Starter quiz
- Put these events that lead up to the Peasants' Revolt in chronological order.
- 1⇔Arrival of the Black Death in England
- 2⇔Statute of Labourers banned wage increases
- 3⇔Poll tax introduced at four pence per person
- 4⇔Poll tax raised to 12 pence per person
- 5⇔John Bampton attempted to collect poll tax in Brentwood, Essex
- Who emerged as the leader of the Peasants' Revolt?
- John Bampton
- John of Gaunt
- Robert de Hales
- Simon Sudbury
- Wat Tyler ✓
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- Where did the king go for safety when the rebels entered London in June 1381?
- Smithfield
- The Savoy Palace
- The Tower of London ✓
- Westminster Palace
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- What demands did Wat Tyler make of the king when they met at Smithfield?
- the abolition of serfdom ✓
- higher pay for Flemish weavers
- the removal of bad advisers from the king's court ✓
- the right to vote in elections to the king's council
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- What happened to Wat Tyler at Smithfield?
- He shouted, "I am your leader!" which ended the revolt.
- He stabbed the mayor of London, who died.
- He was pardoned by Richard II, who told him he would remain a peasant.
- He was stabbed by the mayor of London, and died. ✓
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- Historians who believe history is driven by class conflict see the Peasants' Revolt as which of the following?
- Carried out by wealthy landholders who did not want to pay higher taxes
- Carried out by serfs who resented the power their lords had over them ✓
- Carried out by French migrants who opposed the war with France
- Carried out by criminals who wanted opportunities to loot the homes of the rich
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Exit quiz
- Match the words with their correct definitions.
- class conflict⇔tensions between different groups over who has power ✓
- court rolls⇔records kept by a lord of payments made to them by their tenants ✓
- revolt⇔violent action against a government or ruler ✓
- poll tax⇔a payment made to the government by every adult ✓
- serf⇔a peasant bound to work on a certain piece of land ✓
- feudal system⇔the system of landholding introduced by William the Conqueror ✓
- Which of the following was a short-term cause of the Peasants' Revolt, rather than a long-term cause?
- increases in taxation
- the Hundred Years War
- the feudal system
- the Black Death
- violence in Brentwood, Essex ✓
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- Historian Rodney Hilton considers court rolls as evidence of class conflict in the Peasants' Revolt because...
- court rolls listed crimes committed by lords against their peasants.
- court rolls proved who had peasant status and was not free to leave their lord. ✓
- court rolls recorded that lords refused to negotiate with peasants over pay.
- court rolls showed how lords increased fines against peasants after 1348. ✓
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- The Peasants' Revolt was strongest in which of these regions of England?
- Essex ✓
- Kent ✓
- Midlands
- Yorkshire
- Wessex
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- Which of the following would historian Mark Bailey see as the most likely cause of the Peasants' Revolt?
- Anger among better-off landholders about rising taxes ✓
- Frustration among lords that peasants were leaving their lands
- Fury about the fines demanded by lords when peasants got married
- Resentment about the Statute of Labourers stopping higher wages being negotiated
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- Which of the following best represents the view of Mark Bailey about the importance of the Black Death in ending the feudal system in England?
- The feudal system was strengthened by the arrival of the Black Death.
- The feudal system was already in a weak position before the Black Death. ✓
- The feudal system's decline was entirely due to the Black Death.
- The feudal system was damaged by the Black Death but recovered strongly.
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Some historians argue that the Peasants’ Revolt was caused by class conflict between the lords and the peasants.
- Evidence for class conflict includes the burning of court rolls by rebels, which recorded their feudal obligations.
- Other historians argue that class conflict over feudalism was not the cause as feudalism was already in decline.
- Instead these historians argue that the Peasants' Revolt was against taxation and growing government power.
Common misconception
That the main aim of the rebels in the Peasants' Revolt was to overthrow the king.
In fact the rebels' grievances were against local officials and the king's advisers, who they believed were misleading the king into acting against the interests of his people.
Keywords
Class conflict - tensions between different groups (e.g. workers and employers) over who has power
Court rolls - records kept by a lord of payments made to them by their tenants
Feudalism - another term for the feudal system: the system of landholding which bound peasants to a lord in return for land to farm
Interpretation - a particular explanation of something
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