1545 Tudor Rebellion
The 1550s were one of the most turbulent times in English history. Europe was split between the old certainties of Roman Catholicism and the new reforms of Protestantism; England became a divided country. This was most keenly felt in the years 1547-58 when the state religion of the country changed three times. In the middle of this tumultuous decade, an age of kings, came a revolt that threatened the lives of three past, present and future queens. The failure of Wyatt’s Rebellion of 1554 would have profound but unintended consequences for the course of English history.
Although Henry VIII had broken with the papacy and established an independent Church of England, he remained a Catholic and the country largely followed suit. However, his nine-year-old successor, Edward VI, and his governors sought to change that.
Despite being a child, Edward was a zealous Protestant and under his rule England became a Protestant nation for the first time. While this may not seem that important today, in the 16th century it was a new world order. Catholicism had been uncontested for over 1,000 years and its changing character didn’t just alter people’s spiritual beliefs but also their sense of national identity. The independence of the Church of England engendered a new English nationalism and with it a heightened fear of foreigners, particularly
