Britain 1066–1500
The Peasants' Revolt
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Learning objectives
Learning objectives
Consider the reasons why the peasants
wanted to revolt.
Understand the impact of the poll tax and
its role in sparking the revolt.
Learn how Richard II dealt with the
peasants.
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Why did the peasants revolt?
I might be a humble villein, but I
survived the plague when many
did not.
Why should I be afraid of the lord of the manor
when I’ve faced down King Death!
I want more money to farm the
lord’s land, I want to pay lower
rent and I want more freedom.
If the lord does not agree I’ll walk away. After
all, there are others who need men to work –
perhaps they will not be as stubborn!
What does this peasant tell you
about how he felt life had changed?
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Why did the peasants revolt?
Medieval kings were
used to the threat of
rebellion – it was
almost part of their job
– but rebellions tended
to come from barons or
lords, not from the
ordinary people.
In 1381 the peasants of England were angry.
They revolted and demanded that the king make
radical changes to the country.
What made them want to revolt?
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Why did the peasants revolt?
After the Black Death, peasants started demanding higher
wages and more freedom. Not everyone thought that they
were entitled to these. Who do you think might disagree
with the peasants?
The lords of the manors and the barons
were not impressed. They decided to pass
the Statute of Labourers in 1351. This
said that wages had to be at pre-plague
levels and that it was a crime to ask for or
pay more.
Do you think this was fair?
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Changing ideas
There were also changes in the way people viewed the
world. Many who had survived the plague decided that
things should change.
One new idea was sharing the wealth.
The Church said it was God’s will that
there be rich and poor – the peasants
didn't think that this was very fair!
Was the Church rich or poor?
Then the king’s counsellors decided to try out a new
tax called the poll tax. It was levied in 1377 and again
in 1379 and 1380.
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Changing ideas
Under the 1380 poll tax everyone paid the same,
regardless of how rich or poor they were.
This meant that if you were
a peasant you would pay
the same amount as the
lord you worked for.
How would that
make you feel?
Some radical preachers, like John Ball, began giving sermons
(speeches) to ordinary people, saying that they should go to
the king and complain that they were being treated unfairly.
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Opinions
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The poll tax
The introduction of the poll tax was
the final straw for many peasants,
who saw it as the rich trying to make
the lives of the poor even harder.
Few peasants could afford the tax.
When officials came round, they hid or
lied about the number in their family.
So many people avoided paying in 1381, that the tax
collectors recorded that a third of the population had
‘disappeared’. Commissioners were sent out to catch the tax
dodgers.
Would you have avoided the
tax if you had lived then?
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The causes of the revolt
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Causes of the Peasants' Revolt
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Who was involved?
The rebellions started among peasants in Essex and Kent.
The two main leaders were John Ball and Wat Tyler.
John Ball had started out as a priest in Colchester, but he had
been thrown into prison by the Church because some of the
ideas in his sermons were out of line with Church teachings.
Wat Tyler was chosen by the rebels of Kent to lead them.
Little is known about him. He helped to break John Ball out
of prison in 1381.
John Ball
Good people, things do
not go well in England,
nor will they until
everyone is equal and there are
neither villeins nor gentlemen, and
lords be no greater than we are…
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What happened?
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The peasants’ demands
The peasants demanded:
the abolition of ‘oppressive statutes’ – like
the Statute of Labourers
that everyone who had taken part in the
rebellion should be given a free pardon
that labour services should be abolished,
and peasants should pay a low, fixed rent –
this meant that all villeins would be free
that the king’s advisers should be punished.
King Richard was only 14 years old at the time.
Why do you think the rebels did not blame him
for their problems?
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London riots
On 14th June the king agreed to have charters written
granting the peasants’ requests, except the one regarding
punishment of his advisers.
Most of the Essex villagers went
home, but some of those from Kent
went to the Tower of London and
executed the Archbishop of
Canterbury, the treasurer and John
of Gaunt’s doctor.
Riots occurred throughout London.
The king invited the rebels to meet him again at Smithfield
on the following day.
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Events at Smithfield
Imagine how Richard must have felt seeing the riots in London.
It is thought that there could have been up to 100,000 rebels
in London. The king did not keep many soldiers in the city
and his forces were greatly outnumbered by the peasants.
When Richard and Wat Tyler
met at Smithfield, there was
an argument and Wat Tyler
was killed.
No one knows for sure what
happened.
Some historians say that Wat insulted the
king; others think that the lords planned to
kill him all along – an assassination!
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Richard’s bravery
The peasants were furious when they saw their leader
was dead. They were about to attack when the king rode
forward and said:
Sirs, will you
shoot your king?
I will be your chief
and captain, you shall have
from me that which you seek.
Only follow me…
according to John Froissart.
What sort of picture does this source paint of Richard?
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After the revolt
As soon as the rebels had left, the king started to break
the promises he had made to them.
Rebels were rounded up and executed. John Ball was
found and his head was cut off and displayed on a spike
on London Bridge.
According to the chronicler Thomas
Walsingham, Richard said to the rebels
he caught:
Oh you wretched men …
Villeins you were and
villeins you shall remain.
Was Richard a coward or was he brave?
Do you think his actions were sensible?
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Events of the Peasants’ Revolt
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Cause and effect
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