Rebel: Jack Cade, d 1450

During Medieval times, the government of the realm was tied to the person and abilities of the King.  When he was weak, law and order dissolved and rebellion sometimes followed.  During the reign of Henry VI, not only were other members of the royal family and nobility ready to take up arms, the common people were fed up as well.  By 1450, England had been involved for more than one hundred years in a ruinous war with France.  Squabbling within the two main branches of the royal family, York and Lancaster, led to infighting among the nobles.  The ones who paid the bill in taxes and oftentimes blood were the commoners. 

Enter Jack Cade.  Not much is known of Cade's life, or even if that was his real name.  He was born in between 1420-1430 somewhere in Sussex.  Why he took it upon himself to become the leader of a peasants' revolt isn't clear, but by 1450, he was calling himself Captain of Kent and rallying the men of Kent to his cause.  He also adopted the name John Mortimer.  Some have interpreted the Mortimer alias as a sign that Cade supported the Yorkist claim, since the Duke of York had Mortimer ancestry.  However, there is no evidence linking Richard of York and Cade in any form of alliance.  As his efforts gathered steam, Cade's followers began calling him John Amend-All.  Whether he encouraged this or not is unclear.  As the central government slipped further and further into infighting, common people believed that the King was surrounded by traitors who intended to sell the country out to France.  Since he was unable or unwilling to take hold of his own government, Henry should abdicate to someone else who would.

In the spring of 1450, Cade organized the creation of a manifesto entitled The Complaint of the Poor Commons of Kent.  The document reflected the grievance of common people, but also those of MP's, barons and other members of society at all levels.  There were 15 complaints and 5 demands.  Cade, who had gathered an army of 5,000 men in Kent, determined to take his complaints directly to London.  The Manifesto called on Henry to rid his court of barons who alleged guilty of treasonous actions, and singled out Lord Saye, among others.  Cade's army made it as far as Blackheath, 12 miles southeast of London.  The King sent a small contingent of armed men under Sir Humphrey and William Stafford, who were ambushed and killed on June 18, 1450.  The King fled to Warwickshire while Cade's men entered London.  Cade entered London on July 7 and declared himself Lord Mayor of London and began seeking out the men he believed responsible for the disorder in the royal government.  They soon found James Fiennes, Lord Saye and Sele.  He was brought to trial before an ad hoc court, found guilty of treason and executed at Cheapside along with his son-in-law. 

Though Cade attempted to exert some control over the behavior of his followers, their looting and destruction of property alienated the people of London.  When Cade returned to Southwark for the night, the citizens of London barricaded the bridge and prepared to fight.  The next day, a battle ensued between the rebels and the citizens of London.  It lasted into the next morning, with 40 Londoners and 200 rebels killed.  Lord Chancellor John Kemp attempted to quell the fighting by issuing pardons, which King Henry later revoked.  Henry had a bounty on Cade's head of 1,000 marks.  Cade fled toward Lewes but Alexander Iden, a future High Sheriff of Kent, had his eye on the prize.  He tracked Cade to Sussex and mortally wound him in a skirmish.  The body was tried in an impromptu treason trial and dragged back to London as an example to anyone else thinking of rebellion.  The body was later quartered and pieces sent to larger cities in Kent as an especial warning to the people of Kent to keep their heads down.  The Duke of Buckingham was sent on a punitive investigation into Canterbury, where 8 supposed rebels were found and hanged, then to Blackheath, Faversham and the Isle of Sheppey.  Cade's rebellion was over, but unrest continued to flicker throughout the realm.