Synopses & Reviews
The rising of 1381 was 'one of the most portentous events in the whole of our history', to quote the famous medievalist William Stubbs. It has been the subject of many works, specialized and popular, especially since the 600th anniversary in 1981. The uniqueness of the present volume is that it eschews general narrative history. It consists of articles, most of which were presented to a conference organized in 1981 by the Past and Present Society. The articles are by experts and focus on fundamental themes so as to make the rising more comprehensible to the modern reader. These themes begin, of course, with an examination of rural discontent and peasant ideology. Since this was not simply a 'peasant revolt' attention is also paid to the complex problem of conflict and discontent in the towns. The reactions of the government and the ruling class are also explored. Finally, the rising is placed in the context of the rebellions of the subordinated classes which were characteristic of the whole of European society in the fourteenth century.
Review
'... this short volume is a treasury of information concerning the social and political conflicts which [the events of 1381] expressed.' Agricultural History Review
Review
'Historians of the Rising of 1381 must now rend the veil of the Poll Taxes, that neat and easy, but insufficient, explanation for what happened ... These essays have served to illuminate several aspects of the climate of revolt in France and Florence, but predominantly in England, in the second half of the fourteenth century.' Economic History Review
Synopsis
This book contains eight articles, six of which are based on papers contributed to a commemoration conference organised by the Past and Present Society in 1981. Two further articles and an introduction are contributed by other experts. They explore the various dimensions of the rising of 1381: the discontent of peasants and townspeople who became politicised in response to government tax demands; reasons for the attitudes of the subordinated classes to the law, which they perceived as being the instrument of their oppressors; the response of the ruling class and its government to one of the most coherent challenges to feudal order in the Middle Ages. In addition, two contributions on social movements in fourteenth-century France and Italy show that the rising can be regarded as a symptom of the general crisis of European feudal society in the later Middle Ages.
Synopsis
This volume eschews general narrative history and consists of articles, most of which were presented to a conference organized in 1981 by the Past and Present Society.
Table of Contents
Introduction R. H. Hilton; 1. The social and economic background to the rural revolt of 1381 Christopher Dyer; 2. The 'great rumour' of 1377 and peasant ideology Rosamond Faith; 3. The jacquerie Raymond Cazelles; 4. English urban society and the revolt of 1381 A. F. Butcher; 5. The risings in York, Beverley and Scarborough 1380-1381 R. B. Dobson; 6. Florentine insurrections, 1342-1385, in comparative perspective Samuel Cohn Jr; 7. The revolt against the justices Alan Harding; 8. Nobles, commons and the Great Revolt of 1381 J. A. Tuck; Index.