МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ И НАУКИ РФ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЕ ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ ВЫСШЕГО ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ

«РОССИЙСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ им.  А.И. ГЕРЦЕНА»

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 факультет иностранных языков

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По дисциплине: Лингвострановедение Великобритании

Тема:Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.

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Студентка 4 курса

очной формы обучения

специальности

«050303 Иностранный язык (английский)»

Группы И-42

Белоусова Ксения Михайловна

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Научный руководитель:

Сапожникова Анна Юрьевна

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                                                            Волхов

2012

Оглавление

INTRODUCTION.. 3

CHAPTER I. PEASANTS’ REVOLT OF 1381. 4

1.1 Preconditions and reasons. 4

1.2 Course of the events and leaders’ reasons to fight. 8

1.3  The main results and consequences of the Revolt. 12

CONCLUSION.. 13

LIST OF LITERATURE. 14

INTRODUCTION

The Peasants" Revolt, Wat Tyler"s Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler"s Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the best-documented popular rebellion to have occurred during medieval times. The names of some of its leaders, John Ball, Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, are still familiar in popular culture, although little is known of them.

The Peasants" Revolt of 1381 is one of the most dramatic events of English history. What began as a local revolt in Essex quickly spread across much of the south east of England, while some of the peasants took their grievances direct to the young King, Richard II, in London.

We will try to examine all the preconditions and reasons of this revolt, leaders’ demands and aims, a course of the events and also the main results and consequences of this historical event in England’s bloody history. Also the leaders’ characters should be examined and described because it can help us to understand deep and hidden causes of this historical turning point.

 In spite of that fact that the Peasants’ Revolt failed it left bright trace in English history, that’s why it keeps attracting many learners and scholars year after year. Many facts were discovered, and who knows how many another interesting points may be discovered nowadays.

CHAPTER I. PEASANTS’ REVOLT OF 1381

1.1 Preconditions and reasons

The Peasant’s revolt wasn’t an chaotic event, it was caused by a few important reasons. There were a solid foundation and many causes that led to such the bloody social movement.

A chain of preconditions and reasons begins with The Black Death, which  was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350.The Black Death is thought to have started in China or central Asia, before spreading west. The plague then travelled along the Silk Road and reached the Crimea by 1346. From there, it was probably carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30–60 percent of Europe"s population.^[4] All in all, the plague reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in the 14th century. The Black Death that ravaged England in 1348 to 1350 had greatly reduced the labour force, and, consequently, the surviving labourers could demand higher wages and fewer hours of work. Some asked for their freedom. They often got what they asked for: the lords of the manors were desperate for people to farm their land and tend their animals. Then, in 1351, King Edward III summoned Parliament to pass the Statute of Laborers. The statute attempted to curb the demands for better terms of employment by pegging wages to pre-plague levels and restricting the mobility of labour; however, the probable effect was that laborers employed by lords were effectively exempted, while laborers working for other employers, both artisans and more substantial peasants, were liable to be fined or held in the stocks. The enforcement of the new law angered the peasants greatly and formed another reason for the revolt.

It’s not surprised that in the result of an epidemic mortality raised sharply, after that agriculture went into deep decline. That’s why the government had no way out but to increase taxes and costs.

So called “Pall Tax” («подушный налог») played an important role in forming revolutionary mood in country. The revolt was precipitated by King Richard II"s heavy-handed attempts to enforce the third medieval poll tax, first levied in 1377 supposedly to finance military campaigns overseas. The third poll tax was not levied at a flat rate (as in 1377) nor according to schedule (as in 1379); instead, it allowed some of the poor to pay a reduced rate, while others who were equally poor had to pay the full tax, prompting calls of injustice. The tax was set at three groats (equivalent to 12 pence or one shilling), compared with the 1377 rate of one groat (four pence). The youth of King Richard II (aged only 14) was another reason for the uprising: a group of unpopular men dominated his government. These included John of Gaunt (the Duke of Lancaster), Simon Sudbury (Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury, who was the figurehead to what many then saw as a corrupt church) and Sir Robert Hales (the Lord Treasurer, responsible for the poll tax). Many saw them as corrupt officials, trying to exploit the weakness of the king.

The poll tax fell particularly hard on married women, who were taxed separately from their husbands regardless of their income or employment status. Women played a large part in the revolt, both as leaders and part of the general mob.

All the  taxes and costs were increased, that’s why peasants started to demand more suitable compensation. But of course the government couldn’t agree, and this factor provided the impetus to unrest.

The village community was cracked and broken, the enormous part of peasants moved to cities, where they preferred to become  wage workers. So, the new type of land lording appeared: leasing land, lifestock and equipment and this was the turning point on the way to capitalism. Of course, lords tried to regain their old solid positions but the ending didn’t taste well and in result they had to deal with free peasants and wage workers. So this situation caused the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.

At this time of English history country was ruled by greedy aristocracy, because Richard II was a child yet and Edward III fell into dementia. During the course of the Black Death and the years following it, England had a strong and warlike king, Edward III. However, his son, the Black Prince, died before him, leaving his grandson as heir to the throne. In 1377, Edward III died, and this boy of ten became king. The true power lay with the powerful barons, in particular the boy"s uncle, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.
The barons, hated already by the peasants, began to take advantage of the situation.

As for the other reasons and preconditions we have to say that foreign environment also assisted a social unrest. England’s foreign policy was very unpopular. The Hundred Years War (1338 – 1453) was in progress, Edward declared his claim to the French throne. The Hundred Years" War was a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France and their various allies for control of the French throne. It was the result of a dynastic disagreement dating back to William the Conqueror who became King of England in 1066, while remaining Duke of Normandy. As dukes of Normandy, the English kings owed homage to the King of France. In 1337 Edward III of England refused to pay homage to Philip VI of France, leading the French king to confiscate Edward"s lands in Aquitaine. The Caroline War was the second phase of the Hundred Years" War between France and England, following the Edwardian War. It was so-named after Charles V of France, who resumed the war after the Treaty of Brétigny (signed 1360). In May 1369, the Black Prince, son of Edward III of England, refused an illegal summons from the French king demanding he come to Paris and Charles responded by declaring war. He immediately set out to reverse the territorial losses imposed at Brétigny and he was largely successful in his lifetime. His less capable successor, Charles VI, made peace with the less capable son of the Black Prince, Richard II, in 1389. This truce was extended many times until the war was resumed in 1415.

But almost all the hostilities failed, England suffered looses, after what the treasury was empty. The Poll Tax, mentioned above was laid down, and people started to revolt.

Finely, the revolt began in Essex when locals in Brentwood reacted to an over-zealous poll-tax collector. From Brentwood, resistance to tax collectors spread to neighbouring villages, while across counties such as Kent, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Norfolk, armed bands of villagers and townsmen also rose up and attacked manors and religious houses.

So,  what were the peasants angry about and why had they come to London ?

In conclusion, we list the main reasons and preconditions shortly:

1. After the Black Death, many manors were left short of workers (demographical disbalance). To encourage those who had survived to stay on their manor, many lords had given the peasants on their estates their freedom and paid them to work on their land. Now, nearly 35 years after the Black Death, many peasants feared that the lords would take back these privileges and they were prepared to fight for them.

2. Many peasants had to work for free on church land, sometimes up to two days in the week. This meant that they could not work on their own land which made it difficult to grow enough food for their families. Peasants wanted to be free of this burden that made the church rich but them poor. They were supported in what they wanted by a priest called John Ball from Kent.

3. There had been a long war with France. Wars cost money and that money usually came from the peasants through the taxes that they paid. In 1380, Richard II introduced a new tax called the Poll Tax. This made everyone who was on the tax register pay 5p. It was the third time in four years that such a tax had been used. By 1381, the peasants had had enough. 5p to them was a great deal of money. If they could not pay in cash, they could pay in kind, such as seeds, tools etc., anything that could be vital to survival in the coming year.

1.2 Course of the events and leaders’ reasons to fight

The revolt began in Essex when locals in Brentwood reacted to an over-zealous poll-tax collector. From Brentwood, resistance to tax collectors spread to neighbouring villages, while across counties such as Kent, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Norfolk, armed bands of villagers and townsmen also rose up and attacked manors and religious houses.

It was the rebels of Essex and Kent who marched on London. By 12th June, the Essex men were camped at Mile End, in fields just beyond Aldgate, and on the following day the Kentish men arrived at Blackheath. Incredibly, neither the government nor the city of London authorities seem to have been prepared, although the king was moved from Windsor to the Tower of London. During the next few days, the different bands of rebels from Essex and Kent were joined by some of London"s poor, and they set about attacking political targets in the city. They burned down the Savoy Palace, which was the home of John of Gaunt - Richard II"s uncle, and probably the most powerful magnate in the realm. They set fire to the Treasurer"s Highbury Manor, opened prisons and destroyed legal records.

On 14th June, King Richard and a handful of lords and knights met the Essex peasants at Mile End. The peasants pledged their allegiance to Richard, and handed him a petition which asked for the abolition of villeinage, for labour services based on free contracts, and for the right to rent land at four pence an acre. The King said he would grant these demands. Remarkably, later that day some peasants entered the Tower itself and invaded the Royal bedchambers and the privy wardrobe. Whilst in the Tower, some rebels took the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chancellor and John of Gaunt"s physician into custody. They then dragged them onto Tower Hill and executed them. The rebels considered these men "traitors," perhaps holding them responsible for the various charges of corruption and extravagance that Parliament had aimed at the Royal administration for the past decade or so. Anyway, after these events it seems that many of the Essex rebels began to disperse.

The next day, King Richard met the Kentish peasants at Smithfield. They demanded an end to all lordship beyond that of the King, that the Church"s estates be confiscated and divided among the wider populace and that there be only Bishops throughout the whole kingdom. The numerous radical preachers who took part in the revolt probably put forward these religious demands. As before, the King agreed to all the demands put before him. However, the rebel leader, Wat Tyler, apparently addressed the King with insolence and the Mayor of London pulled Tyler from his horse and a squire killed him. The crowd prepared to rush the King and his men, but Richard confronted them, and convinced them to follow him. As he led them away, the Mayor made off to the city where he recruited a force which soon surrounded the rebels. Richard declared that all should be pardoned and should return peacefully to their homes. The London revolt was effectively over.

Elsewhere, villages around London, such as Clapham, Chiswick and Twickenham had been plundered and burnt. Even in the north of England, there were at least three isolated outbreaks - in York, Scarborough and Beverley. But the most serious risings outside London were in the eastern counties. In St Albans, the local townsmen drained the Abbot"s fishpond, killed his game, sacked the houses of his officials and burned the charters that gave him his manorial rights. In Bury St Edmunds, the Prior was tried and beheaded by rebels. In Cambridge, peasants and townsmen damaged parts of the University, burned its archives and drew up a document that formally handed over the University"s privileges to the town. In Norfolk, a large band of rebels forced the city authorities of Norwich to open the gates and then took over the castle, while rebel detachments plundered parts of the surrounding area.

Speaking about the course of events and the both sides’ positions, It’s necessary to give some information about rebel’s leaders:

Ø John Ball (c. 1338– 15 July 1381),

Ø Wat Tyler (4 January 1341 – 15 June 1381),

Ø Jack Straw

John Ball was an English Lollard priest who took a prominent part in the Peasants" Revolt of 1381. In that year, Ball gave a sermon in which he asked the rhetorical question, "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?". He was so- called “Vox pópuli vox Déi” (лат.  «голос народа — голос Бога»). His utterances brought him into conflict with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was thrown in prison on several occasions. He also appears to have been excommunicated; owing to which, in 1366 it was forbidden for anyone to hear him preach. These measures, however, did not moderate his opinions, nor diminish his popularity; his words had a considerable effect in fomenting a riot which broke out in June 1381. The chroniclers were convinced of widespread conspiracy implanted before the spontaneous uprising occurred, with the watchword "John the Miller grinds small, small, small" and the response "The King"s son of heaven shall pay for all." But the ending didn’t test well and  in the result when the rebels had dispersed, Ball was taken prisoner at Coventry, given a trial in which, unlike most, he was permitted to speak, and hanged, drawn and quartered in the presence of King Richard II on 15 July 1381, his head subsequently stuck on a pike on London Bridge. Ball, who was called by Froissart "the mad priest of Kent," seems to have possessed the gift of rhyme. He voiced the feelings of a section of the discontented lower orders of society at that time, who chafed at villeinage and the lords" rights of unpaid labour, or corvée.

Another leader  was Watt Tayler. Knowledge of Tyler"s early life is very limited, and derives mostly through the records of his enemies. Historians believe he was born in Essex, but are not sure why he crossed the Thames Estuary to Kent. Local tradition in Brenchley was that he was born there. His death was quite dramatic. 20,000 people assembled at Smithfield. Richard II agreed to meet the leaders of the revolt, and listen to their demands. Wat Tyler decided to ride out alone and parley with the king. What was said between Tyler and the king is largely conjecture and little is known of the exact details of the encounter; however, by all accounts the unarmed Tyler was suddenly attacked without warning and killed by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Walworth, and John Cavendish, a member of the king"s group. This unprovoked betrayal of the truce flag and Tyler"s killing threw the people into a panic. Not being organized as a military force, they broke ranks and began to flee for their lives.

Here we should point Tayler’s demands:

Ø The abolition of serfdom;

Ø Switching all duties(replacing natural duties on cash);

Ø The establishment of a uniform monetary rent to4 pence per acre;

Ø The Poll Tax was to be abolished;

Ø All "traitors" were to be put to death.

As for the Jack Straw, it’s  been suggested that Jack Straw may have been a preacher. Some have argued that the name was in fact a pseudonym for Wat Tyler or one of the other peasants" leaders; all of them appear to have used pseudonyms, adding to the confusion. Straw is generally supposed to have been executed in 1381 along with the other main figures of the Revolt. Froissart states that after Tyler"s death at Smithfield, Straw (along with John Ball) was found "in an old house hidden, thinking to have stolen away", and beheaded. Walsingham gives a lengthy (and most likely invented) "confession" in which Straw states that the insurgents" plans were to kill the king, "all landowners, bishops, monks, canons, and rectors of churches", set up their own laws, and set fire to London.

Obviously, these leaders show us their strong characters, reflecting heavy  and bloody historical period in the English history.

1.3  The main results and consequences of the Revolt

The Revolt was bloodily suppressed, the peasants’ leaders were violently executed, but the Revolt left an indelible mark in England’s history.

London was made safe from 16th June 1381 and, over time, the authorities gained control in all the regions that had experienced insurrection. King Richard issued a proclamation denying rumours that he had approved of what the rebels had done and, soon after, revoked the pardons he had granted them. A judicial enquiry followed and the King toured the areas that had experienced revolt. In Essex and Hertfordshire, the rebels were dealt with severely, but generally the judicial proceedings were fair. Many of the main leaders of the revolt were already dead, while those who had survived were executed. Aside from this, no mass reprisals were allowed and, significantly, no late medieval Parliament ever tried to impose a poll tax upon the Nation again.

The Result of the Peasants Revolt:

1.On the surface, the peasants were crushed, their demands denied, and many executed. However, the land owners had been scared, and in the longer term several things were achieved.

2. Parliament gave up trying to control the wages the landowners paid their peasants.

3. The hated poll tax was never raised again.

4. The Lords treated the peasants with much more respect. They made more of them free men ie. they were not owned as part of the land. This benefited in the end, as free men always work much harder.

5. This marked the breakdown of the feudal system, which had worked well during the early Middle Ages, but was now becoming outdated as attitudes were beginning to change.

CONCLUSION

                George Raymond Richard Martin – an American screenwriter and author of fantasy, horror, and science fiction said one day: “Dead history is written by ink, and living history is written by men’s blood”. These words reflect the bloody period of Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. These historical event has its own foundation, reasons and preconditions, its leaders and turning point, its results and moreover it has a power to stay in people’s hearts for ages.

LIST OF LITERATURE

1)    Dobson R. B., editor (2002), The Peasants" Revolt of 1381 (History in Depth)

2)    Oman, Charles  The Great Revolt of 1381. Clarendon Press., Republished Oxford University Press, 1969

3)    Мортон, А.Л. История Англии. М.: Издательство иностранной литературы, 1950. — 462 с.

4)    Парнов Е. Под ливнем багряным: Повесть о Уоте Тайлере. М.: Политиздат, 1988. — 447 с. (Серия «Пламенные революционеры»)