Peasants' Revolt
1381 English rebellion
The Peasants' Revolt was an uprising in England in 1381, triggered by poll taxes and longstanding grievances about serfdom and labor restrictions following the Black Death.
Led by figures including Wat Tyler and John Ball, rebels from Kent and Essex marched on London, demanding reforms from the young King Richard II.
Though quickly suppressed after Tyler's death, the revolt marked a significant moment of popular resistance to feudal authority in medieval England.
- poll taxPer-person voting charge
- tax collectorsThose who collect levies
- mobDisorderly, aggressive crowd
- common peopleNon-elite members of society
- torchHandheld burning light source
Smithfield · Black Death · uprising · Richard II · labor shortages · banner · economic disparity · Hundred Years' War · tenant farming · pitchfork · revolution · rebellion · insurrection · scythe · manors · lords · medieval · burning
- peasant revoltsbread riot
- Chaucer's WorldCanterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, Middle English, medieval England, 14th century
- LollardsOxford, recantation