Robert Kett's rebellion was but one of many peasant revolts in the sixteenth century but is remembered because Kett imposed strict discipline and had greater effect than was usual. Fuelled by anger at the enclosure of common land, and fears of the loss of local rights occasioned by the dissolution of the monasteries, the rebellion was ignited in July 1549 by a dispute between the people of Wynmondham in Norfolk and a man named Flowerdew who sought to enclose the local common. Kett, a tanner and small landowner, led the rebels to establish a camp at Mousehold Heath outside the city walls of Norwich, then the second city in the kingdom. On August 1st 1549 Kett's “army” of some 16,000 captured the city, only to be driven out …
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Kett’s Rebellion". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 February 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1658, accessed 23 November 2024.]
