Title: Tudor Rebellions
Genre: History
Year: 2008
Pages: 200
Origin: read on the Kindle
Nod Rating: 3 nods out of 5
Tudor Rebellions has an interesting history. First published
in 1968 by Anthony Fletcher, it has recently been given a face-lift by Diarmaid
MacCulloch in order to bring about a revised fifth edition. It is a read full
of debate for the Tudor enthusiast: firm on details and heavy on analysis.
The big rebellions of the Tudor age (1485-1603) are given
space and evaluated in turn. The highlights of which include the 1497 Cornish
Rebellion when the people of the west marched to London; the 1549 rebellions in
which the Cornish (again) revolted against the changes in religion and when
Kett led the men of Norfolk against the leaders of the day due to agrarian
grievances and protest against poor local government; Wyatt’s rebellion of 1554
in which he hoped to do away with the Spanish-Catholic influence; the doomed
1569 rebellion when the Catholic lords of the country hoped to stem the tide of
the Protestant religion; and then, of course, the utter failure of Essex’s
pathetic rebellion against Queen Elizabeth at the tail-end of the Tudor period.
The historians give a narrative account of each rebellion
before embarking on the heavier and worthier work of analysis of causes and
effects. Similar themes are found within each of these events: protest about
religion, of agriculture and economic hardships, as well as the myriad disputes
in the localities around the country. Throughout history monarchs were able to
withstand many of these problems when isolated on their own; when compounded
together they caused explosive disturbances.
A continuing theme is the Tudor family’s quest to bring
greater power into their hands. This paranoid and bad-blooded dynasty quelled
those who disagreed with them within court circles, as well as attempted to
subdue the northern and western subjects in the land. This plan was an
outstanding success: from rebelling and waving their fists in 1497 and 1549 the
Cornish never made a squeak again. They accepted their status, in which bit by
bit their tongue and culture was eroded. Yes, the Tudors accomplished much,
however, they failed in the lack of suitable heirs in which to continue their
family line.
Of high interest is the conclusion drawn from the lack of
notable rebellions in the Elizabethan age. Fletcher and MacCulloch argue that
there were four successful rebellions in the first half of the Tudor age: Henry
Tudor’s victory at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the Amicable Grant of 1525
that proved a costly defeat for Wolsey, the overthrow of Protector Somerset in
1549, and Mary’s triumph in 1553 when it appeared that the political nation was
conspiring against her succession to the throne. The historians note that such
‘rebellions have been ignored precisely because they were successful’; they
future contest that the absence of such rebellions was due to the firm hand of
the Elizabethan government in bolstering local Justices of the Peace and in
continuing Henry VII’s centralisation of authority. Wyatt’s failure in 1554
meant that the gentry ‘learnt to channel their opposition through parliament’.
Of course, Elizabeth Elizabeth ‘bequeathed to her successor King James one of
the most trouble-free kingdoms in Europe ’.
Tudor Rebellions is a worthy read for any Tudor enthusiast.
It is a great example of scholarly correspondence throughout a period of
decades. Fletcher established a book of high importance; MacCulloch has attempted
– and succeeded – in updating this read for the benefit of a modern audience.
If only more historians united in such a manner, instead of trading blows with
one another!
