MID-TUDOR CRISIS

• Large extent: Succession

  • Somerset acted like a quasi-king and governed using members of his own household. He further threatened the stability of England by kidnapping Edward in 1549
  • Northumberland’s attempts to divert the succession from Mary to Lady Jane Grey (known as the Devyse). Ignored the 1544 Act of Succession. Northumberland used armed force against Mary which forced Mary to raise an armed force
  • Wyatt‘s rebellion: motivated by xenophobia. Marched on London
  • Northern Earls rebellion 1569: desire to secure the succession for MQS. Instability in the North
• Small extent: Succession

  • The Act of Succession 1544 was followed; challenged by Northumberland but ultimately it secured the succession of Edward, the privy council supported Mary and Elizabeth was named as successor; she became queen without challenge with Mary’s key councillors
  • Rebellions were mostly due to other causes eg Western was religion, Ketts was economic and Wyatt’s was religion. All remained loyal to the monarch
• Social and economic rebellions

  • Kett’s rebellion 1549 reflected a range of economic and social issues which were the result of the consequences of the dissolution of the monasteries, hatred of local government officials and economic issues (eg sheep tax, high rents and low wages, enclosure)
  • Western rebellion 1549 reflected the changes to local communities; grievances over tax, high food prices, loss of chantries
  • Wyatt’s rebellion 1554 had several causes; xenophobia, decline in cloth trade, economic depression
  • Northern rebellion 1569 caused by social tensions and had economic factors
• Religiously inspired rebellions

  • Kett’s: rebels demanded better educated clergy; the right to choose their own priests; most rebels were Protestant
  • Western: ‘prayer book’ rebellion, labelled it a ‘Christmas game’. They wanted religious reforms reversed. They wanted a return back to the services in practice during Henry VII’s reign
  • Wyatt feared that England would be incorporated into the catholic HRE as a result of the marriage of Philip and Mary
  • Northern rebellion was organised by those who supported Mary Queen of Scots (Catholic). The rebels held a mass in Durham cathedral
• Large extent: Rebellions

  • 6000 rebels in the Western rebellion led by Arundell; the rebels laid siege to Exeter for 6 weeks; local nobles were either sympathetic or unable to challenge
  • Kett rebellion had 16,000 supporters; rebels captured Norwich (second largest city in England at the time), threat of invasion from France at the time, other smaller riots were taking place
  • Wyatt: four simultaneous uprisings. Initially raised 3000 men. Marched on London. Duke of Suffolk was involved
• Small extent: Rebellions

  • Western rebellion rebels were easily defeated in Devon by government forces; Lord Grey (known to be brutal) was sent. There was no threat to Edward and the rebels remained loyal
  • Kett’s aim was to negotiate; the rebels had no gentry or noble support; 3000 rebels killed
  • Wyatt: only Kent experienced a serious uprising showing this was not a national rebellion; nobles (except Suffolk) did not support the rebels
• Large extent: Government

  • There was a crisis over the control of the Privy Council as Somerset lost support and seized Edward holding him hostage at Windsor castle in 1549
  • The Devyse caused a crisis over the succession of Mary Tudor
  • Mary had little political skill and had not been brought up to rule; her loyal supporters had no experience in government; she had to rely on Edward‘s Protestant advisors
• Small extent: Government

  • The succession of Edward and Elizabeth was unopposed and their governments established without crisis eg parliament did not close after Mary’s death
  • Mary accepted Edward’s advisors. Her government had an equal mix of Catholic and Protestants which allowed for healthy debate
  • The Regency Council did not collapse and ultimately did its job
• Large extent: Foreign Policy

  • Henry VIII: Mary Rose sank; peace agreed with France but still fairly poor relations; large costs on war, left huge debt
  • Somerset: failed to capture Scotland; did not break the Auld Alliance; MQS married the French Dauphin; policies cost £600,000
  • 1555 anti-Spanish Pope Paul IV was elected; 1557 England was dragged into a war with France; loss of Calais in 1558
• Small extent: Foreign Policy

  • Scots heavily defeated by Henry VIII at the Battle of Solway Moss; Henry could’ve invaded fully but didn’t
  • Somerset’s aggressive approach to Scotland to force the marriage united the crowns, victory at the Battle of Pinkie
  • Northumberland ended the war with Scotland and France - the Treaty of Boulogne 1550 - stabilised the crowns finances. French paid £133,333 to recover the port. Edward was betrothed to Elizabeth the French princess
  • Mary improved the Navy and army: 6 new ships built, peacetime allocation of £14000pa and 1558 Militia and Arms Acts
• Large extent: Social and Economic issues

  • Little change for commoners as real wages fell by 50% in the 1540s; inflation rose due to the rising population, debasement of the coinage by Somerset and Mary
  • Sweating sickness of 1557-58: 200,000 people died. Government did little to support the people
  • Somerset borrowed money and sold crown lands to finance the Scottish war which caused long term financial issues
  • Somerset’s 1549 Sheep Tax was unpopular; hurt smaller poorer farmers
• Small extent: Social and Economic issues

  • Reissued the coinage with the same silver content as 1527
  • Northumberland abolished the sheep tax in 1550 and enforced anti-enclosure legislation
  • 1552 Poor Law required parishes to look after their poor, 1555 extended the other act and ordered licensed beggars to wear badges —> intended to encourage fellow parishioners into donating more alms for poor relief
  • New trade routes with the Gold Coast in Africa and with Russia
  • 1558 Book of Rates. Customs revenue £26,000 in 1550 to £83,000 in 1558
• Large extent: Religion

  • Difficult to judge contentment of religious groups; reforms were cautious and ambiguous enough that both Catholics and Protestants were happy or neither were
  • 1547 Dissolution of the Chantries: education available for the poor was greatly diminished
  • Church attendance declined
  • 70% of Northern wills between 1540-46 left money to the parish church; only 32% in Edward’s reign
  • 289 heretics burnt: created martyrs for Protestantism (eg Cranmer)
• Small extent: Religion

  • 1547 Treason Act allowed religious issues to be discussed openly without censorship; repealed the unpopular Six Articles
  • 1552 Radical Book of Common Prayer rewrote services; introduced more radical Protestant reforms which is what Edward wanted to achieve
  • There was significant local support for the reversal of Protestant reforms
  • 1553 First Act of Repeal repealed all religious legislation of Edward’s reign
  • 1555 Second Act of Repeal revoked the royal supremacy