Lincolnshire Rising
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a revolt against the actions of Henry VIII. It was inspired by an uprising in Lincoln called the Lincolnshire Rising. On October 1, 1536, Catholic dissenters gathered at St. James Church in Louth, Lincolnshire, to protest the establishment of the Church of England. The revolt quickly gained support in nearby towns. On October 14, 40,0000 protestors marched on Lincoln and took Lincoln Cathedral. The protestors wanted to be able to continue to worship as Catholics. The Lincolnshire Rising ended quickly when word reached the protestors that the king was sending Charles Brandon, the first Duke of Suffolk. Thomas Kendall, the vicar of Louth, and many of the leaders were captured and executed. The Lincolnshire Rising represented a major threat to Henry’s government because the protestors were primarily commoners.
Robert Aske
The Pilgrimage of Grace began in York immediately after the end of the Lincolnshire Rising. The protestors had economic, political, and religious concerns. They wanted England to return to the Catholic Church. The protestors did not believe that the king was at fault, but blamed his ministers, especially Thomas Cromwell.
Like the Lincoln revolt, the protestors were primarily commoners, but they had strong leaders from the gentry and noble classes. The protestors chose Robert Aske, a London barrister, as their leader. Aske was the youngest son of Sir Robert Aske of Aughton and was from an old northern family. Aske was a skilled orator and organizer. It was Aske who coined the phrase Pilgrimage of Grace to describe the uprising in order to emphasize its religious aspect. All those who participated in the revolt were required to take an oath regarding their behavior. Failure to uphold the oath meant eternal damnation.
The Pilgrimage of Grace
Support for Aske and the Pilgrimage of Grace was widespread in the north. By October 21, the rebels numbers 35,000. Henry ordered the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Shrewsbury to confront the rebels, but the mean could not muster enough forces. Henry’s one advantage was that Aske did not want conflict. To buy time, Henry asked the rebels to clarify their demands and ordered Norfolk to end the rebellion.
In early December the leaders met at Pontefract Castle and drew up what became known as the 24 Articles. Nine of the demands were religious in nature, six political, and the rest were a combination of social, political, economic, and religious issues. On December 6, the 24 Articles were presented to the Duke of Norfolk. The rebels agreed to disband if:
1. Henry reviewed the demands,
2. A freely elected Parliament debated the demands, and
3. All the rebels would be pardoned.
Henry's Betrayal
Robert Aske, believing he had won, traveled to London at Henry’s request to meet with the king. Henry wanted to discuss the feelings of the people with the rebel leader so that another rebellion would not occur. In reality, Henry had no intention of keeping his promises to the rebel leaders. He wanted Aske to give names of other rebels.
In late January 1537, Aske returned to Yorkshire and dismissed his followers. A new rebellion broke out in Cumberland, and the Duke of Norfolk used this as his excuse to punish the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Robert Aske was arrested and hung in chains from the walls of York Castle as a warning to other rebels. A total of 216 rebels were executed for treason.
Sources:
Fletcher, Anthony and Diarmaid Macculloch. Tudor Rebellions. London: Longman, 2008.
Moorhouse, Geoffrey. The Pilgrimage of Grace: The Rebellion That Shook Henry VIII's Throne. London: Orion Publishing, 2002.
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