Why were the Peasants Revolting? Flashcards
What was the Peasants’ Revolt?
The Peasants’ Revolt was a series of riots mainly in the south of England. It developed into a march on London of perhaps 60,000 people.
When did it happen?
1381
Was it just a random bunch of peasants getting angry?
No! Most of the people were peasants, but there were also landowners. There does seem to have been some planning.
Why were the peasants so revolting?
Because they rarely, if ever washed!
Why were the peasants revolting?
Various reasons:
- The 1351 Statute of Labourers aimed to bring the wages of free labourers down to pre-Black Death levels
- Poorer peasants (villeins) wanted to become free labourers
- A new Poll Tax was introduced
- A man called John Ball showed leadership and started stirring up trouble.
What happened in May, 1381?
Peasant anger erupted when tax collectors arrived again. The people feared a new poll tax.
What happened next in Essex?
A landowner led peasants in refusing to pay a tax collector in the village of Fobbing.
Three of his clerks were killed in Brentwood a few days later.
Then what happened in Kent?
Wat Tyler was made leader and John Ball was freed from Maidstone jail.
What happened in Canterbury?
In Canterbury they burned down the palace of Archbishop Simon Sudbury. As he was also Chancellor, he was blamed for the Poll Tax.
How far spread were the riots?
Very! there were riots in Sussex and Surrey, Hampshire and Hertfordshire, across East Anglia to Norfolk and as far as Dorset, Worcestershire and Yorkshire.
How did the rebels want to end the violence?
About 60,000 rebels went to London from Kent and Essex, to take their complaints to King Richard II, who they believed would agree with their demands.
What did the rebels do in London?
Burned and killed - important buildings were burned down, prisons broken into and important people such as Sudbury and Hales were killed.
How did the revolt end?
The King met Wat Tyler at Mile End.
Richard II pardoned the rebels and gave them freedom.
Tyler made more demands and was killed.
The peasants were persuaded to go home and then Richard took back all promises and had thousands killed.
Was the Peasants’ Revolt a complete failure?
In the short term, yes. BUT - Not in the long term:
The Poll Tax was scrapped
Wages slowly rose
The Feudal system collapsed
