Pilgrimage of Grace was a rebellion in northern England in 1536 that threatened the government of King Henry VIII. A number of social groups joined together to protest some of Henry’s legislative measures, including changes to traditional religious practices and the dissolution (breaking up) of the monasteries. The rebels felt the measures threatened their prosperity, religious freedom, and ways of life. Robert Aske, a lawyer from Yorkshire, led the Pilgrimage of Grace.
In October 1536, Aske headed an army of 30,000 rebels that had taken control of several northern towns, including Doncaster and York. Aske and other rebel leaders drafted a list of grievances that they wanted Henry’s government to address. They also voiced displeasure at the policies of Thomas Cromwell, an adviser who directed England’s civil and religious affairs. The rebels sought to remove Cromwell from power.
Henry sent the Duke of Norfolk to negotiate with the rebels and to promise to attend to their demands. In December 1536, the rebels gathered in the town of Pontefract, near Wakefield, and learned that Henry would pardon them. The rebels returned to their homes, and Aske surrendered his leadership of the group before the Duke of Norfolk.
After another rebellion broke out in Yorkshire in January 1537, Henry broke his government’s promises and ordered the rebels to be crushed. The Duke of Norfolk headed a royal army that captured and executed Aske and over 200 of the other rebel leaders. Henry never again faced such a large-scale uprising.
