Martin1

DaShantaMartin
Ms.LauraTierce
EnglishIVGifted
16August2015
TheForgottenPeasants
TakeamomenttothinkoftheMedievalTimes.DidyouimagineKings,Queens,aknight
savinghisbeautifulprincessandthehorriblediseasesthatruinedthelivesofthenobility?Ifso,
whataboutthe"commonpeople",whocommonlysymbolizeourlives?Wehavetolearnto
celebratethelivesofpeasantsbecausehistoryhasneverhaltedforthewantsofpeasants.
LivingasapeasantintheMiddleAges,weenduredmanyhardshipsandsacrificesto
survive.Inoursociety,outsidethenobilitychainofKingsandQueens,livethreedistinctive
familiesofpeasants:theserfs,theslaves,andthefreeman.Serfswerepeasantfarmerswho
providedthemanuallaborintheLord'sland.ThesepeasantswouldpaytheirLorddues,labor,
forlandtogeneratelandforhimselfandhisfamily.Serfswouldworkthefieldsaminimumof
threedaysinaweektoholdhisstatusasaserf.Hewouldthenhavetoworkasingleestatein
hopethathislegacyispassedontohischildren,wheretheywouldthenworktoprovidefortheir
families.
Typically,itwastheserfswhoprovidedthephysicallaborrequiredtokeeptheestates
runningefficiently.Theserfs'livesrevolvedonlyupontheagriculturalyear,forwhichtheirjobs
wouldvarydependingontheseasonoftheyear.Itwasimportantthatmyhusband,alongwith
manyotherserfs,toharvestenoughcropstoensurethatthepeasantsocietywouldnotstarve
duringthewintermonths.Furthermore,theserfshadtheresponsibilityofpayingheavytaxes

Martin2

imposedbytheLord,whichpushedthemtoworkhardercausinganunbearableburdenontheir
dailylives.
Alongwiththemen,ourjobsaswomenwasdifficultalso.OtherwivesandIwouldwake
atthecrackofdawn,preparebreakfast,andattendtoalonglistofchoresaroundtheourhomes.
Ourdutiesconsistedoffoodprocessing,washingclothes,cleaning,cooking,caringforthe
animals,thegarden,andofcourse,thechildren.Onceourchildrenhavereachedtheageoffive,
wewouldthenassignchorestothem,whichinvolvedfishingandherdingsheepforthemales
andtailoringclothingandcookingforthefemales.Thegirlswouldassisttheirmothersin
constructingbasicattireforthewholefamily.Thepeasantmenwouldbedressedinashort,tight
gownalongwithbreeches,usuallymadefromleatherordullcoloredwool.Asforthewomen,
mydaughterandIwouldseamthemostbeautifulgownwecouldafford.Onourhead,wewould
tieascarftostaywarmalongwithanaprontiedtightlyagainstourbosomandback.Although
ourdresswouldoftenbecoarseanditchy,Iwouldn'tdareremovemyapron,forIfearedIcould
notstayuntarnished.
Comparabletootherpeasants,slaves'livesresembledtheserfs.Slavesweresoldand
purchased,however,theoriginalownerstillhadpartialcontroloverthatslave.Unlikeaslave,if
aserfwastomakeanescapeandstayhiddenforoneentireyear,hewouldthenbedeclareda
freeman.Asafreeman,hecouldleavethesitewithoutpermissionfromtheLord.Hewouldalso
havetherighttomarryanyonehepleases.
Manypeasantsyearnedtohavethelifeofafreeman.Todoso,thepeasantsdesignedan
uprising,knownastheTylerRebellion,inhopetoescapethepooreconomicsituationandthe
oppressionofthenobility.TheTylerRebellion,alsoknownasthePeasants'Revoltof1381,was

Martin3

causedbyEnglishpeasantsandtowndwellersresentmentagainstheavyfeudalobligationsand
lowwagesfacedbypeasantsocietyonadailybasis.Duringtheirageofoppression,thepeasants
facedpreposteroustaxesandfeeswhichmadelivingunbearable.Inaddition,theKing
abandonedreformshehadpromisedandusedGodandreligiontojustifythechoicesofthe
churchandgovernment.Thisinjusticeignitedaflameintheheartsoflowerclasscitizenswho
,indeed,wantedachange.
Wemayfindthatanincreaseintaxesduetothe
HundredYears'Wa
r,aswellastheambiguous
governmentofLondonwasfewofmanycausesoftheTylerRebellion.Itissaidthatthefinaltrigger
fortherevoltwasJohnBamptons,aroyalofficial,attempttocollectunpaid
polltaxes
in
Brentwood
.
Thiseventendedinaviolentdispute,whichrapidlyspreadacrossthesoutheastofthecountry.

SparkedbythefightingbetweenvillagesandthetaxcollectorsinEssex,therevolt
quicklyspreadtotheSoutheasterncountryofKent,wherethetowndwellerWatTylerleda
largeandoutragedgroupoffollowerstothecountriesprincipaltownofCanterbury.Tylers
groupseizedthesheriffofKentwhiletheRebelsinEssexkilledroyalofficials(Streissguth,
2003).ThetwogroupsjoinedtomarchtothecapitalofLondon.
InJune,1381,largenumbersofEssexandKentmenarrivedtoLondonandjoinedmany
citizensinaviolentprotestagainsttheKing.Theymetat
Blackheath
withrepresentativesofthe
royalgovernment,whowhohadafruitlessattemptinpersuadingthemtoreturnhome.After
noticingtherebelswerenotleaving,King
RichardII
,aged14,secludedhimselftothesafetyof
the
TowerofLondon
.OnJune13,therebelssetfiretolawbooksandbuildingsandmurdered
individualsassociatedwiththegovernment.Inaddition,apeasantarmyforcedtheirwayinto
theSavoyPalace,homeofJohnofGaunt,andsetitonfire.However,JohnofGauntescapedthe

Martin4

attack,forwhichhewasinScotland.Afterwatchingthepalaceburn,KingRichardIIagreedto
meettherebelsatMileEndthefollowingday.(ThePeasantsRevolt1381,n.d.)
AsKingRichardIIapproachedthemeetingatMileEnd,WatTyler
increasedthepeasantsdemands:
landrentswouldbereducedtoreasonable
levels
thePollTaxwastobeabolished
freepardonsforallrebels
charterswouldbegiventothepeasants
layingdownanumberofrightsandprivileges
all"traitors"weretobeputtodeath

KingRichardguaranteedthatalldemandswouldbemet,however,atraitorsfaithcanonlybe
decidedbytheroyalcourt.Nonetheless,theKinghadbeenbaffledbyWatTyler.WhileKing
RichardIIwasabsentatMileEnd,rebelsraidedtheTowerofLondon,wheretheydraggedand
beheadedthreeroyalofficials:SimonSudbury(ArchbishopofCanterbury),SirRobertHailes
(King'streasurer)andJohnLedge(CreatorofthePollTax).
WhyexactlydidthePeasantsRevolttakeplace?Accordingtomarxists.org,therewere
fivedistinctreasonsforthepeasantsuprising.First,
ParliamentpassedtheStatuteofLabourers
in1351,whichsetamaximumwageforworksandthosewhorefusedtowork,wouldbe
sentencedtoprison.Secondly,Priceswereextremelyhighsincetheblackdeathcausingthe
peasantstosufferfromhungerandshortages.
Inaddition,KingEdwardsIIIsson,theBlackPrince,diedearly,leavingonlyhis
grandsonasheirtothethrone.AfterKingEdwarddeath,atenyearoldkingwassetforthasthe
youngestkingtorule.ThegovernmenteventuallyweakenedwithonlyJohnofGauntincharge.
In1377,JohnofGauntintroducedaPollTaxtocoverforthecostofthewaragainstFrance.

Martin5

Unlikenormaltaxes,thePollTaxforcedeveryone14andoldertopaynomattertheirsocial
ranking.Thebaronscherishedthisideaofhavingpeasantspaytaxes,especiallysincetheyacted
asthetaxcollectors.Sometimes,themoneywouldmagicallyjumpintothebaronspockets.In
March1381,thegovernmentdemandedthethirdPollTaxinfouryearswhichincreasedthe
paymentamount.Manytriedavoidingthistaxincreasing,whichonlycausedParliamentto
appointcommissionerstomakethempay.
Lastly,JohnBallwasmadethepeasantpriestbyJohnWilclifalthoughBallopposedthe
Churchtenets.Ballwasoneofmanyrebelliouspriestswhosegoalwastoteachagainstthe
Church.Heformedafamoussaying,"WhileAdamdelvedandEvespan,whothenwasthe
gentleman?"ThisteachingcausedsomuchcontroversythattheArchbishopofCanterburyhad
JohnBallarrested.(ThePeasantsRevolt1381,N.D.)
OnJune15,RichardwenttoSmithfieldtomeetWatTyler,whohadrefusedtoacceptthe
dealwithWallingford.Tylerdemandedthatthelawshouldbelessharsh,theChurch'swealthbe
giventothepoor,thereshouldnolongerbelordsandallmenshouldbeequal.TheLordMayor
ofLondon,WilliamWalworth,angrilyattackedTyler.Ashelaytheredying,Tylerorderedhis
armytoattack,butRichardIIsteppedforwardandsaid:'Iwillbeyourkingandleader'.He
promisedtoabolishserfdom.Thepeasantstrustedhimandwenthome.(ThePeasantsRevolt,
N.D.)

Thepeasantsdeterminationwasnotenoughtochangetheresultsofthepeasantsrevolt.
Thepeasantsweredominatedandtheirdemandsweredenied.Parliamenteliminatedthemselves
fromthebattleofwagesbetweenthelandownersandtheirpeasants,howeverthepolltaxnever
hoisted.
Peasantsreceivedmorerespectandthemajorityoftheirsocialrankingsincreasedto

Martin6

freemen.Thiseventmarkedthebreakdownofthefeudalsystem,whichwasnowbecoming
outdatedasattitudeswerebeginningtochange.

Martin7

WorksCited
Mortimer,Ian.TheSummerofBlood:ThePeasantsRevoltof1381.HistoryToday
59.12(2009):58.U.S.HistoryinContext.Web.4Feb.2015
PeasantsRevoltof1381.TheGreenhavenEncyclopediaoftheMiddleAges.Thomas
Stressguth.Ed.BrunoLeone.SanDiego:GreenHavenPress,2003232233.World
HistoryinContext.Web.4Feb.2015
PeasantUprisingsinEurope:FourteenthCentury.GlobalEvents:MilestoneEvents
ThroughoutHistory.Ed.JenniferStock.Vol.4:Europe.FarmingstonHills,MI:Gale,
2014.WorldHistoryinContext.Web.5Feb.2012
ThePeasantsRevolt1381.
ThePeasantsRevolt1381.
N.P,N.D.Web.06Feb.2015.
"ThePeasants'Revolt"
BBCNews
.BBC,n.d.Web.21Feb.2015.