Evil May Day or Ill May Day is the name for a riot which took place in 1517 as a protest against foreigners living in London. Riots are a form of Civil disorders characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of Violence, Vandalism or other London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
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Causes
According to the chronicler Edward Hall (c. Edward Hall (also Halle; c 1498 &ndash 1547 English chronicler and Lawyer, was born about the end of the 15th century being a son of John Hall 1498–1547), a fortnight before the riot an inflammatory xenophobic speech was made on Easter Tuesday by a Dr. Xenophobia is an intense and/or irrational dislike and sometimes fear of people from other countries Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Bell at St. Paul's Cross at the instigation of John Lincoln, a broker. St Paul's Cross (alternative spellings - "Powles Crosse" was a Preaching cross and open air Pulpit in the grounds of Old St Paul's Cathedral, Bell called on all "Englishmen to cherish and defend themselves, and to hurt and grieve aliens for the common weal". [1] Over the proceeding two weeks there were sporadic attacks on foreigners and rumours were abound "that on May Day next the city would rebel and slay all aliens". [2]
The mayor and aldermen, afraid of any possible disturbances, announced on 8. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions 30pm 30 April that there would be a 9. 00pm curfew that night. John Mundy, a local alderman, travelling through Cheapside on his way home that night, saw a group of young men after the curfew. Cheapside is a street in Cheap ward of the City of London that links Newgate Street with the junction of Queen Victoria Street Cornhill Mundy ordered the men to remove themselves from the streets to which one replied: "Why?" Mundy replied: "Thou shalt know" and grabbed his arm to arrest him. The man's friends defended him and Mundy fled "in great danger". [3]
The Riot
Within a few hours approximately a thousand young male apprentices had congregated in Cheapside. The mob freed several prisoners who were locked up for attacking foreigners and proceeded to St Martin le Grand, a privileged liberty north of St Paul's Cathedral where numerous foreigners lived. A Liberty was a local government unit in England. Originating in the Middle Ages, liberties were areas of widely variable extent which were independent of the usual St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. Here they were met by the under-sheriff of London, Thomas More, who attempted vainly to persuade them to return to their homes. Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535 from 1935 Saint Thomas More, was an English Lawyer, author and statesman who in his lifetime gained However as soon as More had calmed them the inhabitants of St Martin started to throw stones, bricks, bats and boiling water from their windows which also fell on an official who screamed: "Down with them!".
This sparked panic in the mob and they looted foreigners' houses there and elsewhere in the city, although no one was killed. By 3am the riot had died down and the three hundred people arrested were pardoned. However thirteen of the rioters were convicted of treason and executed on 4 May, and Lincoln was executed three days later. In Law, treason is the Crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or Nation. This account by Hall is mirrored by a letter to the Venetian doge written five days after the riot. The Most Serene Republic of Venice ((Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia Serenissima Repubblica The Doge ( Venetian language, also Doxe, derived from Latin Dux military leader duke cf [4]
While the mob were on the rampage shots were fired from the Tower of London. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London
In a different version the rioters closed the city gates to prevent the King's guard from being reinforced and then temporarily took control over the city. King Henry VIII was woken up in the middle of the night at his residence in Richmond and was told of the mayhem ensuing in the capital. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Richmond is a town and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Then forces under the command of the Duke of Norfolk (or the Earl of Shrewsbury and Duke of Suffolk) and his son the Earl of Surrey finally arrived in the city and seized prisoners. Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1443 &ndash 21 May 1524) was an English soldier and statesman and son of John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk George Talbot 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford KG (c 1468 &ndash July 26 1538) was the son of John Talbot 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk (c 1484 &ndash 22 August 1545) was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk (1473 – 25 August 1554) was a prominent Tudor politician.
The Aftermath
By 5th May there were over five thousand troops in London. [5] Sir Thomas Seymour was sheriff during Evil May Day and he helped repress the riot and thereafter became unpopular with many. Thomas Seymour 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley (c 1508 &ndash March 20, 1549) was a son of Sir John Seymour and the former Margarey Wentworth SHERIFF is a telecom fraud detection and management system originally developed by BT and MCI.
When the prisoners had an audience with King Henry VIII in Westminster Hall, the nobility present got on their knees to plead for a pardon for the prisoners. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Henry announced the pardon and the prisoners "took the halters from their necks and danced and sang". [6]
Notes
- ^ Steve Rappaport, Worlds Within Worlds: Structures of Life in Sixteenth-Century London (Cambridge University Press, 2002), p. 15.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid, p. 16.
- ^ Carolly Erickson, Great Harry: The Extravagant Life of Henry VIII (Robson Books, 2004), p. 148.
- ^ Fergus Linnane, The Encyclopedia of London Crime (Sutton Publishing, 2005), p. 88.
References
- Carolly Erickson, Great Harry: The Extravagant Life of Henry VIII (Robson Books, 2004).
- Fergus Linnane, The Encyclopedia of London Crime (Sutton Publishing, 2005).
- Steve Rappaport, Worlds Within Worlds: Structures of Life in Sixteenth-Century London (Cambridge University Press, 2002).