The Peasants Revolt
Subject Knowledge: The Peasants Revolt Summary
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Subject Knowledge: The Causes
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Subject Knowledge: Timeline of the Peasants Revolt
- The rebels marched in London. The leader of the men of Essex called Jack Straw.
- On 7th June 1382, the Kentish rebels asked an ex-soldier named Wat Tyler to be their leader.
- The priest John Ball had been imprisoned by the Archbishop of Canterbury for heresy. The rebels freed him and he preached to them, saying that God intended people to be equal.
- The rebels were joined by others- eg the poor people of London. They were led by people who would have been important in their villages- reevs, priests and even local landowners. They sent letters round the countryside calling for people to join them.
- On 13th June, someone opened the gates of London to the rebels.
- The rebels entered the city and attacked the houses of Richard's advisers, including John of Gaunt (Richard's uncle) and Simon Sudbury (the Archbishop of Canterbury).
- On 14th June, Richard (who was only 14 years old) bravely went to Mile End and met a group of rebels led by Richard Wallingford. They demanded that he dismiss some of his advisers and abolish serfdom. Richard agreed. Some of the rebels went home. While this was happening, a group of rebels broke into the Tower of London and beheaded Simon Sudbury, the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is said that he endured eight strokes of the axe.
- On 15th June, Richard went to Smithfield to meet Wat Tyler, who had refused to accept the deal with Wallingford. Tyler demanded that the law should be less than harsh, the Church's wealth be given to the poor, there should be no lords and all men should be free and equal.
- William Walworth, the Lord Mayor of London, attacked Tyler.
- As he died, Tyler ordered his army to attack, but Richard stepped forward and said "I will be your King and leader". He promised to abolish serfdom. The peasants trusted him and went home.
- Richard did not keep his promises. Serfdom was not abolished. Royal armies put down the revolts. Hundreds of rebels were hanged, including John Ball.
- 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.
- The government was angry at the role of John Ball, the priest who belonged to a group of Christians called the Lollards, who challenged the power of the Church. For the next century the government persecuted the Lollards because they were seen as linked to rebellion.
- William Walworth became a hero in London and the star of local pageants. Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, too, became the heroes of a number of popular stories and poems.
- Over the following 50 years the demands of the peasants were largely met, even if they were on the king's conditions. Peasants could work for more money and slowly gained more freedoms from their lords to work where they pleased and make more of their own choices such as who to marry.
- Knowledge football: quiz on the topic, questions on causes, consequences and events, encourages teamwork
- Chronology card sort, put Revolt events into chronological order
- Courtroom, debate activity. Do you think these were the first working class heroes? or Was this a disorganised rampage or disciplined campaign?
- Write a diary entry from the perspective of the rebels
- Split class into groups, give each group a different cause and ask them to present it creatively (role play, song, poem, freeze frame etc)
- Assess the importance of each cause on the Revolt and the impact of the consequences
- If the Magna Carta has been studied, compare and contrast with the Revolt and assess which had the biggest impact on the way society was structured and ran
- Create a storyboard on the Revolt, differentiate for different abilities
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