‘Disputes over the succession to the English throne were the most common cause of rebellion in the period from 1485 to 1603.’ How far do you agree with this view?

During the Tudor period (1485-1603), disputes over the succession were a recurring cause of rebellions in England, particularly at the start of the Tudor period but was also prevalent throughout. Succession showed to be a major issue and cause of rebellions, highlighted not only by Henry VII’ reign, but also by Northumberland and Wyatt’s rebellions, as well as the Essex rebellion. However we must also note that in fact other major causes played a large role in the occurrence of rebellions throughout the whole of the Tudor period, such as taxation, economic grievances, and religious and social issues. Evaluation is therefore needed of each cause of rebellion in order to establish which was the ‘most common cause of rebellion’ during the Tudor period.

Firstly, it should be noted that 3 out of the 5 rebellions that Henry VII faced during his reign were caused by disputes over succession; Henry VII claimed the throne in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth, which made his position as king extremely tenuous and weak and consequently open to being challenged. The Yorkists were unhappy with the new Lancastrian hold over the throne, and so from the start of his reign he faced major rebellions in attempt to reinstate the throne to the Yorkists. Within his first year as king, he faced both Lovell’s (1486) and Simnel’s (1486-7) rebellions thus demonstrating his weak position. Simnel’s rebellion was threatening upon Henry’s position as it revealed there was still Yorkist support in court, which demonstrated his also fragile hold over the crown. Later on he also faced a rebellion from Perkin Warbeck (1491-97), which held a significant danger to Henry’s hold over the crown due to the involvement of foreign powers,