Causes of Peasants Revolt 1381

Black Death
1. Direct cause of
  1. Fall in population size
  2. Economic tensions
  3. Dissatisfaction with the church
2. In my opinion, Black death is most significant cause, without fall in population there would be no social tensions which was key reason why people were revolting
  1. Also there would be no economic tensions from less people being around so there would've been no trigger
Social Tensions
1. Info
  1. Tax collector at Fobbing - people didn't like methods
  2. Laws made by Lords - attempts to limit peasant wealth
    1. Sumptuary Laws 1363
    2. Statute of Labourers 1349
    3. Ordinance of Labourers 1351
    4. wanted peasants back in their place
2. Made revolt more likely by...
  1. Making peasants fed up with social hierarchy
    1. People fed up with nobles trying to change things back to old ways
      1. Proved by demands at smithfield - end of social hierarchy
Fall in Population Size
1. Info
  1. 5 million down to 3.5 million
  2. Makes it impossible to pose serfdown
  3. Fewer people to get taxes from
  4. Direct cause of increase in wages and rents falling
2. Made revolt more more likely by...
  1. Leads to increase in wages
    1. Helps to make the gap in social classes smaller
      1. Leads to social tensions
Economic pressues
1. Made revolt more likely by...
  1. Peasants didn't like paying poll tax
    1. Leads to fobbing tax collector incident
      1. Provides trigger for start of revolt
2. Info
  1. Poll tax
    1. Rapid increase, 4d - 12d within a year (1380-1381)
  2. Hundred years war, leads to need for poll tax
Individuals
1. John of Gaunt
  1. Created poll tax to fund 100 years war tactic
    1. provides spark for revolt
2. Hales - treasurer
  1. Chief job to collect tax
    1. increases social tensions, pushed people too far
3. Sudbury- Archbishop
  1. Gave bad advice to Richard
  2. was a money grabbing landlord
    1. increases social tensions, people fed up
4. Richard- King
  1. People saw him as solution
    1. In fact betrays peasants at Clarkenwell
      1. people had hoped that because he was so young he would listen
5. Wat Tyler
  1. Key leader of revolt
    1. As soon as he dies - revolt dies
6. Jon Ball
  1. Active leader of revolt
    1. Caused mass revolt instead of local
      1. Great organisation skills, no revolt without Ball and Tyler
Dissatisfaction with the church
1. Info
  1. People losing faith in church
    1. Said plague was punishment from God but many priests died
  2. Church property targeted during revolt - evidence
    1. Sudbury murdered- clear evidence of dissatsfaction
  3. People were fed up with mass corruption of church
2. Made revolt more likely by...
  1. Feeds into general dissatisfaction with the order of society itself
    1. Get told by priests how to live lives but they're obviously corrupt themselves
100 years war
1. Losing the war - costing lots of money - leads to poll tax
  1. Poll tax provides trigger that led to the chain of events that resulted in revolt

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Causes of Peasants Revolt 1381

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	Created by jacksearle over 11 years ago