Question 1
Evaluate the interpretations in both of the two passages and explain which you think is more
convincing as an explanation of the impact of the Pilgrimage of Grace.
Passage A
Historians have dealt with the significance of the Pilgrimage of Grace by asking themselves questions such as, ‘How serious a threat was it to Henry VIII?’ The King himself made a determined effort to persuade people that it was merely a little local difficulty. However, recent commentators have disagreed strongly but the fact remains that the rebellion achieved nothing directly. It has even been claimed that, by making a further rebellion very unlikely, the Pilgrimage strengthened Henry’s hand and made it possible for him to continue with the policies that had sparked off the uprising. After all, the dissolution of the major monasteries in 1538 made the dissolutions of 1536 seem almost insignificant. However, the contention that the Pilgrimage of Grace hastened the demise of the way of life it was attempting to safeguard is a little harsh. Henry had proved time and time again that he was prepared to follow policies that were dear to him almost whatever the opposition, and it is unlikely that because his potential opponents had been defeated in 1536 he pursued more radical policies in the rest of his reign than he otherwise would have done.
Adapted from K. Randell, Henry VIII and the Government of England, published in 2001.
Passage B
When agreement was reached on 6 December 1536 with the Duke of Norfolk, at Doncaster, it appeared as if the rebels had achieved their aims. There is certainly a great deal to support this view. The pilgrims agreed to disperse peacefully: surely this would not have happened if they did not believe they had secured their goals? What happened to the specific aims of the pilgrims? The government certainly made concessions. It is because of these concessions, and as a gesture of respect to the King, that the rebels chose to accept the truce. More importantly, we should examine the second appointment the rebels had with royal representatives in December. Firstly, we need to remember that the initiative for this meeting came from the government because their policy had failed. This offer represented a massive climb down. The government allowed a free and general pardon absolving all participants. The government had been pressured into accepting the demands of the pilgrims by the existence of nine separate hosts, creating a huge force and the fear that if the negotiations failed the rebels, under compulsion from the commons, would rehost, march on London and – as in 1381 and 1450 – achieve their goals by military force. The overall conclusion is best left to Michael Bush ‘In these respects, then, the formation of the pilgrim armies in October 1536 has to be appreciated not only as a spectacular achievement in itself but also as a major influence upon religious, political, fiscal and agrarian changes of the time’.
Adapted from N. Fellows, The Pilgrimage of Grace, published in 2000.
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Answer
