4.The Black Death and Peasant Uprising

The Black Death was a deadly bubonic plague which added to the horrors of the Hundred Years’War.It struck Europe in the middle of the 14th century and reached England in the summer of 1348.The Black Death had a sudden and violent effect on society.Many people died from it and in some places whole villages disappeared.The fall in the population，and consequently in the labour force，immediately led to a sharp rise in wages.The government tried to check this by the Statute of Labourers of 1351，which made it a criminal offence for labourers to demand，or for employers to pay，more than the maximum wages fixed by the justices of the peace in the district.But the Statute was very largely evaded，as the bargaining position of the labourers was strong enough to induce the employers to pay higher wages than that were allowed by law.The growing prosperity of the paid labourers increased the dissatisfaction of the villeins.Up to this time many peasants in England were still unfree villeins who were bound in service to their feudal lords or to feudal estates.If the Black Death brought higher wages and greater freedom to the wage labourers it bought equal advantages to the villeins.During the 25years after the Black Death many villeins run away from their masters.Some went to the towns，others joined the ranks of the wage labourers.This hastened the breakdown of the manorial system in England.

The lords complained about this social change.They tried to keep down the wages and attempted to find new methods of exploitation.They extended the practice of letting out land at competitive rents.They introduced a new kind of land tenure，the stock and land lease.That is to let the tenant hold the land for a certain number of years and the landlord provided the seed，cattle and implements.In return the landlord got a rent calculated to cover both the value of land and of the stock.These methods，however，made the peasants and labourers suffer again.It was out of this situation that the great agrarian rising of 1381sprang.

John Ball and the Peasants

In the summer of 1381the peasants rose in southeast England.The Kentish peasants，led by War Tyler，went first to Maidstone，where they released John Ball from the county jail.John Ball was a radical monk who later became a leader of the Peasant Revolt.Before joining the peasants he had traveled through southeast England and preached to the people that all men were equal and that villeins should not serve and obey their masters.His famous rhyming jingle is still remembered by many people in England.

“When Adam delved and Eve span，

Who was then a Gentleman？”

The peasants demanded to see the king and present their petition to him.Their chief demand was that all villeins should be set free.They also condemned lawyers，foreigners，and some prominent individuals.They entered London，killed several lawyers and released prisoners from the jails；but Tyler，who exercised a discipline over his followers，forbade looting，and executed a man who looted.

RichardⅡwas only fourteen years of age，but he rode out to meet the peasants.The peasants told the young king that they demanded their freedom from villeinage，the reform of the church by a reorganization which would leave only one bishop in England，and the establishment of a society in which there should be no class distinction and all men should be equal except the king.He promised to meet their demands，and issued a pardon to everyone who went home in peace.About half the peasants then went home；but the rest stayed with the king.Very soon RichardⅡrevoked his promise and sent his soldiers to arrest the rebels.The leading rebels were executed.The uprising was suppressed.

Though the uprising had failed，there was no complete return to the old conditions.The landowners had learnt a lesson；gradually they gave up their claims to feudal service and accepted rent instead.Villeins were still not free，but many of them found their freedom by escaping to some distant county where an employer would ask no questions.