Examiner's Specific Advice

A question which asks ‘To what extent’ should examine a full range of rebellions to show similar and dissimilar causes, and explain any changing and continuing developments. The principal causes were dynastic, political, social, economic and religious, and these elements should be synthesised across the whole period in a coherent and detailed analysis. The question concerns Tudor England and any reference to disturbances in Ireland would be irrelevant.

The question can be approached in different ways. The temptation to produce a chronological survey pointing out similarities and differences is strong but this method has serious drawbacks: it makes a synthesis of analytical comments hard to achieve at least until the conclusion and is likely to produce passages of repetition. A better approach would be to group the rebellions according to particular causes – perhaps starting with political, religious or economic. This enables you to show your ability to analyse and synthesise characteristics common to several rebellions, as well as to identify unique and different features. It is not necessary to discuss every rebellion but it is important that the major disturbances are assessed across the period. A common mistake is to overlook or downplay the two late Elizabethan rebellions of 1596 and 1601.

Exemplar Question

1. To what extent did rebellions in Tudor England have similar causes? [60 marks]

 

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View Exemplar Answer 2