Which rebellion presented the greatest challenge to the monarchy?
To fully answer this question we must first understand what factors make a rebellion challenging. These factors include what the rebellions achieved, how many numbers were involved, the amount of force taken to put it down, the demands made, and the security of the monarchy. We must assess which of these factors are the most challenging to the monarchy and then judge which rebellion had these factors.
All rebellions have their own aims which they are trying to achieve, such as overthrowing the monarch in Lovell’s rebellion or trying to change the succession as in Northumberland’s Coup; if a rebellion does achieve its aim then that rebellion may be seen as a success for the rebels, therefore it could be proven to be the greatest challenge to the monarchy. In 1525, the Amicable Grant, Henry 8th had to change his policy in raising taxes to invade France as people rebelled against him and refused to pay. The rebellion set out and refused to pay the tax and they succeeded, the fact that Henry 8th had to change his mind and do what the rebels wanted shows that the monarchy was weak and the rebels presented a great challenge to him. 11 years later Henry 8th was faced with another challenge, the Pilgrimage of Grace. This rebellion aimed to express their religious grievances and challenge Henrys religious reforms. Although Henry was able to put the rebellion down, he did not advance as much in his Protestant reforms after that rebellion as it made him realise that his ideas for religion were not liked by many; therefore this rebellion may also be seen as a great challenge to the monarchy as the rebels had made Henry slow down on how religious reforms. Although both of these rebellions can be seen as a success for the rebels as they changed what the Henry 8th wanted to do, they did not greatly challenge the monarch. Henry wasn’t able to invade France or advance his religious reforms as quickly as he...