A combination of religious and socioeconomic factors led to the Western Rebellion. In conclusion, Somerset's government handled the rebellion badly
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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Ketts Rebellion 1549
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
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Ketts Rebellion 1549 causes
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.
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course of the ketts 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.
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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.
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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.
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what was the purpose 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.
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