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Jack Cade was the leader of a popular revolt against the government of England in 1450. At the time of the revolt, the weak and unpopular King Henry VI was on the throne. While little is known about the rebel leader himself, the events of the rebellion to which he gave his name are well recorded in fifteenth-century chronicles.〔Kaufman, Alexander L. (2009). ''The Historical Literature of the Jack Cade Rebellion''. Burlington: Ashgate, p. 1.〕 The Jack Cade Rebellion stemmed from local grievances concerned about the corruption and abuse of power surrounding the king's regime and his closest advisors. Furthermore, the rebels were angered by the debt caused by years of warfare against France and the recent loss of Normandy. Leading an army of men from Kent and the surrounding counties, Jack Cade marched on London in order to force the government to end the corruption and remove the traitors surrounding the king's person. Despite Cade's attempt to keep his men under control once the rebel forces had entered London they began to loot. The citizens of London turned on the rebels and forced them out of the city in a bloody battle on London Bridge. To end the bloodshed the rebels were issued pardons by the king and told to return home.〔Griffiths, Ralph A. (1981). ''The Reign of King Henry VI: The Exercise of Royal Authority, 1422- 1461''. Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 628.〕 Cade fled but was later caught on 12 July 1450 by Alexander Iden, a future High Sheriff of Kent. As a result of the skirmish with Iden, Cade was mortally wounded before reaching London for trial.〔Kaufman, Alexander L. (2009). ''The Historical Literature of the Jack Cade Rebellion''. Burlington: Ashgate, p. 202.〕 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 Yorks. The Jack Cade Rebellion was the largest popular uprising to take place in England during the 15th century.〔Kaufman, Alexander L. (2009). ''The Historical Literature of the Jack Cade Rebellion''. Burlington: Ashgate, p. 1.〕 == Identity == Very little is known about the identity and origins of Jack (possibly John Cade). Given that the rebel leader did not leave behind any personal documents and the use of aliases was common among rebels, historians are forced to base their claims on rumour and speculation. According to Mark Antony Lower, Jack (or John) Cade was probably born in Sussex between 1420 and 1430 and historians agree for certain that he was a member of the lower ranks of society. During the rebellion of 1450, Cade took on the title of "Captain of Kent" and adopted the alias John Mortimer. The name Mortimer had negative connotations for the king and his associates as Henry VI's main rival for the throne of England was Richard, the duke of York, who had Mortimer ancestry.〔Harvey, I. M. W. (1991). ''Jack Cade's Rebellion of 1450''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 78.〕 The possibility that Cade may have been working with York was enough to prompt the king into moving against the rebels without delay. At the time of the rebellion the Duke of York was in exile in Ireland and as of yet no evidence has been found indicating that he was involved in funding or inciting the uprising. It is more likely that Cade used the name Mortimer as propaganda to give his cause more legitimacy.〔Griffiths, Ralph A. (1981). ''The Reign of King Henry VI: The Exercise of Royal Authority, 1422-1461''. Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 617.〕 When the rebels were issued a pardon on 7 July 1450, Cade was issued a pardon under the name Mortimer however once it was discovered that he had lied about his identity the pardon was rendered void.〔Harvey, I. M. W. (1991). ''Jack Cade's Rebellion of 1450''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 97.〕 Among his followers, Cade's dedication to having the people's complaints heard and restoring order within both local and central governments earned him the nickname "John Mend-all" or "John Amend-all". It is not known whether Cade himself chose the name or not 〔Carroll, D. Allen. (1989). "Johannes Factotum and Jack Cade." ''Shakespeare Quarterly 40'': 491-492.〕 One tale of the time claimed that Cade was the doctor John Alymere who was married to the daughter of a squire in Surrey. Another rumor suggested that he enjoyed dabbling in the dark arts and had once worked for Sir Tomas Dacres before fleeing the country after murdering a woman and her unborn child.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jack Cade」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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