(21) The Peasants' revolt

• The Peasants' revolt timeline 1381(pt. 1)


  30th May- Peasants refuse to pay poll tax and threaten to kill local tax collector

  2nd June- Chief Justice comes to collect poll tax and is also threatened; peasants find tax collector's clerks and behead them and set fire to the houses of poll tax supporters

  7th June- Peasants march up to Maidstone and make Wat Tyler their leader; they set free John Ball, storm to Rochester Castle and burn tax records

  12nd June- Peasants reach London's city walls and Richard II sails to meet them, but the crowd is too rowdy
• The Peasants' revolt timeline 1381 (pt. 2)


  13th June- Peasants storm the city walls, burn palaces and kill supporters of the king; some peasants are peaceful as Wat Tyler had ordered

  14th June- Wat Tyler meets the king and outlines the Peasants' demands; the king agrees and asks the peasants to go home. Whilst this is happening, another group of peasants kills the Archbishop of Canterbury

  15th June- The king meets with the peasants again and agrees to their demands, but one of his men kills Wat Tyler; the peasants leave London and the revolt is over
• The Peasants' demands

  • all peasants to be made freemen
  • full change to the system of law
  • church lands to be given to the people
  • all bishops except one to be removed
• the end of the Peasants' revolt

  Richard II went back on his word. He said he had been forced to agree to the demands so it did not count. The rebel leaders were all rounded up and hanged, and John Ball and Wat Tyler's heads were stuck on spikes on London Bridge