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“Ah, ye good people, matters goeth not well in England, nor shall not do, till everything be common, till there be no villeins nor gentlemen, but we all be united together, and the lords be no greater masters than we be” (Froissart 62). John Ball of Kent preached these words in 1381 to a crowd of peasants in the street. ... The fact was that the higher were suppressing the lower, the nobility were suppressing the peasants; the King was suppressing his people. ...
Peasants of Kent, Essex, and Hertfordshire did not simply awaken one day with the idea of Revolution fresh in their minds; their dream had been provoked. ... The peasants took advantage of the situation and began demanding higher wages, which angered the lords greatly. In 1351, the Statute of Labourers was signed and put into effect, which stated that peasants (White and Notestein) “should be bound to serve, receiving salary and wages, accustomed in places where they ought to serve in the twentieth year of the reign of the king that now is, or five or six years before; and that the same servants refusing to serve in such manner should be punished by imprisonment of their bodies…” (White and Notestein). In short, peasants had to work for the same wages as before the Black Death and were not allowed to leave their lord’s land. ... On top of the peasants’ economic pressure, in 1377 England came under new leadership: King Richard, a ten-year-old boy. ... The tax charged both lords and peasants and was so successful that it was imposed three more times. Soon, however, peasants could no longer afford the tax and began evading collectors. ... It was a combination of these orders and a lack of ability to pay the tax that lead to the outbreak of rebellion (The Peasants’ Revolt 1381).
When tax collectors arrived at Fobbing in Essex, peasants gathered and were shocked to learn that they would not only have to pay the same tax twice, but they would also have to pay the tax for those not present. ... Before long peasants were rebelling all over the country, especially in Kent, Suffolk, and Hertfordshire.
Approximate Word count = 1795
Approximate Pages = 7.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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