~ Though some people agreed with Herny, signing the Act of Supremacy was a purely selfish decision on his part that many of his subjects, gentlemen and peasants alike, disagreed with, resulting in the Pilgrimage of Grace.
- People in Herny's court who agree
- Common people who disagree
- Gentlemen who disagree
**The Pilgrimage of Grace was a a movement that went from 1536 to 1537 in which many of Henry VIII's subjects protested his signing of the Act of Supremacy. In signing this act, Henry made himself the head of the Anglican Church of England.This upset many of his Catholic subjects, causing them to rebel and protest in the form of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Though some people agreed with Herny, signing the Act of Supremacy was a purely selfish decision on his part that many of his subjects, gentlemen and peasants alike, disagreed with, resulting in the Pilgrimage of Grace.
**There were some people close to Henry who defended his decision to sign the Act of Supremacy, but their numbers were very few. Richard Morrison, a writer hired by Thomas Cranmer, published a pamphlet titled "A Remedy for Solution," in which he wrote, "Those that are of a worser sort must be content that the wiser rule and govern them. An order must be had and a way found so that the better rule the rest," (doc. 7). He was completely convinced that Henry was above the peasant people, and therefore had a right to rule however he so chooses. Even after all the rebellion, Henry still was adamant and his decision and thought that the rebels were merely misguided. Thinking he was being kind, he wrote, "The royal majesty, duly informed that your offenses proceeded from ignorance and false tales, is inclined to extend his most gracious pity and mercy towards you and to grant to you his free pardon provided that you heartily repent your offenses and make humble submission to his highness," (doc. 9). Despite what Henry said, the people were not protesting any "false truths," nor were they "merely misguided." They knew exactly what they were doing, and he did not want to face the reality that his decision was not beneficial to his country or his subjects. Even behind this facade of kindness and mercy, he tried and convicted 144 of the participants in the Pilgrimage of Grace, 65% of all of those who had been tried (doc. 10). In order to defend his wrong decision, Henry just decided to execute the people who had opposed him.
**The majority of the people who had opposed Henry and participated in the Pilgrimage of Grace were peasants. 110 of the 144 people convicted were commoners (doc. 10), but even though they knew they could have been facing death, they were still adamant in their protests. And, unlike the motives behind Henry's original signing of the Act of Supremacy, these protesters did what they did for very unselfish reasons. The "Oath of Honorable Men" sworn by the marchers states, "You shall not enter into our Pilgrimage of Grace for worldly gain. Do so only for your love of God, for the Holy Catholic Church militant, for the preservation of the King and his heirs, for the purification of the nobility, and to expel all evil counselors," (doc. 1). They marched not for personal gain, but for the greater good, for a better cause, and for a better future. They proudly marched in the name of God, sporting a holy chalice and Christ's wounds on their flag, representing their own religious wounds, given to them by Henry VIII (doc. 3). These protesters were knocked down time and time again, and not only by the king and his English nobles. A Marchers' Proclamation delivered at many gatherings states, "We must be ready to help one another when thieves or Scots would rob or invade us either by night or day," (doc. 2). Even people from a different country were happy to persecute these commoners. Catholic monks wrote a ballad for the marchers that talks about how they were "robbed, spoiled and shorn of cattle and corn," (doc. 4). People were trying to take everything away from these peasant marchers, but they still pushed on for their beliefs. Henry VIII had not thought about the consequences of his actions for his peasant subjects in signing the Act of Supremacy, but after he did this the peasants themselves thought of one another and banded together against their selfish king.
**It was not only peasants who disagreed with Henry's unjust decision; it was also gentlemen of England. One gentleman, Robert Aske, attempted to do even more than protest. He wrote a letter to Henry VIII, asking him to do such things as "to have the supreme head of the Church be the pope in Rome as before," and "to have the monasteries' houses, lands and goods returned to them," (doc. 5). Aske tried as hard as the peasants did to change things, maybe even more so, addressing Henry VIII specifically. Right up until his death Aske believed that Henry's signing of the Act of Supremacy was for the worst. In his testimony right before his execution, he said, "Once the monasteries in the north gave great help to poor men and laudable service to God. Now no hospitality is shown to travelers," (doc. 11). He goes on to talk about how ruined the monasteries are and how this should be corrected, but Henry still thinks he has done the right thing for his country. Even Sir Thomas Temple, a former member of Parliament, wrote that, "The King should grant our petition against the traitor Thomas Cromwell and his adherents, or at least exile them from the realm," (doc. 6). Even people who used to work very closely with Henry VIII in Parliament know that he is doing wrong and should correct he and his nobles' selfish actions. During the Pilgrimage of Grace, these gentlemen were much less selfish then the king himself. In the end, 67% of these gentlemen that were tried for treason ended up being convicted (doc. 10).
**Henry VIII's signing of the Act of Supremacy was a selfish act, and it was right of both peasants and gentlemen alike to rebel. For nearly a year, they protested and protested, trying to have their beliefs heard. Though in the end many of them did end up being convicted, their voices were indeed heard. They left an imprint on England and everyone in it. These people convicted of treasons were the ones who knew the truth, and they were the ones who had the right idea about Henry VIII right from the start.
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