Hello and welcome to the Renaissance English History podcast. I'm your host, Heather Tusco.

We've been spending a lot of time in recent episodes discussing the reign of Henry

the 8th and the advisors who were shaping his policies. Today I'm going to discuss the Pilgrimage of Grace.

If anyone listening has watched the Tudors on Showtime, you'll remember that the Pilgrimage of Grace

was a huge situation for Henry and was one

of the contributing factors to the fall of Thomas Cromwell. When we talk about uprisings and

various events going on outside of London, it's important to remember that the many counties in

England operated very much like individual countries. For many people in

Yorkshire, the country of Scotland, with whom England was very often at war, was actually

closer to them in philosophy and character than many parts of their own country. London was

200 miles away, a journey of at least a week on roads that were unpaved and often uneven

remnants of Roman roads a thousand years old. They were inhabited by outlaws, so traveling was dangerous.

Most people never traveled more than a few miles from their home, and rarely left their village, if at all.

The politics and religious reforms going on in London were about as familiar as the Spanish

colonies in America. When thinking about this uprising, it's also important to remember that in most

towns, the monastery was a school, hospital, would distribute alms to the

poor, and would even shelter and feed many people who couldn't afford to take care of themselves.

When monasteries were dissolved, those functions weren't just taken up by charities and non-profits.

There was simply a lack of services. It's very easy for us to look back

with our 500-year-old hindsight and smugly discussed the corruption of the monasteries and the

selling of the indulgences. But for many people, in many parts of England, the monks treated them

well and were a source of community and peace.

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