The Peasants' Revolt [Long Shorts]

They lesson of the peasant's revolt is never trust promises from people in power unless you can keep them under threat. The peasants took the king's word, and they paid dearly for that mistake

It's a great story... but also proof that real change takes a long time. Serfdom lasted another century and more. Some of what they asked repeatedly thru these protests and on to the civil war in the 1650s, and it still took another 250-300 years to become part of law and culture.

"The peasants are revolting!" "Oh, come on, they may be a bit smelly, but they're not THAT bad."

Adore your delivery of “someone let them in” made me chuckle :)

When your tax collector is not only agreeing that taxes are too high but that it's so high that they are willing to join a revolt to storm the castle you know the taxes are bad. 😂

One common thing to be aware of when looking at medieval history in Western Europe: most of the sources come from the societal elites (clergy, noble courtiers, or Church-trained clerks) for whom "literate" meant "fluent in Latin". Many merchants and wealthier peasants would have been quite literate in their native languages but not have access to Latin education and so not considered literate by Church-trained writers. And with most writing of the period being preserved by churches, monasteries, universities, and the private collections of the nobility, whatever writing the lower classes might have produced is mostly lost.

People always talk about how the peasants are revolting, but I think the nobility is often more revolting...

"I think we should give the guards a raise" "Why would we want to do that?"

Well if you’re one guard at a door, and a couple hundred people turn up, “Do come in. Mind the garden plants, thank you.”

From Mel Brooks: Lord: "Your majesty, the peasants are revolting!" King: "They certainly are!" :P

“Long shorts” 😂 Love seeing the English Language developing lol

I for one welcome our new co-host, bird-on-windowsill

I love the bird didn't chirp. It chirruped. That's how you know it is a British bird!

There’s an old saying: No wall is too high, for a donkey loaded with gold!

"That was new" The French taxing the peasants exclusively to pay for everything

The title made me think of an old Wizard of Id comic. Knight: The peasants are revolting! King: You can say that again.

I love your enthusiasm, it's lovely. Thanks again, British Lady

I really love that they just destroyed the tax records and not the other books!

Please please please do a long version of this. I LOVE this chapter of British history.

To be fair, the king was willing to hear them. The peasants didn’t want to overthrow the king, they thought he was being held hostage by evil advisors. But Watt Tyler basically acted a fool in front of the king and was very rude (because they don’t teach etiquette to serfs, duh). I once heard it described as like someone going up to the king, putting his arm around him, giving him a noogie, and patting him on the back saying “ayy, you’re a bloody good ‘un.”