Robert Kett (c. 1492 – 7 December 1549) was the leader of Kett's Rebellion. Kett was the fourth son of Thomas Kett, of

Forncett Forncett is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 1,000 in 381 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,126 at the 2011 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

and his wife Margery. He is thought to have been a tanner, but he certainly held the manor of Wymondham in

. With his brother William he led the men of Wymondham in their quarrel with a certain John Flowerdew, tearing down the enclosure fences Flowerdew had erected on the Hethersett common, and having thus come into prominence, he headed the men of Norfolk when they rose in rebellion in 1549 owing to the hardships inflicted by the extensive enclosures of common lands and by the general policy of

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...

, then

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes ...

. A feast held at Wymondham in July 1549 developed into a riot and gave the signal for the outbreak. Leading his followers to

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

, Kett formed a camp on Mousehold Heath, where he is said to have commanded 16,000 men, introduced a regular system of discipline, administered justice and blockaded the city. He refused the royal offer of an

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

on the grounds that innocent and just men had no need of pardon, and on 1 August 1549 attacked and took possession of Norwich.

John Dudley, Earl of Warwick John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jan ...

, marched against the rebels, and after his offer of pardon had been rejected he forced his way into the city, driving its defenders before him. Then, strengthened by the arrival of some foreign mercenaries, he attacked the main body of the rebels at Dussindale on 27 August. Although Kett's men were faced with a trained soldiery, the battle saw fierce fighting and lasted most of the day:Sotherton, N. (1549) ''The Commoysion in Norfolk '', reproduced by Beer, B. (1976), in ''Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies'', 6. but Kett's men were ultimately defeated and Robert and William Kett were seized and taken to London, where they were condemned to death for treason. On 7 December 1549 Robert was executed at Norwich, and his body was hanged on the top of the castle, while that of William was hanged on the church tower at Wymondham. The Kett line still survives to this day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kett, Robert English rebels English revolutionaries 1549 in England Tudor rebellions 1549 deaths Year of birth unknown People from Wymondham People executed for treason Executed people from Norfolk Year of birth uncertain People from Forncett