[3] The Jack Cade Rebellion has been perceived as a reflection of the social, political, and economic issues of the time period and as a precursor to the Wars of the Roses, which saw the decline of the Lancaster dynasty and the rise of the House of York.

Another rumour suggested that he enjoyed dabbling in the dark arts and had once worked for Sir Tomas Dacres before fleeing the country after murdering a pregnant woman.

[7] In the years preceding the Jack Cade Rebellion, England suffered from both internal and external difficulties and the animosity of the lower classes toward Henry VI was on the rise.

Henry's call to set warning beacons along the coastline confirmed peoples' suspicions that an attack by the French was possible.

[9] These fears and continuous unrest in the coastal counties inspired many Englishmen to rally in an attempt to force the King to address their problems or abdicate his throne in favour of someone more competent.

Internecine fighting in court eventually led to the banishment of the king's closest friend and advisor William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk.

Tired of the exploitation that the Duke of Suffolk had come to represent, the commons of Kent led by Jack Cade marched on London.

The document included a list of fifteen complaints and five demands to be brought before the king for scrutiny and dictated the causes of the revolt.

Cade's list of complaints goes on to charge King Henry with injustice for not choosing to impeach his underlings and lords even though they were guilty of treasonous and unlawful acts.

[14] Besides the Duke of Suffolk, the rebels explicitly called out Lord Saye and officials Crowmer, Isley, St Leger and Est for extortion.

Affiliates of Suffolk, Lord Saye and his son-in-law Crowmer held prominent positions within the king's household and in the local administration of Kent.

They were mostly peasants but their numbers were swelled by shopkeepers, craftsmen, and some landowners (the list of pardoned shows the presence of one knight, two MPs, and eighteen squires).

Cade set up headquarters in The White Hart inn before crossing the bridge and entering the city with his followers on 3 July 1450.

[citation needed] Once inside the city's gates, Cade and his men initiated a series of tribunals dedicated to seeking out and convicting those accused of corruption.

At Guildhall on 4 July, James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele, the Lord High Treasurer, was brought in for a sham trial.

Gradually Cade's inability to control his followers alienated the initially sympathetic citizens of London, who eventually turned against the rebels.

[25] After the battle on London Bridge, Archbishop John Kemp (Lord Chancellor) persuaded Cade to call off his followers by issuing official pardons, and promising to fulfil the rebels' demands.

[26] Cade fled towards Lewes but on 12 July, in a garden in which he had taken shelter, was overtaken by Alexander Iden (eventual second husband of the murdered William Cromer's widow Elizabeth Fiennes, and a future High Sheriff of Kent).

[27] To prevent further uprisings, Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham was given permission from the king to seek out the remainder of Cade's followers and bring them to trial.

The inquiries by bishops and justices were so thorough that in Canterbury (the first area searched by the royal commission) eight followers were quickly found and hanged.

It is possible the animosity felt by the men of Sussex had arisen in part because the king had revoked the pardons issued to Cade and his followers.

An indictment following the Sussex rebellion accused the rebels of wanting to kill the king and all his Lords, replacing them with twelve of the rioters' own men.

[30] When Richard the Duke of York finally did return to England in September 1450 several of his demands and reform policies were based on those made in the manifesto issued by Cade.