The Late Middle Ages or Early-Modern Britain

Tudor and Stuart Times

c1500-c1750

There are some types and causes which are quite unique to this period:

Rebellion - when ruling families took part in power struggles, and people disagreed with the decisions made by the rulers (treason). The end of the power struggles between the Houses of York and Lancaster (The Wars of the Roses) made the Tudor family the supreme rulers of England and Wales.

The law against treason was strengthened by Henry VII and later, his son Henry VIII. The punishment was the gruesome 'hanging, drawing and quartering'. Two of the biggest rebellions or protests in Tudor times were The Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536 and Kett's Rebellion, 1549.

They're creepy and they're cooky - they're altogether spooky -

The Tudor Family!

Heresy - Henry VIII created the Church of England as he wanted to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. This meant that the king of England was now the head of the church. To go against the king was also to go against god - a sin as well as a crime. Many bloody struggles between Protestants and Catholics took place in this period, for example the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Click to enlarge - the

execution of Guy Fawkes

Witchcraft - the 'craze' of witchcraft and witch-trials really took off during the Early Modern period. This was linked to the religious tension at the time and people's fears of change. As science and enlightenment increased in the 1600s the witch-hunting era died down.

Click to enlarge -

another victim of the

witch persecutions

Vagrancy - this meant the criminalising of large numbers of poor, homeless and unemployed people. The 'vagabonds' of the Tudor age were feared and persecuted. People assumed that they were all criminals, lazy and ready to rob everyone. The increasing population and lack of monasteries to look after the poorest meant that there was an increase in 'vagabonds'. They were whipped from 1531, branded with a 'V' on their faces from 1547 (mutilation) and hanged for a repeat offence. In 1601 the Poor Law made parishes (like villages) raise money to look after their own 'vagrants'.

Smuggling - this was a crime which was caused by the government's actions. In the 1700s people smuggled (sneaked) in goods from abroad such as tobacco, brandy, tea and silk because the government had placed 'tariffs' on them - i.e., raised their prices to raise taxation revenue or encourage British industries. Gangs of smugglers were involved in dodging the authorities across the country, meeting boats in secret locations and fighting Customs Officers.

Highway Robbers - Highwaymen such as Dick Turpin, Plunkett and MacLeane and Twm Sion Cati became famous across the land and legends amongst the poor who had no reason to pity their victims who were rich. Stagecoaches were a popular target as they usually carried people with lots of money and jewellery! Footpads worked on foot and didn't have the same romantic image.

Click to enlarge -

Dick Turpin making a

getaway!