The end of the revolt: Wat Tyler (also spelt Tighler) killed by Walworth while Richard II watches, and a second image of Richard addressing the crowd

The Peasants' Revolt, Tyler’s Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the best documented popular rebellion ever to have occurred during medieval times. The names of some of its leaders, John Ball, Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, are still familiar even though very little is actually known about these individuals. Peasant, Peasants or Popular is variously paired with Revolt, Uprising and War and may refer to (sorted chronologically): Chen Sheng Wu Guang Uprising 209BC Yellow Turban Rebellion 184 Popular revolt in late medieval Europe: Peasant revolt in Flanders 1323-1328 English peasants revolt of 1381 Slovenian peasant revolt of 1515... Image File history File links DeathWatTylerFull. ... Image File history File links DeathWatTylerFull. ... Year 1381 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Popular revolts in late medieval Europe were uprisings and rebellions by peasants in the countryside, or the bourgeois in towns, against nobles and kings during the upheavals of the 14th through early 16th centuries. ... The history of England is similar to the history of Britain before the arrival of the Saxons. ... John Ball (d. ... This article is about the revolt leader Wat Tyler. ... Jack Straw (probably the same person as Rackstraw) was one of the three leaders (together with John Ball and Wat Tyler) of the Peasants Revolt or Great Rising of 1381, a major event in the history of Britain. ...

Wat Tyler's Rebellion is significant because it marked the beginning of the end of serfdom in medieval England. Tyler's Rebellion led to calls for the reform of feudalism in England and an increase in rights for the serf class. Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste Feudalism, a term first used in the late modern period (17th century), in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval European political system comprised of a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Events leading to the revolt

The revolt was precipitated by heavy-handed attempts to enforce the third poll tax, first levied in 1377 supposedly to finance military campaigns overseas — a continuation of the Hundred Years' War initiated by King Edward III of England. The third poll tax, unlike the two earlier, was not levied on a flat rate basis (as in 1377) nor according to schedule (as in 1401), but in a manner that that allowed some of the poor to pay a reduced rate, but others with essentially the same economic position to pay the full tax, prompting calls of injustice.: it was also set at 3 Groat compared with the 1399 rate of 1 groat. The young King, Richard II, was also another reason for the uprising, as he was only 14 at the time, and therefore unpopular men such as John of Gaunt (the acting regent), Simon Sudbury (Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury, who in fact acted as the figurehead to what many saw as a corrupt Church at the time) and Sir Robert Hales (the Lord Treasurer, responsible for the poll tax) were left to rule instead, and many saw them as corrupt officials, trying to exploit the weakness of the King. A longer-term factor was the way the Statute of Labourers of 1351 was enforced. The Black Death that ravaged England in 1348 and 1349 had greatly reduced the labour force, and, as a consequence, labourers were able to demand enhanced terms and conditions. The Statute attempted to curb this by pegging wages and restricting the mobility of labour, but the probable effect was that labourers employed by lords were effectively exempted, but labourers working for other employers, both artisans and more substantial peasants, were liable to be fined or held in the stocks. A poll tax, head tax, or capitation is a tax of a uniform, fixed amount per individual (as opposed to a percentage of income). ... // Events January 17 – Pope Gregory XI enters Rome. ... Belligerents House of Valois Castile Scotland Genoa Majorca Bohemia Crown of Aragon Brittany House of Plantagenet Burgundy Brittany Portugal Navarre Flanders Hainaut Aquitaine Luxembourg Holy Roman Empire The Hundred Years War (French: Guerre de Cent Ans) was a prolonged conflict between two royal houses for the French throne, vacant with... This article is about the King of England. ... A poll tax, head tax, or capitation is a tax of a uniform, fixed amount per individual (as opposed to a percentage of income). ... // Events January 17 – Pope Gregory XI enters Rome. ... The Lollards, a religious sect taught by John Wycliffe, were persecuted for their beliefs. ... Groat is the traditional name of an English silver coin worth four English pennies, and also a Scottish coin originally worth fourpence, with later issues being valued at eightpence and a shilling. ... Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. ... John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ... Simon Theobald a. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader and senior clergyman of the Church of England, recognized by convention as the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Sir Robert Hales (also called Robert de Hales), was born about 1325 in Hales Place, High Halden, Kent, the son of Nicholas Hales. ... The Statute of Labourers was a law enacted by the English parliament under King Edward III in 1351 in response to a labour shortage. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Suko of Japan, third of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders Start of the reign of Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan, fourth of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders May 1 Zürich joins the Swiss Confederation. ... This article concerns the mid fourteenth century pandemic. ... April 7 - Charles University is founded in Prague. ... // Events January 9 - The Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland is rounded up and incinerated, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing bubonic plague. ...

There were far fewer labourers to do all the work on the manors of England, so the ones that were not wiped out by the Black Death were left to work alone on the land. These people began to ask for higher wages and fewer hours of work. Some of them asked for their freedom. They often got what they asked for: the lords of the manors were desperate to get their land farmed and their animals looked after. Then, in 1351, King Edward III summoned parliament to make a new law. The law was called the Statute of Labourers and it tried to make sure that the landowners had as many labourers as they wanted - and that they paid them no more than before the Black Death. This angered the peasants greatly.

Incidents in the Essex villages of Fobbing ^[1] and Brentwood triggered the uprising. On 30th May, John Brampton attempted to collect the poll tax from villagers at Fobbing. The villagers, led by Thomas Baker, a local landowner, told Brampton that they would give him nothing and he was forced to leave the village empty handed. Robert Belknap (Chief Justice of Common Pleas) was sent to investigate the incident and to punish the offenders. On 2nd June, he was attacked at Brentwood. By this time the violent discontent had spread, and the counties of Essex and Kent were in full revolt. Soon people moved on London in an armed uprising.^[2] Fobbing is a small village in Thurrock, Essex, England. ... Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, part of Essex in England. ...

First protests

In June 1381, Kentish rebels formed behind Wat Tyler and joined with rebels from Essex and marched on London. When the rebels arrived in Blackheath on June 12, the renegade Lollard priest, John Ball, preached a sermon including the famous question that has echoed down the centuries: "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?"^[3]. (I.e. "While Adam delved, and Eve spun, who then was the Gentleman ?") The following day, the rebels, encouraged by the sermon, crossed London Bridge into the heart of the city. Meanwhile the 'Men of Essex' had gathered with Jack Straw at Great Baddow and had marched on London, arriving at Stepney. Instead of what was expected from a riot however, there was only a systematic attack on certain properties, many of them associated with John of Gaunt and/or the Hospitaller Order. On June 14, they are reputed to have been met by the young king himself, and, led by Richard of Wallingford to have presented him with a series of demands, including the dismissal of some of his more unpopular ministers and the effective abolition of serfdom. One of the more intriguing demands of the peasants was "that there should be no law within the realm save the law of Winchester". This is often said to refer to the statutes of the Charter of Winchester (1251), though it is sometimes considered to be a reference to the more equitable days of king Alfred the Great, when Winchester was the capital of England. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... , Blackheath is a village in London, centred on an area of open grassland (the heath) and straddling the boundary of the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Lollardy or Lollardry was the political and religious movement of the Lollards in late 14th century and early 15th century England. ... Michelangelos Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Chapel. ... Michelangelos Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Chapel. ... For other uses, see Gentleman (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see London Bridge (disambiguation). ... , Great Baddow is an urban village in the Chelmsford borough of Essex, England. ... Stepney is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ... The Knights Hospitaller (also known as the , Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Knights of Malta, Knights of Rhodes, and Chevaliers of Malta; French: Ordre des Hospitaliers) is a Christian organization that began as an Amalfitan hospital founded in Jerusalem in 1080 to provide... is the 165th day of the year (166th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the 10th century Bishop of Sherborne, see Alfred (bishop). ... Winchester is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40,000 within a 3 mile radius of its centre. ...

Storming the Tower of London

Richard II meets with the rebels in a work from Jean Froissart's Chronicles

At the same time, a group of rebels stormed the Tower of London— probably after being let in— and summarily executed those hiding there, including the Lord Chancellor (Simon of Sudbury, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was particularly associated with the poll tax), and the Lord Treasurer (Robert de Hales, the Grand Prior of the Knights Hospitallers of England). The Savoy Palace of the king's uncle John of Gaunt was one of the London buildings destroyed by the rioters. Image File history File links Richard_II_meets_rebels. ... Image File history File links Richard_II_meets_rebels. ... Jean Froissart (~1337 - ~1405) was one of the most important of the chroniclers of medieval France. ... For other uses, see Tower of London (disambiguation) Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, on the north bank of the River Thames. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... Simon Theobald a. ... The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader and senior clergyman of the Church of England, recognized by convention as the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Sir Robert Hales (also called Robert de Hales), was born about 1325 in Hales Place, High Halden, Kent, the son of Nicholas Hales. ... The Knights Hospitaller (also known as the , Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Knights of Malta, Knights of Rhodes, and Chevaliers of Malta; French: Ordre des Hospitaliers) is a Christian organization that began as an Amalfitan hospital founded in Jerusalem in 1080 to provide... The Savoy Palace was considered the grandest noblemans residence of medieval London, until it was destroyed in the uprising of 1381. ... John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ...

Smithfield

At Smithfield, on the following day, further negotiations with the king were arranged, but on this occasion the meeting did not go according to plan. Wat Tyler left his army and rode forth to parlay with the King and his party. Tyler, it is alleged by the chroniclers, behaved most belligerently and dismounted his horse and called for a drink most rudely. In the ensuing dispute, Tyler drew his dagger and William Walworth, the Mayor of London, drew his sword and attacked Tyler, mortally wounding him in the neck; Sir Ralph de Standish, one of the King's squires, drew his sword and ran it through Tyler's stomach, killing him almost instantly. Seeing him surrounded by the King's entourage, the rebel army was in uproar, but King Richard, seizing the opportunity, rode forth and shouted "You shall have no captain but me.",^[4] a statement left deliberately ambiguous to defuse the situation. He promised the rebels that all was well, that Tyler had been knighted, and that their demands would be met - they were to march to St John's Fields, where Wat Tyler would meet them. This they duly did, but the King broke his promise. The nobles quickly re-established their control with the help of a hastily organised militia of 7000, and most of the other leaders were pursued, captured and executed, including John Ball and Jack Straw, who was beheaded. Following the collapse of the revolt, the king's concessions were quickly revoked. Smithfield (also known as West Smithfield to distinguish it from the East Smithfield area located in Tower Hamlets) is an area in the north-west part of the City of London (which is itself the historic core of a much larger London). ... Sir William Walworth (d. ...

Despite its name, participation in the Peasants' Revolt was not confined to serfs or even to the lower classes. Although the most significant events took place in the capital, there were violent encounters throughout eastern England -- but those involved hastened to dissociate themselves in the months that followed.

Although the Revolt is generally considered a failure, it did succeed in showing the peasants that they were of some value and had some power. After the revolt, the term poll tax was no longer used, although English governments continued to collect broadly similar lay subsidies until the 17th century. The Community Charge, introduced six hundred years after the peasants revolt, was popularly known as the poll tax (particularly by its opponents). A poll tax, head tax, or capitation is a tax of a uniform, fixed amount per individual (as opposed to a percentage of income). ...

The Cutty Wren

The Cutty Wren, one of the earliest known protest songs, dates from the time of the revolt. It tells the story of the capture of the wren - a symbol for the King (or perhaps for England itself) - and its division amongst the poor people.^[5] A version of the song appeared on Chumbawamba's English Rebel Songs 1381-1984. Chumbawamba are an English band that started out playing punk rock, but over a 25-year career have gone on to play music ranging from pop influenced dance music and world music to acoustic folk music. ... English Rebel Songs 1381-1984 is a rerecording of the only a capella album by anarchist punk band Chumbawamba, and their only album made up almost entirely of traditional English songs. ...

Literary mention

Title page to William Morris' A Dream of John Ball (1888)

John Gower, friend of Geoffrey Chaucer, saw the peasants as unjustified in their cause. In his Vox Clamantis, he sees the peasant action as the work of the Anti-Christ and a sign of evil prevailing over virtue, writing "....according to their foolish ideas there would be no lords, but only kings and peasants...". This page is about William Morris, the writer, designer and socialist. ... Artwork from William Morris A Dream of John Ball (1888) A Dream of John Ball (1888) is a novel by English author William Morris about the English peasants revolt of 1381 and the rebel John Ball. ... John Gower shooting the world, a sphere of earth, air, and water (from an edition of his works c. ... Chaucer redirects here. ... An illustration from a manuscript of Vox Clamantis, showing Gower shooting the world: I throw my darts and shoot my arrows at the world. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Antichrist. ...

Geoffrey Chaucer mentions Jack Straw, one of the leaders of the Revolt, in his satiric 'The Nun's Priest's Tale' of The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer redirects here. ... Jack Straw (probably the same person as Rackstraw) was one of the three leaders (together with John Ball and Wat Tyler) of the Peasants Revolt or Great Rising of 1381, a major event in the history of Britain. ... For other uses, see The Canterbury Tales (disambiguation). ...

Froissart's Chronicles devotes twenty pages to the revolt. Froissarts Chronicle was written in French by Jean Froissart. ...

William Morris described the revolt in A Dream of John Ball (1888) This page is about William Morris, the writer, designer and socialist. ...

Further reading

• R. B. Dobson, editor, (2002), The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 (History in Depth) ISBN 0-333-25505-4; a collection of source materials
• Alastair Dunn (2002), The Great Rising of 1381: The Peasant's Revolt and England's Failed Revolution, ISBN 0-7524-2323-1
• Charles Oman (1906), The Great Revolt of 1381; a classic account
• P. J. P. Goldberg (2004), Medieval England 1250-1550: A Social History, ISBN 0-340-57745-2; Chapter 13 is devoted to the Peasants' Revolt
• John J. Robinson, (1990), Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry ISBN 0-87131-602-1; Chapters 1-5 are dedicated to the Peasants' Revolt
• A contemporary chronicle, the final meeting of king Richard II and the leader of the Peasants' Revolt Wat Tyler.
• "The Peasants' Revolt" Voices of the powerless - readings from original sources BBC Radio programme, Thursday 25 July 2002, 9.02 am - 9.30 am.
• Britannia:The History of the Peasants' Revolt by Jeff Hobbs with useful bibliography
• "Wat Tyler's Rebellion", from The Chronicles of Froissart, , pp 61-63 includes John Ball's speech.
• "King Richard punishes the rebels in Kent" from The Chronicles of Froissart, edited by Steve Muhlberger, Nipissing University.
• A Dream of John Ball; and, a King's Lesson by William Morris (Project Gutenberg etext)
• "Conflagration: The Peasants' Revolt", by Melissa Snell.

Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman (January 12, 1860 - June 23, 1946) was a notable British military historian of the early 20th century. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works. ... An e-text (from electronic text; sometimes written as etext) is, generally, any textual information that is available in a digitally encoded human-readable format and read by electronic means, but more specifically it refers to files in the ASCII text file format. ...

Footnotes