I recently added this post, The Peasants’ Revolt, an account of the stirring events of the summer of 1381. I already had a short summary of the main events, but this is a much fuller account by a recognised Victorian-era writer, HW Dulcken, taken from his Picture History of England (1865). This book, like most of Dulcken’s work, was written for young readers, which helps to keep the passage reasonably short, and always to the point.
The Peasants’ Revolt began in the summer of 1381, when Wat the tiler from Dartford in Kent led a huge protest march to London, complaining of extortionate taxes and restrictive regulations on employees. The peasants had right on their side, and the country would have leapt forward both economically and socially had their complaints been taken to heart. But it all came to nothing, because the protestors became violent, and because the authorities backtracked on the concessions they had promised when they thought they were losing.
By the way, for those who enjoy playing with language, see if you can explain the difference between The Peasants’ Revolt and the peasants revolt.