Beyond 'Peasants': England's 1381 Uprising

A: When we talk about the Revolt of 1381, it's widely known as the 'Peasants' Revolt.' But that's actually a pretty significant misnomer, isn't it?

B: It is, a point Margaret Schlauch makes very clear in her 1940 article, 'The Revolt of 1381 in England,' published in Science & Society. She argues the underlying class alliances were far more intricate than just 'peasants' rising up.

A: So what was truly brewing beneath the surface in 14th-century England? We're talking about a landscape already destabilized by constant, failing wars under Edward III and later Richard II, the sheer devastation of the Black Plague, and then the wildly unpopular Statute of Laborers trying to control wages.

B: Exactly. The economic and social pressures were immense, creating this deep, widespread discontent. You had this clear structural tension between the established upper aristocracy—the powerful barons and the Church—and then, on the other side, a growing, often resentful, lower nobility, and these increasingly influential rising merchants.

A: And all those converging factors, those simmering resentments across various social strata, ultimately found their flashpoint in the poll tax of 1381. That was the immediate, catalytic trigger for the entire uprising.

B: Indeed, a universally hated tax, particularly given figures like John of Gaunt's visible extravagance at a time of such national hardship. His wealth and status, as a prominent royal figure, symbolized much of what many factions found so galling.

A: So, all that accumulated anger, those simmering resentments across various social strata fueled by the universally hated poll tax, how did that scattered discontent coalesce into an actual march on London? There must have been some underlying structure, some emergent leadership.

B: Absolutely. This wasn't just a spontaneous uprising; it quickly developed a revolutionary program. We see key figures emerge, like Wat Tyler, John Ball, John Wrawe, and William Grindcobbe, who began to organize and direct the movement.

A: And their unified slogan, 'For King and Commons!', suggests a very specific aim, right? Not anti-monarchy, but against specific elements of power.

B: Exactly. They targeted 'traitors,' wealthy lawyers, and notably, John of Gaunt's Savoy Palace. Interestingly, the rebels strictly forbade looting there, emphasizing that their goal was justice, not plunder.

A: That's a crucial mechanism to grasp—the deliberate destruction of legal documents, court rolls, and charters. They understood that to abolish serfdom, you had to erase its legal foundation.

B: Precisely. It was a systematic effort to burn away the paperwork of their bondage. And when they reached London, they were aided by sympathetic city factions, like Alderman Home, which helped them enter.

A: So, what were the core demands these unified groups presented? What did this revolutionary program truly entail for the social order?

B: Their demands were sweeping: the outright end of serfdom, a maximum rent of four pence per acre, the punishment of those 'traitors' they identified, and crucially, access to common lands and resources. They were aiming for a complete overhaul.

A: So, after the march on London and those initial successes, the entire movement hinges on this parley at Smithfield, doesn't it? The absolute climax.

B: It does, and it's where the revolt takes its darkest turn. Wat Tyler, the charismatic leader, is murdered by Mayor Walworth during the negotiations with King Richard II.

A: A calculated act, it seems. With Tyler gone, the young king seizes the moment, riding forward to address the stunned rebels, essentially deceiving them into believing he'd lead them. This leads directly to the army's dispersal and then, predictably, brutal suppression across the country.

B: Exactly. The true royal intent is laid bare when Richard II famously declares, 'You have been peasants and you are still peasants...' — and with that, every single charter of manumission previously granted is declared null and void. The feudal order, restored with a vengeance.

A: It's a stark reversal. Yet, amidst the crackdown, there are glimmers of that initial drive for liberty. William Grindcobbe's defiant speech, before his own execution, where he says he's dying 'in the cause of liberty gained,' truly encapsulates the spirit that, despite everything, lingered.