The Peasants' Revolt

A new poll tax angered many people in England, and thousands marched on London under leaders such as Wat Tyler. The 14-year-old King Richard II met the rebels, but the revolt was put down within weeks.

Sources differ on whether Wat Tyler died on 14 or 15 June 1381.

Context

The Black Death from 1348 killed an estimated 30 to 50 percent of the population in affected areas. The resulting labour shortage pushed wages up, laws were passed to cap them, and some landlords tried to turn free workers back into serfs. This built resentment well before 1381.

The third poll tax charged three groats per person over 15, three times the earlier taxes, and ignored ability to pay. Britannica identifies the 1380 poll tax as the immediate trigger. The revolt began in Essex in May 1381, and Kentish rebels under Tyler entered London on 13 June.

The rebels took the Tower of London and beheaded Archbishop Simon of Sudbury and Sir Robert Hales, who were blamed for the tax. At Mile End the king promised cheap land, free trade and an end to serfdom, but those promises were soon forgotten.

At Smithfield, London's mayor William Walworth killed Tyler in front of the king, and Richard then addressed the crowd and persuaded it to disperse. About 150 rebels were later hanged. The revolt failed as a social revolution, but no further poll tax was levied.