Historical Events

Rebels of the Peasants' Revolt
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The Consequences of the Peasants' Revolt: What Changed?
The rebels lost every argument that mattered within days of Smithfield, yet the poll tax vanished from English government for six full centuries and villeinage still crumbled within a lifetime. This article separates the crown's immediate, crushing judicial victory from the slow demographic shift that handed labour real bargaining power.
Richard II riding towards the rebels at Smithfield
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King Richard II and the Peasants' Revolt
Richard II was fourteen when the Peasants' Revolt reached London. He faced armed crowds at Mile End and Smithfield alone, granted freedom, then broke every promise. Historians still argue whether his conduct was courage, calculation, or both.
Villagers paying the medieval poll tax
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The Poll Tax of 1381 Explained
Three poll taxes hit England between 1377 and 1381. The last, sold as fairer, still demanded a shilling a head, and a government hunt for evaders at Fobbing in Essex turned local resistance into the Peasants' Revolt within days.
The young king facing rebel archers during the Peasants' Revolt
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The Peasants' Revolt: What Happened at Smithfield?
Wat Tyler met King Richard II at Smithfield on 15 June 1381, and within minutes he was dead, cut down by Mayor Walworth and the royal squire Ralph Standish. Two rival medieval chronicles tell strikingly different versions of exactly what happened next, and how the whole revolt collapsed within days.
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
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Who Was John of Gaunt?
John of Gaunt was Edward III's son, the richest man in England, and the most hated. In June 1381 rebels destroyed his Savoy Palace, pounding its silver to fragments rather than stealing it. He escaped death only because he was far off, negotiating with Scotland, four hundred miles from London.
John Ball, the radical priest of 1381
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Who Was John Ball?
John Ball spent decades preaching against serfdom before the Peasants' Revolt gave him an audience of thousands at Blackheath. A month later he was dead. Here is who he really was.
Who Was Wat Tyler?
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Who Was Wat Tyler?
Wat Tyler rose from obscurity to lead the greatest popular uprising in medieval English history, then died within days of reaching London. Here is what we actually know about him.
A poll tax ledger of 1381
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Causes of the Peasants' Revolt: Immediate and Long Term
Everyone blames the poll tax for the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, but the tax was only the spark. The real fuel was thirty years of grievance: the Black Death's labour shortage, the Statute of Labourers, and a failing war the poorest were told to fund regardless, year after year.
The 1381 poll tax roll for Fobbing in Essex
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Peasants' Revolt 1381: Full Timeline of Events
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 unfolded across seven weeks, from a tax collector's visit to Fobbing in Essex through Wat Tyler's rise in Kent, the storming of the Tower of London, the fatal meeting at Smithfield, and John Ball's execution at St Albans in July, seven weeks after it began.

Blood, Taxes and Rebellion: The Peasants' Revolt Explained

Study guide cover for 'The Black Death, The Statute of Labourers, and the Peasants' Revolt' from the History and Castles series, featuring a historical photograph of medieval peasants from behind walking through mud, with white and blue text overlays. A digital document outlining the platform's accessibility features, titled 'Platform & Accessibility' with a checkmark list detailing web-based compatibility, responsiveness, login requirements, print-friendly design, scalable SVG diagrams, and local progress saving. The Histories and Castles logo is visible at the top.
The Black Death, the Statute of Labourers, and the Peasants' Revolt: Interactive Study Guide
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The Labour Machine: Survivors of the Black Death | GCSE and A-Level History Study Guide
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The Price of Survival: The Impact of the Black Death | GCSE and A-Level History Study Guide
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Three overlapping educational posters about the Peasants' Revolt 1381 and Wat Tyler, arranged on a dark background. The posters feature historical illustrations, text panels, timelines, and maps in a sepia and red color scheme. A vintage-style educational poster titled 'Peasants' Revolt 1381 - England's Fifteen Days of Fury' featuring illustrated portraits of key historical figures, timeline events, and historical commentary on a parchment background.
Peasants' Revolt Educational Infographic Posters | Three Posters
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Curriculum Alignment

This section directly supports AQA, Edexcel, OCR, and WJEC GCSE & A-Level History modules covering Thematic Studies (Medicine/Health), Popular Rebellions, and Medieval Civil Conflicts. Use these articles to master primary event analysis for topics like The Black Death and The Peasants' Revolt.

Key Exam Board Alignments

  • AQA GCSE History:Module: Paper 2, Section A: Health and the People: c.1000 to the Present Day & Paper 1: Period Studies (Conflict and Tension)Relevance: Essential reading for studying the impact of the Black Death on public health, medieval medical responses, and social restructuring.
  • Edexcel / Pearson GCSE History:Module: Paper 1: Medicine in Britain, c.1250–present & Paper 2: Early Elizabethan England / Crime and PunishmentRelevance: Directly supports topics on the Black Death, 14th-century economic shifts, and social control (e.g., witchcraft prosecution and local justice).
  • OCR A & B GCSE History:Module: OCR A: The Viking Expansion (c.750–c.1050) & OCR B: The People's Health / Crime and PunishmentRelevance: Maps cleanly to early medieval raids, epidemiological impacts, and statutory responses to popular uprisings like the 1381 Peasants' Revolt.
  • WJEC & Eduqas (GCSE & A-Level History):Module: GCSE Unit 2 / A-Level Depth Studies: Popular Rebellion, Social Crisis, and Economic Transformation in Late Medieval & Early Modern BritainRelevance: Provides the analytical structure required to evaluate how crises like the Black Death and the Peasants' Revolt reshaped labor laws, baronial power, and monarchical authority.
  • AQA & Edexcel A-Level History:Module: AQA Component 2 (The Anarchy & Stephen/Matilda) & Edexcel Option 1A/2E (Social Conflict and Popular Rebellion)Relevance: Crucial for studying political instability during 12th-century civil wars (The Anarchy) and late medieval socio-economic unrest.