Robert Ket's Rebellion of 1549

a peasant uprising in eastern England. The principal cause of the rebellion was the seizure of arable lands and especially of good pasture areas from the peasants by the large-scale landowners. The revolt broke out in June 1549 in Norfolk County and soon encompassed Suffolk and a number of adjacent counties.

In their program, which consisted of 29 articles, the peasants insisted that the king and the landlords carry out to the letter the antienclosure laws that had been published previously. Among their other demands were a reduction in rents, the abolition of the tithe, and the complete elimination of peasant dependency. The rebels were led by a member of the petit gentry, Robert Ket, whose chief aide was his brother William. The insurgents launched a campaign against Norwich, the chief city of Norfolk County, capturing it with the cooperation of the urban poor.

Taking into consideration the rebel leaders’ fear of the poorest of their supporters, the government tried at first to split the ranks of the rebels of means of negotiations. When these attempts failed, the government resorted to armed force. An army of Italian and German mercenaries took Norwich by storm and in August 1549 defeated the peasant militia. The rebellion was harshly suppressed, and hundreds of the insurgents, including the Ket brothers, were executed. At the end of 1549 the government issued laws sanctioning the further seizure of communal lands by the lords.