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Popular Protest in the 16th Century Could Pose a Dangerous Challenge to the Monarch and the State. How Far Is the Statement Accurate in Relation to Years 1536-69?

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Popular Protest in the 16th Century Could Pose a Dangerous Challenge to the Monarch and the State. How Far Is the Statement Accurate in Relation to Years 1536-69?
Popular protest in the 16th century could pose a dangerous challenge to the monarch and the state. How far is the statement accurate in relation to years 1536-69?

Throughout the years 1536-69 five rebellions took place, all of which could be interpreted as a dangerous challenge to the monarch and the state, at the same time all of which can be interpreted as not a dangerous challenge instead could even have strengthen the monarch and the state. Source X agrees with the statement as ‘each monarch faced at least one serious revolt.’ Source V suggest that a lack of leadership, organisation and ‘geographic limits’ hindered the success of many rebellions such as the northern rebellion or the pilgrimage of grace. Source W agrees with the statement ‘in the right hands and with the right circumstances’ popular protest in the sixteen century could have posed a dangerous challenge to the monarch and the state. I will interpret these sources to determine whether the rebellions of the 16th century did or did not pose a dangerous challenge to the monarch and the state.
The pilgrimage of grace had been arguably the biggest challenge to the Tudor monarch, with forces over 30,000 men. Source W suggests that the pilgrimage of grace had ‘enough support to take control of the north of England,’ the size of the rebellion posed a dangerous challenge to the monarch and the state as they had not been able to provide an army at equal size and ability to fight and supress the rebels. Source V suggests that the other rebellions may have been unsuccessful due to the failure of raising a large army; ‘unlike the pilgrimage of grace’ this suggests that the size of the rebellion posed a dangerous challenge to the monarch and the state. Unlike the other rebellions, the pilgrimage of grace had been able to capture a important castle at Pontefract, armed with about 300 royal troops the castle was handed over without any injury’s, this left Henry in an Source W ‘unfamiliar and humiliating

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