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In the summer of 1381, England erupted in rebellion. Thousands of angry peasants and townspeople marched on London, wielding farm tools and bows, demanding an end to oppressive taxes and the centuries-old system of serfdom. This dramatic uprising, known as the Peasants’ Revolt or Wat Tyler’s Rebellion, shook medieval England to its core and challenged the very foundations of feudal society.
Black Death to Poll Taxes: What Drove the Peasants to Revolt?
The seeds of rebellion took root decades before the uprising began. In 1348-49, the catastrophic Black Death swept through England, killing roughly one-third to one-half of the population. This demographic disaster created a severe labor shortage, suddenly giving peasants unexpected leverage. With fewer workers available, many began demanding higher wages and better treatment.
Labour Shortage and the Statute of Labourers 1351
England’s elite responded swiftly to maintain their control. In 1351, the government passed the Statute of Labourers, freezing wages at pre-plague levels and forcing workers to accept employment at those rates. This law effectively criminalized asking for fair pay despite the new economic reality. For the next three decades, frustrated laborers watched landlords use legal means to suppress their earnings and keep them bound to the land.
Three Poll Taxes and Rising Anger
The final spark came from taxation. England’s expensive war with France drained the royal coffers, prompting King Richard II’s advisors to impose a series of poll taxes—flat taxes requiring every adult to pay the same amount regardless of wealth. Between 1377 and 1381, the government levied three increasingly unpopular poll taxes. The final tax of 1381 demanded 12 pence from every person over 16—roughly equivalent to several days’ wages for common laborers.
When tax collectors arrived in villages demanding payment, they encountered fierce resistance. The aggressive enforcement of this third poll tax became the flashpoint that ignited rebellion.
Sparks in Essex and Kent: How the Rebellion Spread
The revolt began on May 30, 1381, when tax officials attempting to collect in Brentwood, Essex, faced violent opposition from local villagers. Instead of an isolated incident, this resistance spread like wildfire. Within days, rebels across Essex organized meetings, swearing oaths to destroy oppressive legal records and punish corrupt officials.
The rebellion quickly jumped across the Thames River to Kent, where protesters stormed Rochester Castle and freed prisoners. Here, a charismatic leader named Wat Tyler emerged to guide the Kentish rebels. Under his leadership, insurgents systematically targeted symbols of authority—burning tax records, attacking property of government officials, and destroying legal documents that bound them to servitude.
Wat Tyler, John Ball, and the March on London
By mid-June, thousands of rebels from Essex and Kent converged on Blackheath, just outside London. They freed John Ball, a radical priest imprisoned for preaching equality, who delivered a powerful sermon to the gathered crowd.
“When Adam Delved and Eve Span”: The Blackheath Sermon
Ball’s famous question electrified the masses: “When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?” This simple phrase challenged the entire social hierarchy by asking why, if all humans descended from the same ancestors, some claimed superiority over others. Ball told the rebels that God never intended for some men to be lords and others serfs—all were created equal.
With this revolutionary message ringing in their ears, the rebels marched toward London. Their banners proclaimed loyalty to the 14-year-old King Richard II while demanding punishment for his “evil counselors,” particularly his unpopular uncle John of Gaunt and officials responsible for the poll tax.
Fire and Blood in the City: Savoy Palace to the Tower
On June 13, rebels entered London with help from sympathetic citizens who opened the gates. Once inside, they unleashed their fury on symbols of wealth and corruption. They burned John of Gaunt’s magnificent Savoy Palace to the ground and destroyed the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller. More ominously, mobs hunted down anyone associated with the poll tax or legal oppression, killing several officials and foreign merchants.
The revolt reached its bloody climax when rebels broke into the Tower of London itself. There, they captured and beheaded Simon Sudbury, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor who had overseen the poll tax, along with Sir Robert Hales, the Lord Treasurer. Rebels displayed their heads on pikes and paraded them through London’s streets. The government had effectively collapsed as rebels controlled the capital.
Smithfield Showdown: Wat Tyler’s Death and Richard II’s Ruse
Facing this crisis, young King Richard II agreed to meet rebel leaders. On June 14, he rode to Mile End and astonishingly granted their major demands—promising to abolish serfdom, establish fair rents, and pardon all rebels. His clerks hastily drafted charters of freedom, which satisfied many of the Essex contingent who began heading home.
The next day, June 15, Richard met the remaining Kentish rebels at Smithfield, where Wat Tyler presented additional demands. During tense negotiations, London’s Mayor William Walworth suddenly struck Tyler with his sword. As the mortally wounded rebel leader fell, his followers prepared to attack.
In this desperate moment, the 14-year-old king showed remarkable courage. Richard rode toward the angry crowd, declaring: “You shall have no captain but me!” He promised to grant their petitions if they would follow him away from the scene. This audacious gambit worked—the leaderless rebels dispersed, allowing authorities to gradually reassert control.
“Serfs ye were and serfs ye shall remain.” —Richard II
Aftermath: Reprisals, Pardons, and the End of the Poll Tax
Once the immediate danger passed, Richard swiftly revoked his promises. Government forces hunted down rebel leaders across the countryside. John Ball was captured and executed, along with hundreds of other participants. By autumn, authorities had crushed the uprising and restored the social order.
Yet the revolt did produce one immediate change—the government abandoned the poll tax. No English monarch would attempt such a tax again for nearly three centuries. In November 1381, Richard issued a general pardon to ordinary participants, helping restore peace to the countryside while maintaining the status quo.
Did the Peasants’ Revolt Really Fail? Long-Term Consequences
At first glance, the Peasants’ Revolt appears to have failed. Serfdom continued, Richard broke his promises, and rebel leaders met gruesome ends. Yet the uprising profoundly affected English society in subtle, long-term ways.
The shock of seeing peasants dictate terms to the king forced elites to reconsider their approach to taxation and labor control. Over the following generations, landlords increasingly commuted labor services to money rents, finding it more practical than enforcing traditional obligations against resistant workers.
By the mid-15th century—within a few generations of the revolt—serfdom in England had largely disappeared. While economic forces drove this transformation more than the rebellion itself, the revolt symbolized the changing power dynamics that would gradually reshape medieval society.
Most importantly, the Peasants’ Revolt entered England’s collective memory as a powerful symbol of resistance. The rallying cry “When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?” echoed through later centuries, inspiring future generations to question inequality and injustice.
FAQ: Key Questions About the 1381 Revolt
What triggered the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381? Enforcement of a third poll tax and decades of wage suppression after the Black Death.
Who led the Peasants’ Revolt? Wat Tyler of Kent, aided by radical preacher John Ball and Essex organizers.
What did the rebels want? Abolition of serfdom, cancellation of poll taxes, freedom to work for fair wages, and punishment of “evil counsellors.”
How did the revolt end? Wat Tyler was killed at Smithfield; King Richard II revoked his earlier promises and launched brutal reprisals.
Why is the revolt important? It ended nationwide poll taxes and foreshadowed the gradual demise of serfdom in England.
Though ultimately suppressed, the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 stands as England’s first great popular uprising—a bold challenge to authority that revealed the power of ordinary people to shake the foundations of society, even in the rigidly hierarchical world of medieval Europe.
