Events of Peasants Revolt 1381

Events of Peasants Revolt 1381

1. The Spark

   • John of Gaunt raises Poll Tax to fund 100 years war plan
     • Poll Tax, 1377=4d 1380=4d 1381=12d
       • Essex 1377 : 50000 approx people pay tax
         • Essex 1381 30000 approx people pay tax
           • John hires Hales as treasurer - main task of collecting unpaid tax
             • Fobbing Tax Collector - checks peoples daughters to see if they're adults
               • Disgusting practice - people pay to avoid daughters being touched
                 • Brentwood Court - Lord Bampton in Charge
                   • Orders local men to pay tax - peasants turn on guards, Bampton flees
                     • Word spreads - more villages refuse to pay - leads to march on London

2. Key People

   • Richard II
     • 14 year old king
   • John of Gaunt
     • King's advisor/in charge of army
   • Sudbury
     • Archbishop of Canterbury
       • King's advisor
   • Wat Tyler
     • Leader of the Peasants Revolt
   • Hales
     • treasurer - in charge of collecting tax
   • John Ball
     • Influential Priest - one of leaders of the revolt

3. Beginning - 13th June

   • King sails out to Blackheath
     • Peasants demand to speak with his advisors
       • King refuses sails back to tower of London
         • Peasants march into Suffolk
           • Release prisoners whilst there
           • Peasant joined by some wealthy + important people
             • Could only enter London via London Bridge
               • Seemed to negotiate way in somehow, possible influence of important men convinced guards?
                 • Many Londoners welcomed peasants - however there is fear about possible destruction caused

4. Rioting

   • Peasants believed John of Gaunt was to blame
     • was in Scotland at the time, luckily for him
     • Wrecked Savoy Palace, throwing posessions into Thames
       • Made point of not stealing goods, here purely to destroy goods belonging to King's advisors - not personal gains
         • Left Palace in ruins for decades - made a statement
           • Had a massive national impact - message spread to Europe - big news
             • Around 300 dead, a lot compared to pop of London at the time
               • People horrified that 'vermin' peasants were able to organise mass movement

5. 14th June

   • King meets peasants at mile end
     • Agrees to demands - gets it in writing
       • Richard needs to keep his country
         • Tower of London had never fell til revolt
           • Drawbridge down, King or someone close was on peasants side
             • Hales and Sudbury executed by peasants
               • Made huge difference in just a week - massive society change
                 • Trusted Richard to keep to word - many satisfied peasants went home
                   • Wat Tyler not finished, wanted more.

6. 15th June

   • Peasants met Richard at Smithfield
     • Peasants armed - no difference between royals and peasants
       • Peasants had long bows + many violent weapons
         • Roughly 300-400 peasants to 200 King's men
           • Possibly was a plot to embarrass Wat publicly
             • Wat gives demands - King accepts
               • Wat then killed, different versions of storys
                 • stabbed in the neck, left for dead
                   • Richard rides into crowd, announces that he is their king, leads them to Clarkenwell
                     • Tyler's head cut off, taken to rebels, who were surrounded and demoralised
                       • Richard had never been on peasants side

7. Aftermath

   • King sent men to kill leaders of revolt
     • 100s dead before official prosecutions
       • Over next 5 months, rebellion wiped out completely
         • King wanted revolt ended and forgotten about -embarrassed
           • Sudbury supporters retrieved head and returned it to his cathedral

8. Impact

   • Showed peasants could get together and organise mass powerful movement
   • Set the tone for further revolts in later centuries
   • Idea of protesting for justice lived on

9. Demands

   • Blackheath
     • 1. to meet King in person
       • 2. That some nobles be handed over to peasants
   • Mile End
     • 1. End of serfdom
       • 2. Free sale of produce
         • 3.Rent at 4d per acre/per annum
           • 4.Noone to be punished for involvement
   • Smithfield
     • 1. Freedom from social heirarchy - no higher clergy but King and John Ball as Archbishop
       • 2. local police and courts to be put in place
         • 3. Redistribution of wealth
   • Did not demand end to poll tax
     • Shows there were other bigger issues around at time