Causes of Peasants Revolt 1381

Causes of Peasants Revolt 1381

1. Black Death

   • Direct cause of
     • Fall in population size
     • Economic tensions
     • Dissatisfaction with the church
   • In my opinion, Black death is most significant cause, without fall in population there would be no social tensions which was key reason why people were revolting
     • Also there would be no economic tensions from less people being around so there would've been no trigger

2. Social Tensions

   • Info
     • Tax collector at Fobbing - people didn't like methods
     • Laws made by Lords - attempts to limit peasant wealth
       • Sumptuary Laws 1363
       • Statute of Labourers 1349
       • Ordinance of Labourers 1351
       • wanted peasants back in their place
   • Made revolt more likely by...
     • Making peasants fed up with social hierarchy
       • People fed up with nobles trying to change things back to old ways
         • Proved by demands at smithfield - end of social hierarchy

3. Fall in Population Size

   • Info
     • 5 million down to 3.5 million
     • Makes it impossible to pose serfdown
     • Fewer people to get taxes from
     • Direct cause of increase in wages and rents falling
   • Made revolt more more likely by...
     • Leads to increase in wages
       • Helps to make the gap in social classes smaller
         • Leads to social tensions

4. Economic pressues

   • Made revolt more likely by...
     • Peasants didn't like paying poll tax
       • Leads to fobbing tax collector incident
         • Provides trigger for start of revolt
   • Info
     • Poll tax
       • Rapid increase, 4d - 12d within a year (1380-1381)
     • Hundred years war, leads to need for poll tax

5. Individuals

   • John of Gaunt
     • Created poll tax to fund 100 years war tactic
       • provides spark for revolt
   • Hales - treasurer
     • Chief job to collect tax
       • increases social tensions, pushed people too far
   • Sudbury- Archbishop
     • Gave bad advice to Richard
     • was a money grabbing landlord
       • increases social tensions, people fed up
   • Richard- King
     • People saw him as solution
       • In fact betrays peasants at Clarkenwell
         • people had hoped that because he was so young he would listen
   • Wat Tyler
     • Key leader of revolt
       • As soon as he dies - revolt dies
   • Jon Ball
     • Active leader of revolt
       • Caused mass revolt instead of local
         • Great organisation skills, no revolt without Ball and Tyler

6. Dissatisfaction with the church

   • Info
     • People losing faith in church
       • Said plague was punishment from God but many priests died
     • Church property targeted during revolt - evidence
       • Sudbury murdered- clear evidence of dissatsfaction
     • People were fed up with mass corruption of church
   • Made revolt more likely by...
     • Feeds into general dissatisfaction with the order of society itself
       • Get told by priests how to live lives but they're obviously corrupt themselves

7. 100 years war

   • Losing the war - costing lots of money - leads to poll tax
     • Poll tax provides trigger that led to the chain of events that resulted in revolt