An army of Cornish taxpayers marched 200 miles to London to confront the king
In 1497, King Henry VII imposed heavy new taxes on England to fund a campaign against Scotland, hitting Cornwall especially hard since the region felt it had nothing at stake in a northern war. Led by a blacksmith, Michael An Gof, and a lawyer, Thomas Flamank, thousands of Cornish rebels marched unopposed all the way from Bodmin to Blackheath, just outside London. Royal forces finally defeated them at the Battle of Deptford Bridge, and the rebellion's leaders were executed.