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The Peasants' Revolt - Coggle Diagram
The Peasants' Revolt
Causes
Economic
1348 - Black Death, plague - killed most of peasant workforce, fields of crops left to rot and villages abandoned - fewer workers meant peasants could demand higher wages
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Political
Local lords and the king were worried that the peasants were becoming too powerful - feudal system would break down
1351 - King Edward III passed Statute of Labourers - restricted the movement and wages of peasants (return and work for lord)
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Religious
Many priests preaching that the Church was exploiting the peasants - making people pay pardons for sins
John Ball (priest) said God had created everyone equally - there should be no rich or poor - was arrested
Social
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1377-1379 - 70% of people brought before the Justice of Peace were accused of breaking the Statute of Labourers
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The revolt of 1381
- 30th May - Peasants refuse to pay poll tax and threaten to kill local tax collector
- 2nd June - Chief Justice comes to collect poll tax and is threatened + peasants find tax collector's clerks and behead them + set fire to houses of poll tax supporters
- 7th June - Peasants march to Maidstone and make Wat Tyler their leader + free John Ball, storm Rochester Castle and burn tax records
- 12th June - Peasants reach London's city walls and Richard II sails to meet them but crowd too rowdy
- 13th June - Storm city walls, burn palaces and kill supporters of the king - some peasants peaceful as Tyler ordered
- 14th June - Wat Tyler meets the king and outlines peasants demands - king agrees and peasants go home (other peasants kill Archbishop pf Canterbury as this is happening)
- 15th June - King meets the peasants and agrees to demands - one of king's men kills Tyler and peasants leave London + rebel leader rounded up and hanged
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Impact
King Richard did stop the poll tax - not repeated until 1989 in Scotland and 1990 in Wales and England
The peasants' wages began to rise - lack of workers so could demand more money - Statute of Labourers eventually withdrawn
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Most historians believe revolt was significant - first time working class had rebelled, revolt marks the start of English ideas of freedom