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    The Peasants Revolt of 1381 was a protest in England against a new poll tax and increasing economic hardship. Led by Wat Tyler and John Ball, thousands of peasants marched on London and attacked government buildings, tax collectors, and prisons. Wat Tyler met with King Richard II to demand an end to serfdom and fairer taxes, though Tyler was later killed by the Mayor of London. While the king promised reforms, he ultimately broke his word and had the leaders of the revolt killed in retaliation.

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    An easy reader for English language learners about the Peasants' Revolt.

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    The Peasants Revolt of 1381 was a protest in England against a new poll tax and increasing economic hardship. Led by Wat Tyler and John Ball, thousands of peasants marched on London and attacked government buildings, tax collectors, and prisons. Wat Tyler met with King Richard II to demand an end to serfdom and fairer taxes, though Tyler was later killed by the Mayor of London. While the king promised reforms, he ultimately broke his word and had the leaders of the revolt killed in retaliation.

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    98 views1 page

    Peasants Revolt

    Uploaded by

    clil360
    The Peasants Revolt of 1381 was a protest in England against a new poll tax and increasing economic hardship. Led by Wat Tyler and John Ball, thousands of peasants marched on London and attacked government buildings, tax collectors, and prisons. Wat Tyler met with King Richard II to demand an end to serfdom and fairer taxes, though Tyler was later killed by the Mayor of London. While the king promised reforms, he ultimately broke his word and had the leaders of the revolt killed in retaliation.

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    The Peasants Revolt was a protest against the government of England. It happened in 1381.

    The Poll Tax


    The main reason was a heavy tax called the Poll Tax. The government wanted rich people and poor people to pay the same. Many people thought this was unfair. The government was also losing a war with France, so it was not popular. People said they would not pay the Poll Tax. Some people went to prison. Some people attacked the tax collectors. In April 1381, the government told soldiers to make people pay the tax.

    The Revolt Starts


    The Peasants' Revolt started in Essex on 30th May 1381. Wat Tyler and John Ball were the leaders of the peasants. The peasants attacked the tax collectors and they attacked the prisons. Soon, Wat Tyler had an army of 30,000 people. On 10th June, the peasants marched to Canterbury. They attacked the castle and the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury. On 12th June the peasants reached London. The 14 year old king, Richard II, wanted to be safe, so he went to the Tower of London. On 13th June, the peasants attacked the Savoy Palace.

    Wat Tyler Meets the King


    On 14th June the king met Wat Tyler at Mile End. Tyler told the king what the peasants wanted. They wanted the end of the poll tax, the freedom to work where they wanted and the freedom to buy and sell things. The king agreed. Many peasants were happy, so they left London and went home. But some people were not happy. 400 people attacked the Tower of London. They captured the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chancellor. The Chancellor looked after the king's money. The peasants killed them.

    The Death of Wat Tyler


    On 15th June, the king met Tyler again. The king wanted the peasants to leave London. But Tyler wanted more from the king: he wanted the end of church taxes and equal rights for peasants. Suddenly, William Walworth, the Mayor of London, attacked and killed Tyler. The peasants were very angry and were about to attack the king. The king promised to give freedom to the peasants if they went home. However, the king broke his promises. He told his soldiers to kill the leaders of the peasants. Tyler's head was put on London Bridge. About 1500 peasants were killed.

    CLIL360 2014 All rights reserved. May be photocopied for use in the classroom. Images are from Wikimedia Commons and are in public domain unless stated.

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