Mid-Tudor Crisis facts for kids

The Mid-Tudor Crisis is a name historians use for a challenging time in English history. It happened between 1547 and 1558. This was after King Henry VIII died and before Queen Mary Tudor died. Some historians believe England was close to falling apart during these years. They point to weak rulers, money problems, many rebellions, and big religious changes. However, other historians, like David Loades, disagree. They argue that this period actually saw some successes and achievements for England.

What Was the Mid-Tudor Crisis?

Historians have long discussed if England faced a crisis between 1539 and 1563. Whitney Jones was the first historian to study this idea deeply. In his 1973 book, The Mid-Tudor Crisis 1539-1563, he listed eight main reasons why he thought England was in trouble:

Weak Rulers and Their Challenges

England had three rulers during this time: Edward VI, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, and John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, followed by Mary Tudor.

• Edward VI became king when he was very young. Some say he was easily controlled by his advisors.
  • Duke of Somerset was one of Edward's main advisors. He was known for caring about ordinary people. But he was not a very good politician. His choices led to some big rebellions in 1549.
  • Duke of Northumberland took over after Somerset. He was a more skilled politician. But some historians say he only cared about the rich and powerful. He also continued to make the country's money less valuable. This caused prices to go up.
• Mary Tudor became Queen after Edward VI died. She was a strong Catholic. Many people remember her for punishing Protestants. This earned her the nickname 'Bloody Mary'. She also did not have any children, which caused worries about who would rule next.

Economic Hardship in England

The mid-1500s was a tough time for England's economy.

• Rising Prices and Falling Wages: Prices for goods went up a lot. At the same time, the money people earned (their wages) went down. For example, the cost of everyday goods almost doubled between 1541 and 1575. Workers' wages dropped by as much as 60%. This was a huge problem because most people spent about 80% of their money on food.
• Debasing the Coinage: The government made coins with less valuable metal. They did this to pay for expensive wars. This made people lose trust in English money. It also made prices go even higher.
• Population Growth: A big reason for the economic problems was that England's population grew quickly. The economy was not ready for so many more people.

Rebellions Across the Country

There were several major uprisings during this period:

• 1549 Rebellions: In 1549, two big rebellions happened.
  • The Western Rebellion (also called the Prayer Book rebellion) was about religious changes. People wanted to keep the old Catholic ways.
  • Kett's Rebellion had some Protestant ideas. But it was mostly about economic problems and unfair treatment.
• Wyatt's Rebellion (1554): This rebellion happened during Queen Mary's reign. The rebels even reached London. They got as far as Charing Cross and Ludgate before they were stopped.

A list of arms issued during Wyatt's rebellion of 1554

Court Fights and Power Struggles

The royal court was full of arguments and power struggles. Different groups, or "factions," fought for control.

• For example, after Thomas Cromwell lost power, there was a big fight between conservative leaders like the Duke of Norfolk and Stephen Gardiner, and radical leaders like the Duke of Somerset and Katherine Parr. These fights helped some people rise to power, but also caused others to fall.

Foreign Policy Challenges

England faced problems with other countries.

• Wars with France and Scotland: Somerset led an expensive war with France and Scotland, known as the Rough Wooing. England lost Boulogne to France in 1550. These wars cost a lot of money and caused problems at home.
• Loss of Calais: Queen Mary joined a war with France because of her marriage to Philip II of Spain. This led to England losing Calais in 1558. Calais had been an English possession for a very long time. Its loss was a big blow to English pride.

Local Problems and Unrest

Local issues also added to the problems.

• Sometimes, there was no strong leadership in local areas. This allowed small complaints to grow into bigger problems. For instance, some of Kett's rebels were upset about local farming rights.

Major Religious Changes

The English Reformation caused a lot of religious confusion and upset.

• England kept changing its official religion. It went from the moderate Protestantism of Somerset to the more extreme Protestantism of Northumberland. Then, it switched back to the strict Catholicism of Mary. These constant changes made society unstable. They also contributed to the rebellions.

Succession Worries

There were big concerns about who would rule next.

• King Edward VI was young and often sick. Queen Mary was Catholic and had no children. This led to a crisis over who would inherit the throne. Northumberland even tried to make Lady Jane Grey queen after Edward died, but it failed.

A Different View: Trauma and Survival

More recently, historians like John Matusiak have offered a new way to look at this period. He calls these years "Years of Trauma and Survival." He believes that neither side of the argument (crisis or success) is completely right.

Was There Really a Crisis?

• Some historians now say that England was not truly facing a "crisis" where the government was about to collapse. They argue that the basic parts of the government stayed strong.

How Bad Were the Problems?

• While the rulers might not have been "weak," they were not always great leaders either. England survived despite their efforts, not always because of them.
• Historians also agree that the problems were serious.
  • Economy: England faced severe money problems. Wages were low, and food prices were high. There were also bad harvests and outbreaks of sickness. These problems caused a lot of suffering for ordinary people.
  • Religion: The constant changes in religion caused a lot of uncertainty and worry.
  • Foreign Policy: Losing Calais and Boulogne was a big blow to England's national pride.
  • Parliament: The fact that Parliament had to be closed down several times shows there was instability in the government.

Comparing to Other Times

• While some of these problems happened at other times in Tudor history, it was unusual for so many big problems to happen all at once within just 25 years. This made the period very difficult.

John Matusiak concludes that England didn't face an "apocalypse." But he says many people felt like things were very bad. He believes it wasn't a full "crisis" because the government didn't collapse. Instead, it was a time of "trauma" where the country focused on surviving rather than achieving great things.

Historians Robert Bucholz and Newton Key also point out that King Henry VIII left England with money problems. This made it harder for his children to rule well. They also note that England's population grew very fast. It went from 2.4 million people in 1525 to about 4.5 million in 1600. The economy struggled to keep up with this growth. They also give Queen Mary credit for being the first English queen to rule on her own. This showed that a woman could lead the country.

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