‘Taxation was never the main cause of revolt in Tudor England’. How far do you agree?

When was economic and social causes a key cause of When was economic and social a subsidiary cause of
revolt (with evidence) revolt (with examples)
Cornish Revolt 1497 Western Revolt 1549
Tax to pay for war with Scotland – usually exempt anger at sheep tax – Devon was largely enclosed and was
Double tenth and fifteenth – subsidy affected most

Anger at closure Cornish Stannary parliament and at Pilgrimage of Grace 1536

absentee landowners such as Willoughby De Broke and Didn’t want to pay taxes from the Subsidy Act of 1534
Giles Daubeney Fear of tax on horned cattle
Fear of tax on births, deaths, and marriages
Anger at illegal enclosures
The Yorkshire rebellion- 1489
Tax to pay for war with France – usually exempt
Protested affected by bad harvest in 1488

Resistance to the Amicable Grant – 1525

Didn’t go through parliament
For war with France

Kett’s 1549
17 of the 29 demands focused on enclosures, rents
and landlords
60% of the wealth in Norwich owned by 6% of the
population

Western 1549
Calls to ‘Kill the gentry’ in Bodmin
Anger at the sheep tax introduced in 1548

Oxfordshire 1596
Anger at enclosures at Hampton Gay and Hampton
Poyle

Elizabeth never updates taxation assessments – fear of upsetting tax playing classes

Section 1

What is the big picture point? When (at least superficially) is it a main cause of revolt? When does it become a
subsidiary cause? When (if at all does it disappear as a cause).

Taxation is a key cause at the start, then becomes a subsidiary case, before largely disappearing after 1549

Enclosure is seen as a cause before 1549, disappeared after until Oxfordshire 1596

Social issues seen before 1549 not after

Effective rallying point – but often catalysts – often other underlying causes

Alternative factor 1………Faction………

Big picture point

Common in terms of consistency Often the main cause Key throughout

Relevant examples (and details of comparison/ contrasts)

Pretenders – Simnel and Warbeck – sympathetic to Yorkists

Essex 1601 – lost his monopoly on sweet wine – questions him as faction leader – wanted to get throne to James

Revolt of the Northern Earls 1569

Lincolnshire Rising – Sir Robert Dymoke, Sir Christopher Willoughby (Aragonese supporters)

Pilgrimage of Grace – Hussey (Mary’s former Chamberlain) and Darcy had connections to Aragonese Factions

How does it support/ refute the question?

Largely supports question – faction was quite often main cause of revolt

Alternative factor 2……Religion………

Big picture point

Relevant examples (and details of comparison/ contrasts)

How does it support/ refute the question?