BattlefieldsKett Rebellion — Rebel Control of Norfolk Countryside June to August 1549
Tudor

Kett Rebellion — Rebel Control of Norfolk Countryside June to August 1549

1549
Norfolk, England
Also known as: Kett rebels patrol Norfolk 1549 · Norfolk countryside under rebel control 1549
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Norfolk, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Norfolk gentry
Forces
Norfolk gentry fled or imprisoned
VS
Victor
Rebels (Kett initially)
Forces
Rebel patrols from Mousehold camp c.16,000
Outcome
Rebel forces controlled the Norfolk countryside for six weeks; gentry houses raided; enclosures thrown down; alternative governance from Mousehold camp
The Battle

History & Significance

During the six weeks of the Kett rebellion the Norfolk countryside was effectively under rebel control. Gentry were dragged before the Oak of Reformation court at Mousehold. Enclosures were thrown down systematically. The rebels showed considerable self-discipline and avoided random violence. This period of rebel governance was the closest Tudor England came to a peasant revolution challenging the entire social order of enclosure and rack-renting.

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