Autumn 1536: Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn are dead; Henry VIII has married Jane Seymour and still awaits his longed-for male heir. At the same time, disaffected conservatives in England see an opportunity for a return to Rome; Thomas Cromwell, however, has other ideas. The Dissolution of the Monasteries has begun; the publication of the Lutheran-influenced Ten Articles of the Anglican Church has followed. The obstinate monarch, enticed by monastic wealth, is determined not to change course, but fear and resentment are unleashed in northern England in a large spontaneous uprising—the Pilgrimage of Grace—in which 30,000 men take up arms against the king. This history examines the religiously motivated dissent of the 16th century, as well as the rhetoric, reward, and retribution used by the Crown to enforce its policy and crush the opposition.