The Pilgrimage of the Grace, which had broken out in Yorkshire in the wake of the failure of the Lincolnshire Rising, had formed a formidable force of up to forty thousand followers led by Robert Aske, which marched on and occupied the walled city of York. Henry VIII authorised the Duke of Norfolk and Earl of Shrewsbury northwards to deal with the rebellion, and on 27th October, Norfolk signed a truce with the rebels, promising to escort a deputation to London to present their demands to the King. Nonetheless, the rising continues to spread to Durham, Cumberland and Westmorland.