Rebellion and the Fall of Somerset (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes

Rebellion and the Fall of Somerset

Somerset's early policies and their consequences

When Edward VI became king in January 1547, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, assumed the role of Lord Protector – the regent who governed on behalf of the young king. Somerset inherited a range of pressing problems that would ultimately contribute to his downfall.

During his brief period in power, Somerset removed barriers to religious reform that had been erected by conservatives in the late 1530s while preventing outright religious schism. The Privy Council pursued a strategy of moderate reforms designed to satisfy reformers without alienating religious conservatives excessively, hoping that the large proportion of uncommitted laity would accept these changes. Despite the weaknesses of the Regency government, the achievements of Somerset's religious policies were impressive, though they would contribute to the rebellions of 1549.

Foreign policy under Somerset

Somerset faced constraints imposed by Henry VIII's will, which required arranging a marriage between Edward VI and Mary Queen of Scots. This proposal met with resistance in Scotland, forcing Somerset to address twin threats from both Scotland and France. He attempted to isolate Scotland by negotiating an alliance with France. However, when Francis I died in 1547 and was succeeded by Henry II, the new French king renewed the Anglo-Scottish alliance and dispatched a fleet carrying 4,000 troops to Scotland.

Military intervention in Scotland

Somerset responded with a joint land and naval invasion. Using Berwick as his base, he invaded with 16,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry, supported at sea by a fleet of 30 warships and 50 supply ships. In the west, an army of 2,000 marched from Carlisle across the border into Scotland, reinforced with 500 cavalry. The Scottish army was large but poorly equipped compared with English cannons and cavalry. South of Edinburgh, the Scots suffered defeat at the Battle of Pinkie in September 1547. This victory gave Somerset control of the border region, but the English army lacked the strength to occupy the whole of Scotland.

Strategic failure and costs

As French troops continued arriving in Scotland and Scottish nobles united against the English threat, Mary Queen of Scots was moved to France with the intention of her marrying the French heir (later Francis II). Somerset's expensive foreign policy ($600,000) had strengthened connections between France and Scotland, with the prospect of a future marriage uniting the two thrones. By 1549 Somerset faced concerns about developments in England. During the summer he withdrew troops from Scotland to address rebellions that had broken out and to defend the south coast against a possible French invasion.

Somerset has received substantial criticism. Although a competent general, he lacked decisiveness in leadership. However, responsibility does not rest entirely with him. He inherited a difficult diplomatic and military situation that led to a war which could not be won.

Economic problems under Somerset

The reputation of the 'Good Duke' rested on his apparent desire to assist those who had suffered from the consequences of land enclosure. Enclosure describes the process whereby landowners converted fields from open strips for crop production into fenced-off pastures for sheep grazing. A commission was established to investigate the legality of recent enclosures. Government inspectors toured the country, and many poor families in the Midlands and south who had lost their lands and customary rights welcomed the commissioners. These families expected that the commissioners would order a reversal of enclosure policy.

Division and disappointment

However, not everyone welcomed the arrival of enclosure commissioners. Gentry landowners who had made their wealth from sheep farming feared losing their livelihood. They were further angered by new laws passed in 1548-49 which raised the tax on sheep and cloth.

The investigation of enclosures was a well-meaning policy, but it generated frustration and fury among both rich and poor. Landowners feared that the drift towards enclosure would be reversed, which would severely limit their scope for enterprise and wealth creation. The poor held high expectations that the government would at long last support them and protect them against enclosures, but succeeding governments needed the support of the landowners to maintain law and order in the localities.

The inflation crisis

The most serious economic problem was inflation, which occurred in the first half of the sixteenth century. Politicians of the period did not properly understand this phenomenon. The largest price rises affected foodstuffs such as bread, cheese and meat. The rising population put pressure on agriculture, and wages were failing to keep pace with rising prices. Both rising prices and population growth appear to have reached a peak in the 1540s, causing massive economic and social problems among the poorer classes, even when harvests were good.

By 1549 social unrest, fuelled by economic and religious concerns, led to rebellions in different parts of the country.

Western Rebellion, 1549

The first stirrings of popular rebellion appeared well before summer 1549. As the government sent its agents out to check on the state of the Church and the progress towards limited reform from 1547, there were signs of resistance to change from local communities. The agitation was often instigated by concerns over religious change, though other factors were also important.

Causes of the Western Rebellion

Religious concerns predominated, especially in the south-west. Gentry families had gained Church land after the Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries for their own use. This was coupled with the general social and economic discontent described above: inflation, population increases and some changes in land use for sheep farming.

In Somerset and Bristol, mobs tore down the fences and hedges that had been erected to enclose pastureland. Similar stories of spontaneous rioting were reported outside the south-west. Many of the riots were ill-focused and reflected a sense of desperation among the poorest classes. Religion provided the focus needed.

The leaders of the revolt in Cornwall demanded the restoration of Catholic doctrines and practices, including the mass in Latin and a ban on the English Bible. The rebels described the new Prayer Book of 1549 as:

Course of the rebellion

The Western Rebellion grew out of these riots in Cornwall and Devon. When the government ordered that the new Prayer Book should be used in churches, groups formed to resist, and by mid-June a full-scale rebellion had begun.

The rebels gathered at Crediton, where they were met by a local landowner who treated them unsympathetically. The accidental burning of part of the rebel defences prevented any chance of a quick settlement. The rebels then advanced past Exeter and set up camp. They made no attempt to march towards London to protest their grievances to the government; instead, they brought the south-west to a standstill and waited for the government to come to them.

News of the rebellion travelled slowly, and Somerset almost certainly underestimated the seriousness of the situation at first. The government found it difficult to respond. Troops were needed to defend the north against Scotland and the south coast against France. By the time the rebels had gained control of the lands around Exeter, the government also faced a second major protest in the east.

Kett's Rebellion, 1549

In Norfolk, there was a similar situation with widespread economic and social problems resulting from another bad harvest and rapid price rises, coupled with the mistaken belief that government ministers were profiteering from the situation in the absence of a strong king.

Demands and leadership

Some of the rebels' demands (such as dismissing inadequate clergy and those who were non-resident) suggest that these rebels tended to be supporters of Protestantism and of Church reform, but this was not their main motive. Gangs emerged in May and June 1549 to break enclosures. Robert Kett was one of the landowners whose property was attacked, but he agreed to end enclosure on his estates and offered to lead the rebels to secure their rights.

Course of the rebellion

Kett's Rebellion followed a similar pattern to the Western Rising. The rebels did not march towards London, but set up camp on Mousehold Heath, near Norwich. From there, they ran a largely peaceful campaign to end enclosures, improve local government and (unlike the Western Rebellion) secure better quality clergymen. At the height of the camp, Kett boasted that he could call on 15,000 men if the army attacked.

Fall of Somerset

The Western and Kett rebellions threatened a complete breakdown of government in two regions of England. In both cases, Somerset's response was slow, almost to the point of paralysis. The western rebels were finally beaten by the royal army in mid-August, while the Earl of Warwick put an end to Kett's Rebellion at the end of the month in a bloody confrontation resulting in a combined total of 4,000 deaths from both sides.

Impact on Somerset's position

Neither revolt had forced a change in policy either on religion or enclosures, but they shook government to the core and gave those who were aggrieved at Somerset's style of leadership their opportunity to strike. Somerset was arrested on the orders of the council on 11 October 1549 and imprisoned in the Tower. He was released in February 1550 and was allowed to rejoin the Privy Council (his only real crimes had been incompetence and panic).

Execution

However, rumours soon began to circulate that Somerset was gathering support to take power back from the council. He was arrested again and tried on charges of treason, specifically of plotting to assassinate some of his rivals on the council. He was executed in January 1552.

Key dates: the regency of Somerset, 1547-49

Date	Event
Jan 1547	Accession of Edward VI; Edward Seymour (Duke of Somerset) became Lord Protector
Sept 1547	English defeated Scots at Battle of Pinkie
Nov 1547	Parliament repeals anti-Protestant legislation of 1539 in Treasons Act; Act abolishing Chantries
1548	In the summer the French army landed in Scotland; Mary Queen of Scots moved to France
Jan 1549	Act of Uniformity and new Prayer Book; taxes increased on sheep and cloth
June 1549	Outbreak of Western Rebellion in Devon and Kett's Rebellion in Norfolk
Oct 1549	Fall of Somerset