How Far Do Sources T, U and V Suggest That the Pilgrimage of Grace Was a Serious Threat to Henry Viii?

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How far do sources T, U and V suggest that the Pilgrimage of Grace was a serious threat to Henry VIII? Sources U and V suggest that the Pilgrimage of Grace was a serious threat to the King while source T does not. The content of sources U and V strongly suggests that the Pilgrimage of Grace was a real threat to the King. For example, source U mentions that “all the nobility of the duchy of York have risen”. This statement shows that the Pilgrimage of Grace consisted of very diverse social groups, such as, the nobility, gentry and commoners. This tells us that everyone had a reason to rebel against Henry, and this can be supported even further by the fact that it is mentioned, “their number will probably grow every day”. This was a major threat to Henry especially since the rebels already numbered “40000 combatants and among them 10000 horses”. Since their army was very large, organised and well armed with experienced fighters, the King would not be able to defeat them if a battle occurred, especially as Norfolk’s army was only 8000. It is further mentioned in source U that “Norfolk and his colleagues do not wish for battle, showing tacitly that the petitions of the rebels are lawful”. Therefore, this shows that the rebels were not completely going against the King, so it would be difficult for him to act against them. By the source saying, “the men of the North are able to defend themselves” it shows that there was widespread support. Source V can further support this claim when it is stated that by their “negligence the rebels should march forward and cross the don”. This implies that the rebels would be able to cross over to the South where their numbers would have increased significantly. It can also be interpreted that Henry had a fear of foreign support for the rebels as the rebellion in the North could be used a distraction for the attack in the
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