Table of Contents
What did the English peasants demand when they revolted in 1381?
The rebels sought a reduction in taxation, an end to serfdom, and the removal of King Richard II’s senior officials and law courts. Inspired by the sermons of the radical cleric John Ball and led by Wat Tyler, a contingent of Kentish rebels advanced on London.
What were Wat Tyler’s demands?
They demanded that each labourer be allowed to work for the employer of his choice and sought an end to serfdom and other rigid social demarcation. There were uprisings across England, with much of the unrest focused on Essex and Kent.
What were the three main causes of the Peasants Revolt of 1381?
The Causes of the Peasants Revolt were a combination of things that culminated in the rebellion. These were: Long term impact of the Black Death; the impact of the Statute of Labourers; the land ties that remained in place to feudal lords and to the church.
What impact did the peasants revolt have?
Some historians believe that the revolt made Richard proud and over-confident, and that it made him rule in a way which led to his fall in 1399. The rebellion had frightened the rich, and made them realise that they could not push the poor too far. No government collected a Poll Tax until 1990.
How did peasants respond to the Black Death?
After the Black Death, lords actively encouraged peasants to leave the village where they lived to come to work for them. When peasants did this, the lord refused to return them to their original village. Peasants could demand higher wages as they knew that a lord was desperate to get in his harvest.
Why was the peasants revolt a failure?
The major reasons that Peasants’ Revolt failed could be summarized as: Lack of Leadership and planning. Watt Tyler was not a natural leader and lacked the ability to control those taking part. Furthermore, there appears to have been no orchestrated plans of action.
Why did the Peasants Revolt in 1381 start?
The Peasants’ Revolt in 1381 is viewed as a turning point, enabling peasants together, to demand more freedoms from their Lords. The Peasants’ Revolt started in Essex on 30 May 1381, when a tax collector tried, for the third time in four years, to levy a poll tax.
How did the peasants revolt lead to democracy?
The peasants went home, but later government troops toured the villages hanging men who had taken part in the Revolt. Although the Revolt was defeated, its demands – less harsh laws, money for the poor, freedom and equality – all became part of democracy in the long term. The Peasants’ Revolt was a popular uprising.
Where did the peasants of London camp in 1381?
The city was virtually defenceless. Both groups of peasants had reached London. The Kent peasants camped at Blackheath, and the Essex peasants at Mile End, north of the River Thames. Their nUDbers are hard to estimate, but both groups could have been made up of up to 50,000 people.
What was the life of a peasant like?
The peasant and his family were at the lord’s mercy every day of his life and even after his death. The peasant had to take his grain to the lord’s mill where his time was wasted and he was robbed by the lord’s bakehouse. Ale was the primary drink due to the dangers of the water.