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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
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Peasantry: key aspects |
80-90% of population were peasants -labourer, free or unfree, privy to law of lord, working people |
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Peasantry: RH Hilton |
-Argues using 'peasant' to denote a class of people is incorrect, erases different types of people and classes within it 'submerging other historical classes into an undifferentiated peasant sea' -May be defined as a class in material production aspects, but not in aspects of esteem, dignity, or honour -Organised their own class structure within themselves for economic purposes, not because of rulers |
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Peasantry: at the time |
Contemporary clerical writers divided society into 3 division - those who pray (priests), fight (knights), and work ('peasants') -Historians don't know if people would have classed themselves at the time -Large economic/legal differences among workers - some wealthy and landowners, others unfree serfs -Before industrialisation, people defined by what they did, not as a 'class' -Relationship between lord and tenant not usually negative |
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Peasantry: manor court |
Manorial peasantry bound to land and lord by rent and obligations -Evidence of landowning peasants found in manor court rolls -manor court essential to agrarian life -organised social relations, enforced legalities, dealt with economic issues, defined rent prices and inheritance -changed as needed |
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Was it a 'Peasant's revolt'? |
Not an accurate name - not just a unified group of agrarian yokels -Revolters had various reasons to revolt -Made up of: prosperous entrepreneurs and merchants, urban workers, journeymen, and a very small amount of rural workers -Stigmatising references in historical records - 'serfs, rebels, animals' to make ruling class look better -Those of middling status -'whole people below ranks of those who exercised lordship' Hilton -Peasant as a term is a recent construct and how we imagine peasants (unrefined country folk) did not make up majority of rebels |
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Common peoples' rising: why? |
Possible causes: -Resentment of feudal obligations (rent, services) -Unhappiness with rulers -Excessive taxation (esp. poll tax) -100 years war fiasco -Corrupt government: corrupt advisors to king, tax money disappearing and not going to defence, laws enforced in interest of aristocracy -Regional differences for revolting |
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Common peoples' rising: make-up and location |
Over 60,000 people involved Prominent leaders: Wat Tyler, Jack Straw, John Ball Tyler: speaker and strategist, organiser Ball: priest preaching against corruption, breaking church unity Revolt centred in Kent, Essex, London, and Yorkshire |
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Common peoples' rising: organising |
Organisation unknown, likely done in secret -Not unified nationally, organised regionally -Ideas spread where people drank -Corrupt leaders targeted (Simon of Sudbury, Hales) and killed -One of the few lines of evidence of social/political aspirations of underprivileged people in the community |
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Common peoples' rising: aftermath |
Harsh for leaders (Tyler and Ball killed) Revolt blamed on greedy officials Richard granted pardons to most involved Lords took legal action against peasants but not harshly in fear of another uprising Low level uprisings in years after Poll tax abolished 100 years war slowly reduced Rural wages increased Serfdom decreased |
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Chronicles: basics |
Most chroniclers condemned rebels and took ruling side Aristocratic accounts written for literate population |
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Chronicles: Froissart |
From Netherlands, not directly involved -Entrenched in narrative of 100 years war -Anti-peasant and pro-nobility protection -Claimed rebels wanted freedom above all else - from inequality, lords 'A few bad peasants riling up the rest' |
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Chronicles: Knighton |
-Canon of St Mary's Abbey in Leicester, going blind -Claimed rebels seeking justice for overtaxation, vengeance on corrupt gov't, breaking up church -Relatively positive towards peasants, revolt as reasonable and coming from noble causes but twisted by rebel leaders - did not refer to rebels as animals as others did, blamed rebellion catalyst on poll tax collectors -Wickedness of king's advisors |
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Chronicles: St Albans, Walsingham |
-Monk at St. Albans -Relatively accurate, fanciful -Revolt as manifestation of God's will, rebels as wicked and unsympathetic -Claims rebels wanted liberty, vengeance, reduced taxes, more rights, and to kill the king and destroy the church -Not detailed, moral commentary -Began in Kent and spread with no lord opposition -Disharmony between three orders |
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Chronicles: Westminster |
Written in Westminster abbey -Sympathetic to Londoners -Well informed and ordered -Claims revolters wanted liberty and vengeance -Called rebels rabid dogs and other low terms, pointless destruction |
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Chronicles: Anonimalle |
-Considered most important, accurate, well informed -Reason for revolt: taxations and levies on poor people and heavy handed collection |
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Issues with chronicles |
-Written by clergy for upper class - general theme of rulers as good and rebels as bad and easily guided -Makes movement insignificant by focusing on demands and violence -Looks mainly at London in June of 1381, not long term subtleties of revolt |
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Unrest prior to 1381 |
Hilton claims constant friction between classes prior to revolt -Collective resistance common: labour service refusal and work done badly (much of this reported in 1370's), hiding marriages with help of neighbours, tenants refusing to take on roles as tax collectors and constables -Serfs and tenants seeking freedom (Borel at Flixton claiming his own) -New taxes caused unrest, may have helped unify -1377: Edward III died, first poll tax, rural uprisings, war debt |
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Unrest prior to 1381: Muller |
Ancient demesne status sought by peasants in 1300's to withdraw customs and services due to lords - suggests collective disobedience as some manors would submit their appeals together -Purchasing domesday book -1377 appeals - planning, community solidarity -Thornbury in 1336: heavy taxation from lord, peasants halted services or did them poorly in protest |
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After the plague: basics |
~50% of population died (Dyer) -4 main pestilences from 1348-1378 -Filthy conditions in England made it easy to spread - dirty water, animals in houses -People blamed other people, will of God -Breakdown of inter European connections due to blame |
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Plague: economic outcomes |
-Return to normality in 1350 -Labourers received no special treatment even though they were in high demand -Lack of labour led to rise in pastoral farming |
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Plague: lords reactions |
-Labour costs rose so wages rose -Peasants became wealthier and fled manors in search of better work -Lords increased fines instead of service fees, high penalties against wrongdoers |
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Plague: government policy |
Royal Ordinance of 1349 - able bodied men must work for pre-plague wages Statute of Labourers 1351 - enforcement laws not in peasants favour, helped aid in revolt |
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Plague: evidence |
Knighton cited labour shortage, building decay, food shortage, and ignoring statutes Wanderlust: peasants would leave manors for others - lords tried to stem this with departure fees and return conditions; tenants would compare their holdings to others -Trespassing increased with pastoral farming, as did fines for it |
