Uprisings Against Edward VI

The Western Rebellion 1549

A combination of religious and socioeconomic factors led to the Western Rebellion. In conclusion, Somerset's government handled the rebellion badly.

Causes of rebellion

A combination of reasons triggered the rebellion.
- Resentment of religion reform - the New Common Prayer Book of 1549 sparked the rebellion.
- Hostility to enclosure - The enclosure commission of 1548 had dashed people’s high hopes.
- Increasing rents, rising prices and falling wages.
The local gentry could not deal with the situation.

Course of rebellion

The rebellion began on Sunday 10 June in Cornwall and later spread to Devon.
On 29 June, Lord Russell was sent to find a peaceful settlement.
From 2 July to 6 July, the rebels besieged Exeter.
On 8 July, Russell's last attempt to find a settlement failed.
On 12 July, Lord Grey was sent to help Russell but was diverted to unrest in Oxford.
On 28 July, Russell began defeating groups of rebels in Devon.
On 17 August, the rebels were defeated.

Consequences of rebellion

The rebellion was put down.
Martial law (military government) was used to deal with the rebels. This indicates how dangerous the situation was.
Somerset's position in government was seriously weakened.

Historical interpretation

Some historians call this rebellion the 'Prayer Book Rebellion'.
Historians have noted that most of the rebel articles focussed on religious grievances.
But this may reflect the disproportionate influence of the clergy who played a leading role in the rebellion rather than accurately representing the grievances of all the rebels.
Ferriby, Anderson and Imperato's view: "Many of the riots were ill-focused and reflected a sense of desperation among the poorest classes".

Kett's Rebellion 1549

Kett's Rebellion in East Anglia was the second rebellion Somerset's government faced. This strongly contributed to Somerset's downfall.

Causes of rebellion

Enclosure and bad government were higher priorities than religion.
Local government was a key issue. The rebels attacked the gentry and Justices of the Peace (JPs), accusing them of corruption and mismanaging government policy.
The New Common Prayer Book did not spark the rebellion. Kett's rebels wanted more religious reform, such as improving the quality of the clergy.

Course of rebellion

On 10 July, Kett led a march of yeomen and farmers to Norwich.
On 21 July, full pardon was offered to the rebels with promises to deal with corruption.
On 22 July, the rebels took Norwich. They set up a camp on Mousehold Heath.
Somerset wrote letters to the rebels to deal with their grievances.
On 30 July, the Marquis of Northampton arrived with a small army and retook Norwich. Negotiations with Kett failed.
On 23 August, the Earl of Warwick arrived with 12,000 men.
On 27 August, Kett's Rebellion was put down. 3,000 rebels were killed.

Consequences of rebellion

Kett was hanged in November.
Most of the rebels were dealt with more leniently.
Somerset tried to be popular and wanted to cooperate with the rebels. This made him seem weak to his rivals at court.

Historical Interpretations

Studies of rebellions have become popular in recent years. Nowadays, historians consider rebellions a political tool that commoners used to exert pressure on the government.

Interpretations of rebellions

Previously, historians used to not think commoners could be involved in politics.
This was changed by social historians who studied ordinary people.
Now, rebellions are seen as sophisticated and political.

What was the purpose of rebellion?

Historians such as Bush argue that rebellion was used as a form of negotiation in the Tudor period. This was because most commoners did not have a formal way to express their grievances.
Kett's and the Western rebellion can be seen as commoners calling for the government to restore harmony. They were not trying to overthrow the government.

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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