Thanks 11th_VA.
Posted on 08/10/2015 10:29:06 AM PDT by 11th_VA
The 13th June marks the anniversary of the day Wat Tyler led the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381 into London. The English capital descended into chaos as the peasants burnt and looted the city, cementing the revolt as the most significant peasant uprising in the feudal period of English history.
Originating in the South-East of England, it was when the revolt reached London that its significance became apparent. The peasants went on to capture the Tower of London, a feat which had never been done before. Two powerful figures, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the King’s Treasurer, were killed by the rebels. The King was forced to meet the peasants and discuss their demands, again, something without precedent.
In feudal England, the peasantry was kept in line through the threat of harsh punishment, and restrictions on property and movement which were a consequence of their position in society. The idea of peasants not only mobilising, but reaching the capital and intimidating the country’s rulers, was unthinkable. In a broader context the event is a remarkable moment in feudal history and the development of protest.
A variety of long term factors contributed to the resentment which ultimately exploded into the Peasant’s Revolt. Thirty five years before the revolt the Black Death had struck England, the catastrophic pandemic decimating huge swathes of the peasant population and dramatically altering the balance of society. A sudden scarcity of labour gave workers greater bargaining power. Landlords had to encourage workers to stay on their estates, and therefore offered them freedom and wages to continue working. In 1380, Parliament started working to lower the wages of labourers and reinforce their subordinate position in society, a reactionary move which led to the peasantry fearing a return to the situation before the Black Death.
Another underlying cause was the state of almost perpetual war with France. The wars were largely paid for by taxation of peasants. In 1380, King Richard announced a new Poll-Tax which meant everyone over the ago of 15 had to pay a shilling, a significant amount to the poorest in society. This was the third such tax that had been raised in four years, and added to the resentment already felt by the peasantry.
The trigger for the revolt came in May 1381, when peasants in Brentwood, Esssex, resisted a poll-tax collector. From Brentwood, defiance spread to neighbouring villages and then the surrounding counties of Hertordshire, Kent and Norfolk. Soldiers were sent to the rebelling villages to restore order but the resistors had become armed and organised, and turned the military away.
Wat Tyler, from Kent, had emerged as the leader of the peasants and following the attempt by the army to extinguish the revolt, led the rebels to London. Along the way they burned down government buildings and destroyed tax records. Once at the outskirts of the city, London’s urban poor opened the gates and joined in the revolt themselves.
On 14th June, two days after the peasant’s arrival in London, the king agreed to meet them at Mile End in East London. Richard agreed to the peasant’s demands of abolishing serfdom and the restrictions on wages, but the chaos in London continued, with Tyler leading the force that seized the Tower of London and executed the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The following day, having spent the night in fear of his life as violence reigned over the city, the king again met Tyler at Smithfields. In a scuffle, the mayor of London fatally wounded Tyler with a sword. Hundreds of troops arrived at the scene, and executed the rebel leaders, while the rest of the mob quickly dispersed. Over the next few days troops brutally restored order across the south-east of England. Richard revoked the concessions he had made at Mile End, and the Peasant’s Revolt came to an end.
I could easily see this being made into a movie today ... a lot of contempory relevance ...
Do they refer to London as “Old Ferguson?”
Peasants revolt was led by people who had jobs
The Occupy movement of 1381
I know Occupy and Socialists want to claim linkage to the ‘Peasants Revolt,’ but it’s more like ‘Uber workers’; the laborers want to compete for a fair wage but the ruling elites had the King pass a law so they could set their own wages.
:)
Go Trump..!
FIRE ERICK ERICKSON..!!!
FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE
This Richard was Richard II and he was only 14 years old at the time and was only 4 years king since his father and older brother had already died before his grandfather Edward III. In part, a lot of this revolt was also because he was an obvious child king subject to regency-type management.
Richard II also ended badly as is the subject of Shakespeare’s play of that name. He exiles his overly strong cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and then disinherits him after the Duke’s death. Bolingbroke returns, finds he is more popular than Richard with the people who have money and arms, and so Bolingbroke deposes Richard II (the last Plantagenet King) and becomes Henry IV, the first Lancastrian King. Richard II is later murdered in captivity.
FYI: It is in Shakespeare’s Richard II that the famous soliloquy “... this sceptered isle” is spoken by John of Gaunt from his death scene (Act 2 Scene 1). The recent trilogy, “The Hollow Crown”, has this being spoke by Sir Patrick Stewart, who has some moderate fame from other acting roles.
King Richard III wasn’t exactly known for his trustworthiness.
For later
The Death of Wat Tyler by John Simkin
http://spartacus-educational.com/YALDdeathTyler.htm
[snip] The king said that Wat Tyler should have all that he could fairly grant. And then he ordered him to go back to his own home, without causing further delay. Wat Tyler sent for a jug of water to rinse out his mouth in a very rude manner before the king. At that time a valet from Kent, who was with the king, said aloud that Wat Tyler was the greatest thief and robber in Kent. Wat Tyler heard these words... and ordered one of his followers, who was mounted on horseback, to dismount and behead the valet... The valet said that whoever struck him would be struck in return. For these words Wat Tyler wanted to strike the valet with his dagger... The mayor of London, William of Walworth, tried to arrest him. Wat stabbed the mayor with his dagger in great anger. But as it pleased God, the mayor was wearing armour. The mayor struck back at Wat Tyler, giving him a deep cut in the neck, and then a great blow on the head. And during this scuffle a member of the king’s household drew his sword, and ran Wat Tyler two or three times through the body. He fell to the ground half dead. When the commons saw him fall... The king rode out to them, commanding them that they should all come to him at the field of St. John of Clerkenwell... When the king reached St. John’s Fields he was joined by a fine company of well-armed men. And they kept the commons like sheep within a pen. Meanwhile, the mayor went to kill Wat Tyler. When he came to Smithfield he asked what had become of the traitor. He was told that Wat Tyler had been carried by a group of the commons to the hospital for the poor near St. Bartholomew’s and put to bed. The mayor went there and found him, and had him carried out to the middle of Smithfield and had him beheaded. The mayor had his head on a pole and carried before him to the king at St. John’s Fields. [/snip]
Thanks 11th_VA.
These rebellions seemed to often come from Kent. Jack Cade’s rebellion in the next century also came out of that area.
Took the words right outta my mouth... <3
It was Richard II, not III
"They are my people! I am their sovereign! I LOVE Them. PULL!"
And the lesson today’s feudalists- socialists- learned from that day is not to let the peasants know they are being taxed!
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