Concerning Peasants: The Underlying Cause for the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381

Item

Title
Concerning Peasants: The Underlying Cause for the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381
Author
Dylan Vosti
Faculty Advisor
Elizabeth Swedo
Date
1/1/2017
Abstract
The English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 is a pivotal moment in Britain’s history. The complaints of the peasantry during the revolt would echo through the following centuries. The chronicles of Jean Froissart, Henry Knighton, Thomas Walsingham, as well as the Anonimalle Chronicle recorded the events before, during, and after the uprising and gave sometimes conflicting interpretations of the Revolt. Analyzing these chronicles and other medieval documents, historians have developed their own idea explanation of the motivations of the Peasants’ Revolt ranging from social, to political, to economic, or to religious incentives for rebelling—or some combination of these factors. With an issue as complicated as the Peasants’ Revolt, these motivations were likely to have been heavily intertwined. It is the goal of this paper to piece various chronicles, court cases, and labor legislation together with the secondary scholarship of other historians and show the underlying tensions of the Peasants’ Revolt: a drive for economic security. Although the common people reacted to a variety of religious, political, social and economic concerns during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, a quest for economic security was an underlying motivation for people of all social and economic statuses.
Type
Text
Language
eng
Rights
Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/09/2022, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.
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Department
History
Identifier
his/57