7.2.1

Rebellion Starts in Essex & Kent

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The Rebellion Starts - Essex and Kent

The Revolt started in Essex on 20th May 1381 when John Bampton arrived to investigate the non-payment of the poll tax.

Illustrative background for John Bampton Illustrative background for John Bampton  ?? "content

John Bampton

  • John Bampton, a Member of Parliament and Justice of the Peace, summoned representatives from each village.
  • They arrived armed and refused to pay.
  • Bampton tried to arrest the villagers. Violence broke out during which three government officials and several villagers were killed.
  • Bampton escaped back to London.
Illustrative background for Bocking meetingIllustrative background for Bocking meeting ?? "content

Bocking meeting

  • On 4th June, the rebels met at a village called Bocking to discuss their plans.
  • Several thousand rebels then marched from Essex towards London.
  • One group headed into Suffolk to start another rebellion.
  • At the same time, rebels in Kent attacked the jail in Maidstone and the town of Rochester, where the commander of Rochester Castle surrendered.
Illustrative background for Wat Tyler's electionIllustrative background for Wat Tyler's election ?? "content

Wat Tyler's election

  • On 7th June, Wat Tyler was elected as the rebels' leader at a meeting in Maidstone.
  • Historians don't know much about him apart from that he was from Essex and fought as an archer in the war against France.
  • He may have used the nickname Jack Straw.

March to Canterbury

  • The rebels, led by Tyler, marched to Canterbury and captured it on the 10th of June.
  • They attacked government buildings and dragged suspected enemies out of their homes to execute them.
  • They also deposed the Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury, and freed all of the prisoners in the jail.
Illustrative background for Other revoltsIllustrative background for Other revolts ?? "content

Other revolts

  • Revolts also broke out in Hertfordshire, Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Northumberland.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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