Rebellion and disorder under the Tudors, 1485–1603 - 2 Challenging…

The idea

The Lincolnshire Rising (October 1536) and the Pilgrimage of Grace (October 1536 to early 1537) were northern protests against religious and governmental change. Causes included the dissolution of the smaller monasteries, fears for parish religion and the 1534 subsidies, plus resentment of Cromwell and southern advisers. Aims ranged from defending the Church and restoring the monasteries to removing Cromwell and expressing regional grievance. Methods included mass gatherings, oath-taking, banners such as the Five Wounds, petitions and negotiated truces rather than full-scale battle. Support came from clergy, gentry, commons and some nobility, giving the movement breadth but also divided leadership. The threat was serious: up to 30,000 rebels, a royal army stretched, and concessions extracted at Doncaster, though the 1537 Bigod rising and executions ended it.

What earns the marks

• Analyses aims by distinguishing religious restoration, defence of the monasteries and parish religion, removal of Cromwell, and redress of regional and economic grievances.
• Examines methods: mass assembly, oath-taking, banners and pilgrim badges, petitions such as the Lincoln articles and Pontefract articles, negotiation at Doncaster, and limited violence.
• Assesses the nature of support: involvement of clergy, gentry such as Robert Aske, commons and some nobles, and the tensions this created between moderate and radical wings.
• Evaluates the extent of threat by weighing rebel numbers, speed of spread, royal financial and military strain, concessions granted, and the eventual collapse after the 1537 Bigod rising and executions.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating the Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace as one identical event.

  Put it right by distinguishing their chronology, leadership and demands.

• Assuming all rebels shared one aim.

  Put it right by separating religious, economic and political grievances and noting divisions between gentry and commons.

• Claiming the rebellion nearly overthrew Henry VIII without qualification.

  Put it right by assessing the threat alongside the Crown's eventual success in suppressing it.

• Ignoring the role of women and ordinary people.

  Put it right by including evidence of broad popular participation where sources support it.

Exam tips

• Structure answers around the four required strands: causes, aims, methods and support, then judge the extent of threat.
• Use named leaders, dates and documents, such as Aske, the Pontefract articles and the Doncaster negotiations, to support precise analysis.
• Weigh both sides of the threat judgement, setting rebel strength against royal resources and the rebellion's collapse.
• Avoid narrative drift by linking each piece of evidence back to the question's focus on cause, impact or threat.