Kett’s Rebellion: The 1549 uprising that challenged Tudor authority
Why did thousands join Kett’s Rebellion in 1549? Discover the causes, key moments and its impact on Tudor England.
Image: Kett's Oak at Mousehold Heath marks the location where rebels formed their base | Shutterstock.com
In the late 1540s, Tudor England was going through tumultuous change. King Henry VIII passed away in 1547, leaving the kingdom to his son Edward VI. Aged just nine years old at the time of his accession, Edward was too young to run the country in his own right. Hence, true power was vested in a regency council led by the king’s uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset.
While Seymour was instrumental in shifting the state region from Catholicism to Protestantism, 1540s England was also starting to embrace agrarian capitalism. This was too much for one group of peasants in Norfolk, who put the wheels in motion for what became known as Kett’s Rebellion.
The peasants’ grievances focused on wealthy landowners closing off areas of common land from poorer farmers. Kett’s Rebellion even bubbled over into open warfare. Looking back, was it really a case of ‘power to the people’, or only a brief blow to Tudor authority?
What factors led to Kett’s Rebellion?
In 1540s England, all persons were entitled to use ‘common land’ to graze their livestock. Over time, though, landowners had been putting up fences to reserve more and more of this territory for themselves.
This practice, known as ‘enclosure’, was unsurprisingly reviled by the working classes. It was encouraged by England’s burgeoning wool trade, as landowners realised how much extra money they could make from grazing sheep. However, it all left peasants struggling to find enough land still available for their own animals.
The common people were also finding their budgets squeezed by rising rents and inflation. It all contributed to a ‘perfect storm’ where rioters decided to tear down the fences themselves. Some under attack in July 1549 had been erected by yeoman farmer Robert Kett, who turned out to be surprisingly sympathetic to the protestors’ plight…
How did Kett’s Rebellion take root?
Robert Kett was one of Wymondham’s wealthiest farmers. Successive generations of his family had been farming Norfolk land since the 12th century. So, on the face of it, he hardly seemed the likeliest person to stop and listen to the rioters and join their cause. In reality, though, he did both, even helping his newfound peasant pals to destroy enclosure fences, including his own.
On 9th July, Kett led the protestors on a march towards Norwich, at that time England’s second-largest city. The group recruited more members along the way, their numbers thought to have peaked at around 16,000.
The rebels eventually formed a base at Mousehold Heath before drawing up a list of 29 grievances. These, sent to Protector Somerset, called for the gentry’s power to be restricted and the rapid rate of economic change to be curtailed. There was even a proto-democratic element to the demands, with one insisting that parishioners should have the right to replace priests not to their satisfaction.
How did authorities respond to Kett’s Rebellion?
The Tudor government sent a messenger north offering pardon to the rebels. Kett insisted that he had not committed any treason and therefore had no use for a pardon. In late July, his army made Norwich their battlefield and seized control of the city.
With royal approval, the Marquess of Northampton led an army of 1,400 men to Norwich. However, after losing a major commander – Edmund Sheffield – in the ensuing battle, Northampton withdrew his forces.
The next royal army to take on the rebels was led by the Earl of Warwick. This army was much larger, with about 14,000 troops in total. Warwick’s own military experience abroad also likely played a part in helping him to drive Kett’s followers out of Norwich at last.
Warwick’s army cornered Kett’s at Dussindale. Its location is not known for definite today, but theorised to lie somewhere in modern-day Norwich. It was the site of a disastrous defeat for the rebels, with thousands thought to have been killed on that fateful day, 27th August. Robert Kett was hanged at Norwich Castle the following December.
Did Kett’s Rebellion achieve any lasting change?
Though the rebels failed to secure redress for their grievances, modern generations have rehabilitated Robert Kett’s reputation, praising him for defending poor people’s rights. In the shorter term, the revolt politically ruined Somerset, as he had himself objected to enclosure. Warwick soon replaced him as Edward VI’s regent.
Kett’s Rebellion is just one of many unjustly overlooked events in Tudor history. You can have fun exploring more of the period by subscribing to the Sky HISTORY newsletter.
