Henry VIII Rebellions

The Act for the dissolution of the lesser monasteries

·         Investigation into corrupt monasteries upset people

·         Rumours as to what was the happen gained credence

·         Led by Nicholas Melton, a shoemaker, nicknamed ‘Captain cobbler’

·         He encouraged a ******** of 20 men

·         Band together in order to seize the representative of the Bishop of Lincoln and the royal commissioners for that area

·         Reported crowd of 3000 men

·         Advanced from Louth to Castor on 3^rd October to capture the commissioners

·         Gathered support from Horncastle, 10,000 marched to Lincoln

·         4^th October the crowd attacked a leading official of the Bishop of Lincoln and murdered him

He was stripped naked and his clothes were divided to the crowd

·         Dispatched an army led by the Duke of Suffolk to Lincoln

·         When he arrived, the rebellion was over

·         Was sufficient as there was a common dislike

·         On return to Horncastle the original 20 men placed a banner in the Parish Church which proclaimed the five wounds of Christ

·         Religious motives attract people beyond their own class and geographical location

·         Economic impact of the Churches – Robert Aske

·         Response to the recent break with Rome

·         Demands for the destruction of heresies

·         The return of papal authority

·         The restoration of the monasteries

·         No same unity different classes are affected in different ways so not the same kind of unity

·         Poor harvests in 1535 and 1536 which led to rising prices and food shortages

·         Enclosure

·         People who rented land to farm faced an increase in rent and entry fines

·         Introduction/increase in taxation for farmers

·         Repeated the statute of uses

·         Disagreed with the kings ideas

·         Blamed Thomas Cromwell and Richard Rich instead of Henry VIII

·         13^th October 1536, Robert Aske headed 9,000 rebels

·         23^rd October 30-40,000 men had gathered in the North

·         A conference was held with 200 representatives

·         Duke of Norfolk refused to allow the contents of the proclamation to be published to the army

·         30,000 rebels marched to take possession of Doncaster

·         An armistice was agreed upon

·         Duke of Norfolk offered a pardon to all except 10 persons, but it was refused

·         Aske dismissed his followers, trusting the kings promises

·         Attempted to capture Hull and Carlisle but failed

·         Former leaders were apprehended, tried and executed

·         Robert Aske was hanged in chains until he died

·         40,000 people

·         Whole of the North

·         Kept things from the army which shows fear they might join

·         Takes his time before taking action

·         Wasn’t challenging Henry himself

·         Rebels poorly trained and equipped

·         Henry very cleverly managed the situation

Kills the rebels