts

4.3.5Cult of Gloriana

5Historical Interpretations

5.1Significance of Threats to National Security

5.1.1Spain

5.1.2The Spanish Armada

5.1.3Ireland

5.2Court Politics

5.2.1Court Factions

5.2.2Essex's Rebellion

5.3Elizabeth & Parliament

5.3.1Conflict with Parliament

5.4Social Distress in the 1590s

5.4.1Social Distress in the 1590s

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