Why did the Pilgrimage of Grace fail?

Why did the Pilgrimage of Grace fail?

1. Henry VIII only intended it to be a temporary concession. He retracted his proposal of negotiation.

2. Henry killed all the main leaders who did not agree with him including Lord Darcy, Lord Hussey, Sir Thomas Percy and Robert Aske in the early months of 1537.

3. Henry VIII used the unrelated revolts in Westmorland and Cumberland to carry out reprisals and hang 74 rebels in Carlisle.

4. Robert Aske accepted the King's pardon at the river Don and trusted that he would bring their grievances to court.

   • Consequently, the rebels dispersed, making it harder for them to regroup again.

5. M. Bush said it was 'interconnected regional rebellions rather than one fluid movement.' The rebels stayed dispersed in the North rather than going down to London as a group.

6. The rebels tried to negotiate before achieving anything. They wrongly thought that their numerical advantage gave them the upper hand in negotiations.

7. Poor leadership- they did not decide how they were going to get the terms they wanted, only which ones.

8. Lack of focus- not everyone was fighting for the same cause. This made the movement disjointed.