PEASANTS REVOLT PAGE 6.THE END OF THE REBELLION AND IT'S AFTERMATH.THE PEASANTS REVOLT : THE END OF THE REBELLION AND IT'S AFTERMATH. Whichever version is the correct one, it appears that the young king was in control of the situation, for the rebels had seen their leader surrounded, but they were not in a position to see exactly what was happening. Incensed, they surged forward preparing to overun the king and his followers. It was they, who now controlled the situation as they surrounded the king and his entourage. At that precise moment, king Richard rode towards them shouting that all was well and that every one of their demands were going to be met. He persuaded them to follow him away from the city, to a place where he and Wat Tyler would meet them. There, they would receive pardons and charters, giving them all they wanted and hinted that they would also witness their leader Wat Tyler being honoured, probably with a knighthood. The peasant rebels trustingly followed him and believing they had achieved their aims, they were persuaded to return to their homes. The Peasants Revolt in London, was effectively over
The king however, had no intention of keeping his promise, At the same time as all this was taking place, the Mayor raced off to the city and rapidly recruited a force of militia, which comprised about seven thousand men.
ABOVE: KING RICHARD II. They quickly re-established control, all the leaders were ruthlessly pursued, captured and executed, including John Ball and Jack Straw. No quarter was given. The king did not keep any of his promises, claiming they were not lawfully valid as they were made under threat. In reply to charges that he had fully approved of what the rebels had done and by so doing was therefore technically in support of the Peasants Revolt, he issued a proclamation denying any such approval had been given. All the pardons he had dispensed to the rebels were also revoked soon after. The Peasants were forced to return to their old way of life, once again under the control of the Lord of the Manor, but not to the extent of the bondage they had to endure prior to the Bubonic Plague or Black Death. There was still a dire shortage of labour. The landowners still had to recruit from a depleted workforce as a consequence of the plague and the only section of the population they could turn to, were the peasants. Whatever the peasants asked for, the Lords or landowners had to deliver. The Poll Tax, no longer being enforced, was withdrawn and no later medieval parliament ever dared to try to impose one again. The Peasants Revolt had shown the government, the extent of the dissatisfaction felt by the serfs and lower classes and the havoc they were capable of wreaking. Quite a large section of the nobility had given substantial support to the peasants, for it had not entirely been confined to the serfs and lower classes. The Peasants Revolt, although it had failed in it's immediate aims, was certainly the beginning of the end of feudalism and the bondage of serfdom. How to Link to This PageIt will appear on your page as: FOR INFORMATION ON THE PEASANT'S REVOLT FOLLOW THIS LINKBE SURE TO FOLLOW US EVERY DAY ON OUR LONDON TOURIST BLOG WHERE WE WILL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE ADDITIONS AND CHANGES THAT ARE MADE TO THE A-LONDON-TOURIST GUIDE WEBSITE AND WHERE YOU WILL FIND LOTS OF HELPFUL INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES AND THINGS TO DO IN LONDON FOR THE LONDON TOURIST
|
