How Did The Peasants Respond To The Revolt Of 1381

During the 14th century, the English political and social scene was characterized by significant tensions among lords and peasants. These episodes of conflict set the scenario for the violent events of the Great Revolt of 1381 and ultimately led to a major shift to established authority and feudal structures. The revolt unfolded quickly, but not without previous warnings. Two major shaping events can be clearly identified when analyzing the changing political and economic activities of Englishmen in the period before the Peasants Revolt. First, the spread of bubonic plague, referred to as the Black Death of 1348-49 under the reign of Edward III, marked a period of declining population and rising salaries (Xu, p.2). Second, the period antecedent to the Revolt was characterized by the instability and factionalism of the English central government, as competing interests vied for power within the royal court. Moreover, the failure of English
This, as well as the subsequent measures implemented to collect that tax, have been recognised as catalytic to the uprising (Rampton, p.50). The peasants refusal to appear on records demonstrated that a wide-scale tax evasion was taking place and commissioners were sent out to districts to enforce payment (Rampton, 51). At the end of May 1381, attempts to enforce payment of the third poll by the royal offical John Bampton tax led to riots in Essex which quickly spread to Kent (Oxford, John Ball). These attempts _____ As a result, the rise of the Peasants’ revolt represented a serious loss of public confidence in the central administrative and legal departments of the English government (Ormord, p.2). Another major impact on the insurgence of the Peasants’ Revolt was the influence of religious and ideological movements, specifically the Lollard movement and John