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Coursework about the mid-Tudor crisis.
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By: charlottewixted • 7 months ago
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Within the context of 1485-1603, to whatextent was there a mid-Tudor crisis during
the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I?
Initially, it may seem that the notion of a mid-Tudor crisis was a reality. Firstly, as Elton states, because
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‘Tudor rule was tested to the utmost, first under a child then under a woman’ ; and secondly as Mary
and Edward experienced large rebellions against their authority like Kett’s rebellion in 1549 and the plot to
divert the succession to Lady Jane Grey, which signify Mary and Edward were not as well-liked as the
earlier Tudor monarchs. Some of the rebellions were economically motivated which was another area in
which the mid-Tudor period experienced particular difficulty. The reigns of Mary and Edward also perhaps
lacked strong leadership as Edward had to operate as a minority government and Mary’s councils were
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renowned by Elton as having made ‘no positive achievements.’ This justifies why there were
diplomatic errors made during this time, which created difficulties for Britain and its international position
as its allies constantly changed to reflect the religious loyalties of the monarch. These factors all point in
the direction of a mid-Tudor crisis. However, on the other hand, revisionist historians like Loades argue
that Edward and Mary were not ineffective rulers and that their councils made significant progress (e.g
under Northumberland). Economic and religious rebellions were also not exclusive to the mid-Tudors as
[3]
Henry VII’s rule saw the Cornish Rising of 1497 whilst the ‘greatest rebellion’ of the 1536 Pilgrimage of
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Grace took place during Henry VIII’s reign. In terms of foreign policy, the greatest threat to the security
of the country and the monarch occurred outside of the mid-Tudor period, and was found in the
prospective Spanish invasion in 1558 of Elizabeth’s rule. The views of Elton and Loades will be discussed
due to their conflicting views on the mid-Tudor period and their positions of authority on the history of the
Tudors. Loades’ view would, however, be more valid to argue as the period saw considerable continuity
and cannot be considered a crisis as many of the issues that took place spanned the entire Tudor rule
with some even being created by the earlier monarchs.
Rebellions against the Crown show that, whilst there was discontent during the mid-Tudor rules, this
remained consistent throughout the Tudor era, displaying that there was no crisis. Elton argues that ‘Free
play of passions [...] under Edward and Mary encouraged the growth of divisions which beset England in
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the second half of the century’ which shows that he believes the concept of a mid-Tudor crisis is
justified, due to the policies of Edward and Mary causing chaos within the country and resulting in
rebellions against the monarchy. Kett’s Rebellion in 1549, against the enclosure of land, seems to confirm
Elton’s view as the rebellion arose out of the class disunity of the nobility and merchant class that
prevented the lower-class small farmers from having access to land that was once common. This was
further seen during the Western Rebellion of 1549 as an aspect of its causation was the prospect of
further enclosure which antagonised the people. These events establish that there was indeed class
division within the country and from this perspective, one could say that this made the mid-Tudor period a
time of crisis. Although, it was not only class division that caused rebellions during this time, as proved by
Mary’s rule. After Edward tried to change the succession so his Catholic sister would not become Queen,
there was considerable support from important figures such as Northumberland who wanted to see Lady
, Jane Grey ascend the throne. The division of the country on this issue shows that there is claim to Elton’s
view of a mid-Tudor crisis. On the other hand, it would be valid to argue that the rebellions that took place
within the period are not that significant because they were overcome relatively easily and were limited to
regional support. Furthermore, Mary’s accession crisis was also not that illustrative of widespread disunity
as Elton suggests, as opposition to her ascending the throne was quickly overcome, with Lady Jane’s
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father even abandoning the cause to protect himself . Rebellions that were motivated by economic
reasons were not specific to Edward’s reign as Henry VII saw the 1497 Cornish Rising in which rebels
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descended to protest their taxes being used to fund a war they felt did not concern them. On balance,
this rebellion was also quite easily overcome but is significant in showing that the country was politically
and socially fragile during the reign of Henry VII and that this was not something that just arose during the
mid-Tudor period. Perhaps a much more significant religious ‘rebellion’ than the accession of Mary,
occurred during Elizabeth’s reign in the Northern Rebellion of 1569. This was a more organised campaign
to make Mary Queen of Scots Elizabeth’s successor, due to the backing of key figures Charles Neville
and Thomas Percy, as well as the fact that Elizabeth struggled initially to raise enough troops to oppose
the rebellion. Despite the rebellion resulting in a victory for Elizabeth, the fact that it even occurred could
be interpreted as an indication of clear instability or ‘crisis’ during her rule. The Essex Rebellion of 1601
caused further unrest for Elizabeth as the it was headed by one of her courtiers, the Earl of Essex. A
series of miscalculations on his part, influenced by his rivalry with Cecil’s faction at court, as well as him
making peace with Ireland against the Queen’s will, led to him being banned from court. Essex managed
to gain support from the Duke of Southampton and important Catholic opponents to attempt to seize
power and force Elizabeth to crown James as King. This event, though also overcome, shows tension
during Elizabeth’s rule as factions in court began to re-emerge and it shows that she had opponents from
many different groups in society. The Essex Rebellion shows the instability of Elizabeth’s rule, which was
arguably more significant than that of the mid-Tudor period and proves that there was no crisis. However,
Loades believes that the ‘greatest rebellion’ was that of the 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace. Yet in the account
of chronicler Edward Hall, he presents it in a way that makes it seem far less of a threat to Henry than it
was, whilst also exaggerating the King’s power. Hall overstates the strength of the King’s army ‘mighty
and royal [with] great power and strength’ so that it would look as if the rebellion was not a significant
threat to Henry and that there was no crisis to his authority. Despite Norfolk and Shrewsbury’s best efforts
to assemble an army, the King’s men numbered only 8,000, significantly less than Aske’s 35,000 rebel
forces. If Hall had accurately recalled these figures, it would have been a great danger to the monarchy
as it would have shown the real extent to the dissent there was in the country against Henry’s rule.
Showing also that perhaps Henry’s rule was perhaps a period of crisis. Hall’s distorts the image of the
rebels as violent aggressors ‘determined on battle’ 1so they commanded no public sympathy for the way
that the Crown dealt with them for disobeying. Aske, for example, was not pardoned, rather taken back to
Yorkshire and executed, so the King could cement his authority against future rebels. This may further
show that Henry experienced a ‘crisis’ in his rule as he had to actively discourage people from
sympathising with those that rebelled against him, out of fear that they joined their cause. The date this
source was published (1542) is noteworthy as many controversial events were taking place, potentially
jeopardising Henry’s image, therefore if Hall published an account in which Henry was a hero and strong
ruler, it would have helped to salvage his reputation in a time of crisis. Such events included the execution
of Catherine Howard, on the basis that she had had multiple affairs, which would have made Henry look
weak as he couldn’t even stop his own wife from rebelling against him and therefore lacked authority. The
dissolution of the monasteries was also taking place which would have been somewhat unpopular; in
Hall’s account, he presents the Catholic rebels as ‘wicked’, maybe justifying the dissolution by persuading
the audience that it is for the best as Catholics are traitors to the Crown. Publishing a positive account of
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