Hypertext Almanac
In 2025, I published an extended version of this article on Deptford.org.
The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 was a classic tale of taxes, grievances, and poor tactical decisions. King Henry VII, fresh off inventing the Tudor dynasty, decided to raise taxes to fund a Scottish campaign. Cornwall, already feeling geographically and culturally overlooked, responded with a collective, “Not today.”
The year 1011 was supposed to be a triumph for Ælfheah, or Alphege as we know him now—because honestly, who can be bothered to decipher that weird ‘Æ’? Anyway, this Archbishop of Canterbury had been doing quite well for himself. He’d restored churches, worked to spread Christianity in the countryside, and generally managed to keep affairs in order during a turbulent time. A man on the up, one might say.
