Economic problems could be considered the main cause of rebellions in Tudor England from 1485 to 1603. For example, Henry VII faced the Yorkshire Rebellion of 1489, as well as the Cornish Rebellion of 1497 and Henry VIII faced the Amicable Grant of 1525, all against tax raises. On the other hand, there were several other prominent factors that caused rebellions in Tudor England such as religious, political and dynastic problems. Religious problems in particular contributed largely to rebellions in Tudor England because of Henry VIII’s break with Rome and the subsequent turmoil, with monarchs such as Edward VI and Mary I varying largely in their religious views, causing frequent religious upset in England.
Economic problems may be considered the main cause of rebellions in Tudor England. In particular, Henry VII faced many economic rebellions, for example, the Yorkshire Rebellion of 1489 which was caused by the increase of taxes to raise £100,000 so Henry could support Brittany in their efforts to maintain independence from France. However, Yorkshire had been hit by a poor harvest and peasants were already resentful about a Lancastrian monarch, therefore the raising of taxes was seen as too far. The Earl of Northumberland put this towards Henry but was not listened to and murdered after he told the people the news and was placed in charge of the collection. Sir John Egremont led the rebels and Henry failed to collect the tax quota from the area, meaning that the rebellion was successful in avoiding the tax, although the Earl of Surrey easily put down the rebellion and Sir John Egremont fled to Flanders. However, this could be seen as an unsuccessful rebellion in the long term because Henry later faced the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, also caused by economic problems, implying that Henry had not changed his economic policy. Henry VII’s decision to overturn privileges of the Cornish Stannaries, meaning the Cornish were required to pay a disproportionately large share of taxes, violating the Stannary Charter of 1305 which prohibited taxes of 10ths and 15ths from being raised in Cornwall, motivated 5,000 Cornish people to revolt. In addition to the increase in tax, the new regulations on tin mining and suspended privilege of the Stannaries impacted the economy of Cornwall as tin mining was a key contributor. After this, Henry levied large taxes on the country and did not face another major rebellion, proving that economic problems were the main cause of rebellions under Henry VII. Additionally, Henry VIII faced an economically motivated rebellion, the Amicable Grant, in 1525. The £800,000 tax for an invasion of France was widely unpopular, more so because of previous loans from 1522 to 1523 not being repaid and the subsidy of 1523 still being collected. This meant that the British people could not afford to pay more tax and herefore, an open rebellion and tax-payer strike was triggered in Suffolk, as well as reluctance and refusal in areas such as Norfolk, Essex and Kent. The rebels were defeated by the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk but Henry VIII had to abandon the Grant, as well as reducing payments for the 1523 subsidy, before being forced to abandon it altogether. Furthermore, Edward VI faced Kett’s Rebellion in 1549 in response to the enclosure of land by wealthy landowners. The enclosure of land in Norfolk meant that peasants had nowhere to graze their animals so that landowners could convert their land into sheep pasture, leaving the peasants in unrest. In addition to this, England was facing inflation, unemployment, rising rents and declining wages, adding to the economic problems. The rebels drew up a list of 29 grievances, articulating "a desire to limit the power of the gentry, exclude them from the world of the village, constrain rapid economic change, prevent the overexploitation of communal resources, and remodel the values of the clergy", with these clear economic issues proving that the main motivation for Kett’s Rebellion was economic problems.
On the other hand, religious problems could be considered to be the main cause of rebellions in Tudor England. Religious problems only began occurring after Henry VIII broke from Rome, for example, the Pilgrimage of Grace in Yorkshire in 1536. The Pilgrimage of Grace was 2 years after the Act of Supremacy which stated that “Albeit, the King's Majesty justly and rightfully is and oweth to be the supreme head of the Church of England.” This source is valuable because of its content as it clearly exemplifies the changes to religion in Britain, coming from the Statutes of the Realm III, a collection of parliamentary acts, so therefore being enforced throughout the country. However, the source’s tone limits its value because it describes Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England “rightfully and justfully” and many in England did not feel this way, hence the religious rebellions. Therefore, the source does not reflect the view of the English people because it was not written by the English people, so is not as valuable in determining the causes of rebellions because it does not imply any religious grievances, although it is valuable in demonstrating the view Henry VIII’s government put forward. This meant many Catholics were discontented because the religion of England was changed to Protestantism, leading to 9,000 rebels entering and occupying York, led by Robert Aske, who arranged for expelled monks and nuns to return to their houses, driving the King’s tenants out, and Catholic observances were resumed. The Duke of Norfolk promised a general pardon and a Parliament to be held at York within a year, as well as a reprieve for the abbeys until the parliament had met and Aske dismissed his followers, ending the rebellion. Although the promises were not met, the fact that Henry VIII made promises that affected religion to successfully subdue the rebellion proves that the main motivation of the rebels was religious problems. After this, Edward VI faced the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549 because the Book of Common Prayer had been released and the change was unpopular among Catholics, particularly in Devon and Cornwall. Additionally, the 1549 Act of Uniformity made it unlawful to use the Latin liturgical rites, a traditional Catholic practice. The primary aim of the Book of Common Prayer was to change theology and practices, banning traditional Catholic practices, so those taking part in the Prayer Book Rebellion, against the Book of Common Prayer, were doing so for religious reasons. The religious aims of the rebellion were highlighted in the slogan "Kill all the gentlemen and we will have the Six Articles up again, and ceremonies as they were in King Henry's time." Similarly, Elizabeth I faced the Northern Rebellion in 1569 which was an attempt by Catholic nobles to depose Elizabeth in favour of Mary Queen of Scots in order to restore Catholicism. One would consider the Northern Rebellion to be as a result of religious problems because many English Catholics, a large portion of the population, saw Mary as a way to restore Catholic ideology and regain their dominance over the population. This point of view was especially strong in Northern England because several powerful nobles were Catholics so they were especially discontented about the change to religion in England because it also affected their position. Supporting the point that the Northern Rebellion had religious motivations, the Pope denounced Elizabeth in his bull Regnans in Excelsis from 1570 where he stated that “we, seeing impieties and crimes multiplied one upon another the persecution of the faithful and afflictions of religion daily growing more severe under the guidance and by the activity of the said Elizabeth.” This source is valuable because it was written by the Pope, who had strong authority over the Catholic population and hence, the support from him would encourage Catholics in England to rebel against Elizabeth, particularly as Pope Pius V stated that he would excommunicate those who supported her. Additionally, the tone of the source adds to its value because Pope Pius V clearly shows his disdain for Elizabeth and her religious views, reflecting the views of the Catholic population as he was their leader, and therefore helping to understand the motivations and emotions behind the Northern Rebellion. However, the timing of the source limits its value because although the Pope was responding to the Northern Rebellion and supporting it, the papal bull did not arrive until the rebellion had been suppressed, so therefore one would not consider it entirely relevant in addressing the question of motivation because Catholics would not have received such a direct address encouraging the rebellion prior to this.
Additionally, political problems could be considered the main cause of rebellion in Tudor England. For example, Henry VII faced the Stafford and Lovell Rebellion in 1486 when Lovell and Stafford, councillors for Richard III, sought to overthrow Henry and plotted to raise troops in order to kill him. This rebellion could be considered to be political because Stafford and Lovell hoped to restore a Yorkist monarchy, although the lack of a Yorkist pretender meant the rebellion failed to gain traction in the Yorkist strongholds of Yorkshire and Worcestershire. Additionally, because Lovell and Stafford were only minor nobles, they were not interested in dynastic intentions, instead just seeking to restore their positions of power under Richard III. Elizabeth I also faced politically motivated rebellions, mostly due to the increased English presence in Ireland. For example, the Desmond Rebellions in response to Elizabeth’s attempt to expand English control into Ireland. Adding to this, the prospect of land confiscations was raised, giving the Irish a further political motivation in rebelling. Hence, the FitzGerald Dynasty attacked Cork in 1569 with 4,500 men. Additionally, after the First Desmond Rebellion, Gaelic customs such as Irish dress, bardic poetry and the maintaining of "private armies" were outlawed and suppressed, upsetting the Irish as these were valued traditions and Irish landowners continued to be threatened by the arrival of English colonists to settle on land confiscated from the Irish. These further political problems allowed FitzMaurice, the captain general of the Desmond military, to lead the Second Desmond Rebellion in Munster in 1579. Elizabeth once again faced a political rebellion in Ireland with the Nine Years’ War from 1593 to 1603. The war was fought against English rule in Ireland, mainly in Ulster. The Nine Years’ War occurred because the Gaelic Irish lord Hugh O’Neill did not approve of the advance of English control in Ireland, particularly in Ulster because Henry Bagenal, an English colonist had settled in Newry, and was seeking to impose the authority of the crown. O’Neill was able to rally other Irish people because many were dissatisfied with the English government, further proving that the motivations were political. Before this, Mary I faced Wyatt’s Rebellion in 1554, against her marriage to Prince Philip of Spain. English people, regardless of religion, were concerned about the marriage because it was feared that English politics would be influenced by Spain. The French were also concerned by this possibility, so offered help in preventing Phillip from reaching England. The original aim was a change in policy to persuade Mary not to marry Philip II, however, it became clear Mary would not be moved, and hence the aim shifted to placing Elizabeth on the throne. Furthermore, Wyatt issued a manifesto with main demand that Mary should receive “better counsel”, demonstrating the political motives Wyatt and his followers held. In talking about Wyatt’s Rebellion, D.M Loades, a British historian, stated that “The real reasons which lay behind the conspiracy were secular and political” because the plot was led by prominent members of the Edwardian regime who had done their best to keep Jane on the throne, and who would have been happy to see her back and the rebels were objecting to the proposed marriage of Mary I to the King of Spain, her cousin Philip II. On the other hand, Anthony Fletcher said that “The religious agenda of the rebellion deserves more attention that Loades gives it” because John Ponet, recently deprived Bishop Winchester, was one of Wyatt’s advisers and the only real violence in London was against the property of the catholic Bishop Gardiner, with not a single rebel holding Catholic sympathies. Loades and Fletcher are both academic authors, having attended Cambridge and Oxford, respectively. This implies that their research will have been well carried out as they are both seasoned academics and therefore accustomed to historic research and writing. However, as both authors expressed these views in different books, it could be considered that they have attempted to give varying viewpoints to the general consensus in order to sell copies, as a repeated viewpoint would not be interesting to a reader. Furthering this point is the direct reference Fletcher makes to Loades’ comment, potentially showing Fletcher to purposefully disagree with Loades in order to produce a more interesting book. However, both historians are writing from similar time periods, with Loades being born in 1934 and Fletcher being born in 1941, and similar backgrounds, such as education and employment, so the differences in opinion may be considered to be a result of varying research of sources, rather than a difference in the author’s Loades’ book ‘Two Tudor Conspiracies’ focuses heavily on opposition to Mary I, possibly meaning Loades devoted more time to research and therefore had a more in depth knowledge of the motivations behind Wyatt’s Rebellion than Fletcher, with ‘Tudor Rebellions’ exploring all the major Tudor rebellions. This could mean that Fletcher’s argument is less developed because his split focus may have limited his research. Furthermore, Fletcher’s book, ‘Tudor Rebellions’, was first published in 1968, three years after Loades’ in 1965, meaning Fletcher may have had access to more resources and was therefore able to achieve a more well-rounded argument. Adding to this, Fletcher’s book’s fifth edition was published in 2008, potentially implying that Fletcher had added new research to his arguments, therefore strengthening it against Loades’.
Furthermore, Henry VII in particular faced dynastic rebellions due to his weak claim to the throne as his crowning owed to his defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. An example of a usurpation attempt would be Lambert Simnel, the 12 year-old who was trained by John de la Pole to impersonate the Earl of Warwick. This rebellion was due to dynastic problems because John de la Pole was one of the few remaining Yorkists, therefore eager to reclaim the throne. Simnel was taken to Dublin and proclaimed king because there was still Yorkist support, proving that the motivations for this rebellion were dynastic as Richard Simon, Simnel’s tutor, took Simnel to Dublin, knowing he would be crowned king. but his army was defeated at Stoke and Simnel was put to work in the royal kitchen. Moreover, Henry VII faced the attempted dynastic rebellion headed by another pretender to the throne, Perkin Warbeck. Warbeck tried to impersonate Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of Edward IV This is an example of a dynastically motivated rebellion because Richard was seen to have a greater claim to the throne than Henry VII to many and hence, if Warbeck gained enough support he could take the throne. Warbeck was supported by Margaret of Burgundy, the aunt of Richard of Shrewsbury, as well as the Holy Roman Emperor and the ruler of the Netherlands. Richard Grafton, a Tudor citizen and King’s Printer, wrote an account of Elizabeth of York’s death, stating that Henry “postponed the marriage for several months, however; he did not wish his claim to the throne to be based upon Elizabeth’s status as heiress of Edward IV”. This source is valuable because the content demonstrates that Henry VII was concerned about his claim to the throne, making him vulnerable to dynastic rebellions. In addition, as Grafton was a citizen, this adds to the value because it implies that English citizens were aware of Henry VII’s vulnerability, meaning that dynastic rebellions could be more easily supported. Furthermore, the tone of the source adds to its value because Grafton does not appear to have an agenda, being a citizen, so therefore this could be considered a general view held by English citizens. However, the content also limits the source’s value because it does not discuss what Henry wished his claim to the throne to be, as well as the lack of mention of dynastic rebellions, despite the weak claim to the throne.
In conclusion, although economic problems were a large issue throughout Tudor England, causing many rebellions, rebellions after Henry VII tended to have other factors, most commonly political and religious. Additionally, almost all of the rebellions could be considered to have religious motivations, as well as motivations from other problems. For example, the rebellions faced in Ireland by Elizabeth I would’ve also been affected by the Irish Catholicism and there were seven articles in Kett’s manifesto containing Protestant demands. For this reason, as well as the volume of religious upset faced because of Henry VIII’s break with Rome and the consequent religious turmoil, leads to the conclusion that religious problems were the main cause of rebellion during Tudor times.