The Extent to Which Tudor Rebellions Have Similar Causes
Tudor rebellions were caused by one or more of the following factors:
dynastic, political, religious, and social and economic. There was an
element of both similarity and continuity in the period as most of the
rebellions were politically motivated starting with Warbeck’s
rebellion in 1491 until the end of the period with Essex’s rebellion
in 1601. This displays clear political motives across the period.
During the reign of Henry VII, many of the rebellions were
dynastically motivated with a series of challenges from pretenders to
the throne, Simnel and Warbeck and rebellions due to heavy taxation;
Yorkshire and Cornish anti tax riots. However, by the reign of
Elizabeth, religion became a factor for rebellions particularly at the
turning point of 1532; the Reformation. Post reformation, Elizabeth
faced a different type of challenge from nobility who were angered by
the Tudor centralisation of government. Although the other factors are
present, political, remains a consistent, underlying factor throughout
the period.
During Henry VII’s reign, there were two strong dynastically motivated
challenges to the crown. Simnel and Warbeck in both 1486 and 1491 were
both direct challenges to the throne. However, after the imprisonment
of Edmund de La Pole in 1506 the Tudor rebellions changed from being
direct challenges to the throne to indirect challenges against ‘evil
misters’ for example the Amicable Grant in 1525. Henry VIII’s reign
was a turning point in the Tudor period as it signified an end to
Yorkist pretenders to the throne and it was at this point that the
idea of regicide...
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...to support them in their rebellions. There was
now a widening social gap that created tension as the gentry attempted
to emulate the nobility. As although the Cloth trade in Kent was
declining in 1554 Wyatt’s rebellion had no real socio – economic cause
and the Northern Earls in 1569 and Essex in 1601 had no socio
–economic causes whatsoever.
Overall, political causes were a constant factor throughout the
period, and although socio-economic causes were always present, by the
end of the Tudor dynasty they began to decline. Both religion and
dynasty both had periods of time when they took precedence in
rebellions and were of particular importance. But it is throughout the
reigns of both Henry VIII and Elizabeth, when faction became more
narrowly focused, that political causes are at their most constant and
similar.
Comparing the Western Rebellion and Kett's Rebellion in Terms of Causes and Threat The year 1549 in which both rebellions took place was a troublesome year for the Lord Protector, at the time, Somerset. It was plagued with bad harvests, inflation, poverty and war. These factors made 1549 a watershed year for rioting and rebellion. Though these are the only two rebellions that posed a serious threat, they were definitely not unique.
The most important issue prompting Americans to rebel in 1776 is clearly parliamentary taxation. The first time a Parliamentary imposed tax threatened the livelihood of the colonies was in 1733 with the Molasses Act, stemmed from the loss of profit for the British West Indies under the Navigation Act. However, this act was avoidable and rarely paid. Following the long and harrowing French and Indian War, Britain was deep in debt and George Grenville was appointed British Chancellor. He was determined to pay off the debt by brutally taxing the colonies. He not only reinforced the ignored Navigation Acts, but he placed the new Sugar Act which was similar to the Molasses Act which put a tax on rum and molasses imported from West Indies, but this Act would be enforced. Needless to say, the colonists were not used to this intrusion of Parliament and felt that it was wrong because there were no members in Parliament to represent the colonies. They felt it was a direct violation of their civil liberties and the first whiff of resentment was beginning to spawn. Next was the Currency Act which disregarded the colonies paper money, forcing the colonist to pay in only silver and sending their economy into chaos. Perhaps the most important and controversial acts were the Stamps Acts that placed a tax on legal documents, almanacs, newspaper, pamphlets, playing cards and dice.
The causes of the peasants’ revolt included lack of compensation for services, feelings of spiritual inequality, lords refusing peasant freedom without reimbursement, and the peasants’ manipulation of Lutheran principles; while the responses to the revolt incorporated negativity, violence, and authority
“In the first years of peacetime, following the Revolutionary War, the future of both the agrarian and commercial society appeared threatened by a strangling chain of debt which aggravated the depressed economy of the postwar years”.1 This poor economy affected almost everyone in New England especially the farmers. For years these farmers, or yeomen as they were commonly called, had been used to growing just enough for what they needed and grew little in surplus. As one farmer explained “ My farm provides me and my family with a good living. Nothing we wear, eat, or drink was purchased, because my farm provides it all.”2 The only problem with this way of life is that with no surplus there was no way to make enough money to pay excessive debts. For example, since farmer possessed little money the merchants offered the articles they needed on short-term credit and accepted any surplus farm goods on a seasonal basis for payment. However if the farmer experienced a poor crop, shopkeepers usually extended credit and thereby tied the farmer to their businesses on a yearly basis.3 During a credit crisis, the gradual disintegration of the traditional culture became more apparent. During hard times, merchants in need of ready cash withdrew credit from their yeomen customers and called for the repayment of loans in hard cash. Such demands showed the growing power of the commercial elite.4 As one could imagine this brought much social and economic unrest to the farmers of New England. Many of the farmers in debt were dragged into court and in many cases they were put into debtors prison. Many decided to take action: The farmers waited for the legal due process as long as them could. The Legislature, also know as the General Court, took little action to address the farmers complaints. 5 “So without waiting for General Court to come back into session to work on grievances as requested, the People took matters into their own hands.”6 This is when the idea for the Rebellion is decided upon and the need for a leader was eminent.
In 1776, when the United States declared independence from Britain, the new country needed a set of laws to apply to all of the states to replace the earlier British rule. The colonists, however, were concerned that if the United States put too much power in the central government the states rights would vanish. Therefore, the first form of government, the Articles of Confederation, gave too much power to the states and insufficient power to the central government. States could create their own money and refuse federal taxes, which caused many tribulations and almost destroyed the new country. In 1787, delegates from twelve states came together to revise the Articles of Constitution to provide the citizens with a stronger central government. However, instead of revising the Articles, the constitution was formed. The final document the delegates produced provided great compromises and ratification would help save the country from upheaval.
The French Revolution and the English Civil War were arguably two of the biggest events in English and French history. The English Civil War spanned from 1642 to 1651, while the French Revolution occurred from 1789 to 1799. During these times monarchies were running on thin ice as the people began to lose faith in their rulers. The monarchies lack of social reliance was a cause of both of these events to occur. Both of these events occurred due to multiple political and economic problems in each of their time periods.
middle of paper ... ... was revolutionary due to major changes in European policy and English policy. Once separated from Rome, Henry could see his sovereignty over the people. Which brought back sovereignty, which is party of a conservative monarchy re-instating power over the masses. Elton's theory is not one that should be ignored as it does prove to be significant when studying a mixed view subject.
Even though the critical aid of Indians had saved the settlers in Virginia from extinction, conflict—rooted in both ideological and practical reasons—was a prevalent tone in the relations between Virginian settlers and Indians during the 17th century. The undesirable relations began in the first months of the Jamestown colony. The early colonists in Jamestown viewed the Indians as savages and expressed hostility towards them. Captain John Smith established an unstable relationship with the Indians, occasionally stealing food from them. Tensions increased even further when tobacco cultivation became prominent in Virginia, which increased the demand for land as farmers required large tracts of farmland for tobacco cultivation. This increased demand for land caused settlers to expand into areas claimed by Indians. In fact, one of the major causes of Bacon’s Rebellion, the most powerful uprising against authority in North America prior to the Revolution, was the desire to expand into Native American lands. The series of conflicts that triggered Bacon’s rebellion began when Doeg Indians assaulted a plantation in retaliation for intrusions upon native land. White settlers struck back at the Indians in
The Rise in Political Power of 17th Century England and France In the seventeenth century, the political power of the Parliament in England, and the Monarchy in France increased greatly. These conditions were inspired by three major changes: the aftermath of the reformation, the need for an increased governmental financing, and the reorganizing of central governments. These three points were each resolved in a different way in both England and in France. The first major point which eventually increased political power was
Shay’s rebellion was an armed uprising led by a veteran of the Revolutionary War named Daniel Shays. The goal of this rebellion was to to prevent the prosecution of debt-ridden citizens. Governor James Bowdoin of Massachusetts put down the revolution. While the rebellion failed to realize its goal, the underlying conditions that allowed the revolution to take place were present. The common people of the colony still remained resentful and discontented. As a result of the general discontentment of the people, “ popular resistance, and the election of pro-debtor governments in many states threatened the political notions of many political and social elites.” Shay’s followers were elected to legislature, went on to court houses and destroyed
Rebellions have always been prominent in America; most recently the Ferguson riots in Missouri. These citizens are rebelling against American police, because they believe blacks aren’t treated with the same respect than white people. Although, The first recorded rebellion that occurred in America is known as the Bacon’s Rebellion. A rebellion against the English government by a man named Nathaniel Bacon. Nathaniel Bacon was brought up as a moderately rich and powerful man. He was known as a “young, bold, active, of an inviting aspect, and powerful elocution” (Beverley pg. 2). Nathaniel Bacon can be remembered as a hero for leading a lower class against a “corrupt” government and creating unity between communities, but it also can be argued
The northern areas of America may have been known as a retreat for free slaves; however, in early and mid 18th century slaves received treatment which could be compared to those enslaved in the southern regions of America.
The Peasant’s Revolt occurred in 1525 because the wealth of the nation was not being distributed among the people equivalent, in conjunction with the wealth not being equally divided the sharecropper wanted serfdom to be abolished. The farmhands used the Word of God to show they were in the right to rebel. Public affairs also had a role in the revolution. The laborers forced the hand of the nobles to collaborate in the insubordination.
Throughout France in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries majority of the population consisted of peasants who lived in rural areas across an estimated thirty thousand different villages. The lives of these peasants consisted of hard physical labour that usually took place on farms that they rented from a seigneur . “Life was a struggle to grow enough to feed families and meet obligations. Crop yields were relatively low, and the average villager did not own enough land to live comfortably on what it could produce” . This paper will cover peasant revolts in France during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as their suppressions. Two different kinds of revolts will be looked at, tax revolts and religious revolts. The two kinds of revolts will then be compared and analysed.
The Causes of the Rebellion of 1837-1838. The rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada were in the interests of self-government but were doomed to failure from their beginning. Each of these two colonies encountered a great deal of problems right from the institution of the Constitution Act of 1791 and the problems continually got worse until the only choice for some seemed to be rebellion. There were several problems that led to the rebellions of 1837-38.