What caused the Peasants’ Revolt?

1. What caused the Peasants’ Revolt?

2. Objectives In this activity you will: • Describe the causes of the Peasants’ Revolt. • Explain how each cause led to the Peasants’ Revolt. • Explain links between the causes. • Extension – make a judgment about the importance of each cause.

3. Each of the next slides represents a cause of the Peasants’ Revolt. For each slide explain why this caused the peasants to revolt.

4. Wages rose after the Black Death because there was a shortage of workers. Villeins still worked on the lord’s land for no pay. They wanted to be free men.

5. The King was 14 years old. He was influenced by his advisors. The peasants thought he did not realise the effects of his decisions on ordinary people. They thought he would want to help them.

6. The King was advised about the law by the Chancellor, Simon of Sudbury. Sir Robert Hale, the king’s treasurer, was responsible for tax. The king’s uncle, John of Gaunt (pictured), advised him on war.

7. A priest called John Ball said that God did not create rich and poor. He believed that the churchmen had got it wrong, especially when they told the poor to respect their lords and rich churchmen.

8. 4 X Tax! The government needed money to fight a war against France. In 1377, 1379 and 1380 the government collected tax. Everyone, rich and poor, had to pay the same amount. It was known as a head (poll) tax. Tax collection was slow. As soon as the tax collectors finished collecting one tax they started on the next. POLL TAX

9. ‘He shall take only the wages liveries, meed or salary which, in the places where he sought to serve, were accustomed to be paid in the twentieth year of our reign of England, or the five or six common years next preceding.’ Statute of Labourers, 1351

10. Think about each cause. Can you link any of the causes together? Draw a line between any causes you can link and explain this connection. Statute of Labourers, 1351 EG. The king was young and needed advisors, like John of Gaunt. This made him seem weak – it suggests that he may possibly have listened to the peasants. 4 X Tax! POLL TAX

11. Conclusions • This is an extension task. • Write a conclusion relating to this task. • Try to argue why the Peasants’ Revolt happened. A good way to do this is to argue which cause or groups of causes are the most important.