Peasants' revolt

• Economic causes for peasants revolt - black death

  • in 1348, Black Death arrived in England
  • killed most of peasant workforce, so crops left to rot and villages abandoned
  • due to fewer workers, peasants could demand higher wages
• Economic causes for peasant revolt - Poll taxes

  • King Richard II raised taxes to fund his campaigns against the French in the Hundred Years War
  • Everyone payed a fixed amount, regardless of wealth
  • Disproportionally affected the poor
• When was first poll tax introduced

  1377
• How much was the first poll tax?

  4d a head - about two week's worth a labourer's earnings
• Why was the Statute of Labourers created?

  • Black Death killed about half the population of England
  • Not enough men to work land
  • Surviving workers realised that they could demand more pay due to shortage of labour
  • Peasants moved around country to work for higher pay
  • Landowners unhappy about paying more
  • Parliament retaliated the workers by passing statute of labourers
• When was the Statute of Labourers passed?

  1351
• What did the Statute of Labourers entail?

  • Everyone under sixty years old had to work
  • Wages no higher than they had been before the Black Death
• Political causes of Peasants' Revolt

  • Local lords and king worried that the peasants were becoming too powerful and the feudal system would break down
  • In 1351, Edward III passed Statute of Labourers, restricting movement and wages of peasants; they were forced to return to and work for their lord again
  • Peasants wanted reform to reduce the influence of landowners
  • King Edward III was succeeded by ten year old Richard II
• What was the concern around Richard II succeeding Edward III

  Some peasants felt that a young king could be easily pressured into making changes for their benefit
• When did Richard II succeed Edward III?

  1377
• Whose influence did the peasants want to reduce?

  landowners
• Why were people unhappy with the Church, leading to the Peasant's revolt?

  Many priests started to preach that the Church was exploiting the peasants by making people pay pardons for their sins
• What was one of the first things the rebels did in the Peasant's Revolt?

  Release John Ball from Maidstone Prison
• John Ball's role in the Peasant's Revolt

  • Preaching equality - questioned the basis of the social order implying that all men should be seen as equal
  • Spurred action - his speeches and teachings are credited with inciting rebellion amongst the peasant
• How many people (and who were they) died due to the Black Death?


  a third of the population, mostly poor people
• Between 1377 and 1379, 70% of the people brought before the Justice of the Peace were accused of breaking the Statute of Labourers
• Who joined the Peasants' Revolt?

  • most of the opposition to the Government arose in London and south East (the more prosperous part of the country)
  • most rebels who joined were artisans and skilled workers rather than peasants, middle-aged and literate
• How was War with France before the Peasants' Revolt going badly?

  In 1377 a French fleet of over 120 ships attacked and burned down the town of Rye and invaded the Isle of Wight
• What happened on 30 May 1381?

  Peasants in Brentwood refuse to pay poll tax and threaten to kill local tax collector (John Bampton)
• What happened on 2 June 1381?

  Chief Justice comes to collect poll tax and is also threatened; peasants find tax collector's clerks and behead them. They set fire to houses of poll tax supporters
• Peasants' demands in the Peasants' Revolt:

  • All villeins to be made freemen
  • Full change to the system of law
  • church lands to be given to the people
  • all bishops except one removed
• What happened on 7 June 1381?

  • Peasants march to Maidstone and make Wat Tyler their leader
  • Free John Ball
  • Storm Rochester Castle
  • Burn tax records
• What happened on 12 June 1381?

  Peasants reach London's city walls and Richard II sails to meet them, but the crowd is too rowdy
• What happens on 13 June 1381?

  • Peasants storm the city walls, burn palaces and kill supporters of the king
  • Some peasants are peaceful as Wat Tyler had ordered
• What happened on 14 June 1381?

  • Wat Tyler meets the king and outlines the peasants' demands
  • King agrees and asks peasants to go home
  • Meanwhile, another group of peasants kill the Archbishop of Canterbury
• What happened on the 15 June 1381?

  • The king meets with the peasants again and agrees to their demands
  • One of king's men kills Wat Tyler
  • Peasants leave London and the revolt is over
• Did Richard II commit to the peasants' demands?


  No, he went back on his promises|