BattlefieldsPilgrimage of Grace — York Suppression and Aske Execution 1537
Tudor

Pilgrimage of Grace — York Suppression and Aske Execution 1537

1537
Yorkshire, England
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Yorkshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Pilgrimage of Grace rebels
Forces
condemned rebel leader Robert Aske
VS
Victor
Tudor Crown
Forces
Royal executioners
Outcome
Aske executed in chains at York; rebel network in Yorkshire broken; city returned to royal obedience
The Battle

History & Significance

Robert Aske was lured to London under promise of pardon, arrested, tried for treason and returned to York to be hanged in chains from the walls of Clifford Tower in July 1537. His execution in the city that had been the symbolic heart of the pilgrimage was deliberately chosen by Henry VIII for maximum deterrent effect. Numerous other York-area rebels were also executed in the city that summer.

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