Causes of the Western Rebellion (1549)

Religious
1. 'Prayer Book rebellion'
2. rebels wanted a complete reversal of religious reform
  1. destroyed traditional religious experience
  2. reversal of policies such as:
    1. injunctions and visitations
    2. dissolution of chantries
    3. removal of religious objects, i.e. images
3. The new Book of Common Prayer- June 1949
  1. although moderate, final straw
  2. in the vinacular
    1. rather than in latin
Economic
1. due to expensive garrisons in the war with Scotland, Somerset had to find a way to fund the war
  1. texation
    1. greater strain on public
    2. consequent tax on sheep
      1. farmers on marginal uplands of Devon and Cornwall under increasing strain
  2. enclosures
    1. public land was made private, many farmers lost their jobs
Political
1. enclosures
  1. government seemed ignorant and uncaring with insensitive legislations
Social
1. distrust between peasants and rural labourers
  1. 'class antagonism'- Eamon Duffy
    1. 'the closest thing Tudor England came to a class war'- John Guy
2. gap between upper class and lower class was made much wider than before

Resource summary

	Created by BethanMayStevenson about 10 years ago