BattlefieldsPilgrimage of Grace — Carlisle Executions 1537
Tudor

Pilgrimage of Grace — Carlisle Executions 1537

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

Who Fought

Defeated
Pilgrimage of Grace rebel leaders
Forces
Condemned rebel leaders
VS
Victor
Royal forces (Henry VIII)
Forces
Royal garrison
Outcome
Approximately 74 rebels executed at Carlisle; northern counties terrorised into submission; Pilgrimage of Grace definitively suppressed
The Battle

History & Significance

Henry VIII ordered mass executions at Carlisle in 1537 to pacify the rebellious north. Some seventy-four rebels from Cumberland and Westmorland were hanged at Carlisle in a series of executions designed to terrorise the region into submission. The Carlisle hangings, combined with executions at York and Lancaster, represented the bloodiest royal reprisal of the Tudor period against popular uprising.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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