Most Significant Threat to Henry VII From Rebellion, 1485-1509
This is an article which discusses the most significant threat to Henry VII during his reign. The title is pretty self-explanatory really.
Persistence of rebellion
The degree of persistence shown by the rebels is another determining factor. For instance, in the Midlands and the North, when the Staffords’ and Lovel’s rebellion was faced with an ultimatum of pardon or death, the rebels dispersed showing they did not have a great deal of commitment to their cause. As a result they were unlikely to pose a viable threat to Henry VII. These rebels who participated in the Cornish revolt showed a great deal of commitment to carry out their plans. First of all they had marched from Bodmin through the Western counties and even had to battle. Eventually, with a loss of 1000 out of 15000 men, the rebellion was dispersed. Perhaps because the Cornish were fighting over taxes (and therefore) their livelihoods maybe they had more cause to succeed than those fighting for hatred of Henry or ambition for power. The fact that Henry had to resort to bloodshed to put down the rebellion shows how Henry realised they must be dealt with quickly.
Conclusion
The more factors considered, the more representative the view of which rebellion faced the largest threat. Other possible criteria could be Henry’s degree of response, the power and influence of the leaders of each revolt or perhaps the repercussions resulting from putting down each rebellion. But looking at the main factors it shows that the Welsh rebellion was the most threatening minor rising that Henry faced. This is mainly because of the intent on killing Henry from the Vaughans and the king’s relative vulnerability at the time of this rebellion.
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