The Peasants’ Revolt, also named Wat Tyler’s Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black Death pandemic in the 1340s. It influenced the course of the Hundred Years’ War, by deterring later Parliaments from raising additional taxes to pay for military campaigns in France.
About Peasants’ Revolt in brief
The Peasants’ Revolt, also named Wat Tyler’s Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black Death pandemic in the 1340s. The rebels sought a reduction in taxation, an end to the system of unfree labour known as serfdom, and the removal of the King’s senior officials and law courts. King Richard II, then aged 14, retreated to the safety of the Tower of London, but most of the royal forces were abroad or in northern England. Most of the rebel leaders were tracked down and executed; by November, at least 1,500 rebels had been killed. It was once seen as a defining moment in English history, but modern academics are less certain of its impact on subsequent social and economic history. It influenced the course of the Hundred Years’ War, by deterring later Parliaments from raising additional taxes to pay for military campaigns in France. It remains a potent political symbol for the political left, informing the arguments surrounding the introduction of the Community Charge in the United Kingdom during the 1980s. It has been widely used in socialist literature, including by the author William Morris, and remains a popular topic of debate in the UK today. The Peasant’s Revolt was fed by the economic and social upheaval of the 14th century. At the start of the century, the majority of English people worked in the countryside economy that fed the country’s towns and cities and supported an extensive international trade.
Across much of England, production was organised around manors, controlled by local lords and governed through a system of manorial courts. Some of the serfs were born unfree and could not leave their manors without the consent of the local lord; others accepted limitations on their freedom on their farmland. In 1348 a plague known as Black Death crossed from mainland Europe into England, killing an estimated 50 per cent of the population. After an initial shock, England began to adapt to the shock and adapt to an increasing population. In the south-east of England there were relatively few serfs, and in the north-east there were a relatively few unfree serfs. The balance of free serfs varied across England, although the balance was relatively unfree in the south and in north-west England. The uprising was sparked by a royal official, John Bampton, in Essex on 30 May 1381, who tried to collect unpaid poll taxes in Brentwood. His attempts to collect the taxes ended in a violent confrontation, which rapidly spread across the country. A wide spectrum of rural society, including many local artisans and village officials, rose up in protest, burning court records and opening the local gaols. On 13 June, the rebels entered London and, joined by many local townsfolk, attacked the gaols, destroyed the Savoy Palace, set fire to law books and buildings in the Temple, and killed anyone associated with the royal government.
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This page is based on the article Peasants’ Revolt published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 04, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
