Rebellions in the reign of Henry VIII

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REBELLIONS IN THE REIGN OF HENRY VIII

Causes of Rebellions

SECULAR MOTIVES

  • Ordinary rebels were generally more motivated by economic grievances, including resentment of taxation, than their leaders.
  • The Crown's attempts to impose the Duke of Suffolk upon Lincolnshire as a great magnate may have initially sparked the rebellion.
  • It was argued by Geoffrey Elton that the rebellions of 1536 were brought about primarily by a courtly conspiracy prompted by councillors who had been supporters of Catherine of Aragon who had died in January 1536 and wanted Princess Mary as heir.
  • The extension of the rebellion West of the Pennines into Cumberland and Westmorland had been linked in particular to tenants grievances.

RELIGIOUS MOTIVES

By early autumn of 1536 the work of dissolving the smaller monastries was well under way which would have a number of undesireable effects:

  • the loss of the charitable and educational functions which some monastries provided
  • the fear that the North would be impoverished by monastic land falling into the hands of the Southerners
  • the possible loss of parish churches which were monastic properties
  • The Rebel leader, Robert Aske, was a convinced supporter of the monastries

There were fears for parish churches and traditional religious practices

  • The celebration of locally important saints was discouraged, as was pilgrimage.
  • There were rumours

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