Evil May Day
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Evil May Day or Ill May Day is the name of a
xenophobic Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...
riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
which took place on 1 May 1517 as a protest against foreigners (called "strangers") living in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
Apprentices Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...
attacked foreign residents ranging from "Flemish cobblers" to "French royal courtiers". Some of the rioters were later hanged, although
King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...
granted a pardon for the remainder following public pleadings from his wife
Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
.


Causes


Demographics of Tudor London

In the early part of the reign of King Henry VIII, Londoners came to resent the presence of foreigners (called "strangers") arriving from the continent, especially immigrant Flemish workers and the wealthy foreign merchants and bankers of Lombard Street. At the time, only about 2% of London's population of approximately 50,000 were foreign-born.


Role of "Dr Bell"

According to the chronicler Edward Hall (c. 1498–1547), a fortnight before the riot an inflammatory xenophobic speech was made on
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
Tuesday by a preacher known as "Dr Bell" at St. Paul's Cross at the instigation of John Lincoln, a broker. Bell accused immigrants of stealing jobs from English workers and of "eat ngthe bread from poor fatherless children". Bell called on all "Englishmen to cherish and defend themselves, and to hurt and grieve aliens for the common weal".Rappaport (2002), p. 15 Over the following two weeks, there were sporadic attacks on foreigners and rumors abounded that "on
May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...
next the city would rebel and slay all aliens".


Government preparations

The
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
and
aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...
, afraid of any possible disturbances, announced at 8:30 pm on the 30 April 1517 that there would be a 9:00 pm curfew that night. John Mundy, a local alderman, travelling through
Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, England, which forms part of the A40 road, A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St Martin's Le Grand with Poultry, London, Poultry. Near its eas ...
on his way home that night, saw a group of young men after the curfew. 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".


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
liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
north of
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
where numerous foreigners lived. Here they were met by the under-sheriff of London,
Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VII ...
, who attempted to persuade them to return to their homes. As soon as More had calmed them, however, the inhabitants of St Martin started to throw stones, bricks, bats, and boiling water from their windows, some of which 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. The
Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...
entered the city with his
private army A private army (or private military) is a military force under the command of a private person or organization, rather than a nation or state. History Private armies may form when landowners arm household retainers for the protection of self and ...
of 1,300 retainers to suppress the riots. By 3 a.m. the riot had died down, and 300 people under arrest were released. However, 13 of the rioters were convicted of
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
and executed on 4 May 1517 and John Lincoln was executed three days later. This account by Hall is mirrored by a letter to the Venetian doge written five days after the riot.Rappaport (2002), p. 16 While the mob were on the rampage, Sir Richard Cholmeley, the Lieutenant of the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
, furiously ordered the firing of some of the Tower's
artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
at the city, drawing the ire of the city elders. In other versions, 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 was woken up in the middle of the night at his residence in Richmond and was told of the mayhem ensuing in the capital. Then forces under the command of the Duke of Norfolk (or the
Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...
and Duke of Suffolk) and his son the Earl of Surrey finally arrived in the city and seized prisoners. According to Hall's account, only eleven of the 400 or so rioters were women.


Aftermath

By 5 May 1517, there were over 5,000 troops in London. When the prisoners had an audience with King Henry in
Westminster Hall Westminster Hall is a medieval great hall which is part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It was erected in 1097 for William II (William Rufus), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The building has had various functio ...
, the nobility then got on its knees to plead for a pardon for the prisoners. Henry announced the pardon after his wife,
Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
, appealed before him to spare the lives of the rebels for the sake of their wives and children. At this the prisoners "took the halters from their necks and danced and sang". Historian Brodie Waddell summarised the riots by saying that, despite the fact that "Flemish cobblers had little in common with French royal courtiers", both wealthy and working-class immigrants "suffered at the hands of the crowd."


Notes

;Citations ;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 Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
, 2002); *Jasper Ridley, ''Henry VIII'' (Penguin Classics, 2002); .


External links

*Noble, Graham
"'Evil May Day': Re-examining the Race Riot of 1517"
''History Review'', 2008. At
History Today ''History Today'' is a history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and publishes articles of tradit ...
. {{Riots in England Anti-Dutch sentiment Riots in London 1517 crimes 16th-century riots Conflicts in 1517 1517 in England 16th century in London Political violence in England Race riots in England Xenophobia in Europe Catherine of Aragon Anti-immigration politics in England English nationalism May Day protests Thomas More