Lecture III
1. The age of chivalry
2. The century of plague
3. The peasant's revolt

The age of chivalry
Is still the motto of the royal family. He (Edward III) pursued a sensible policy of tolerance. Thus securing his loyalty, his commercial policies facilitated the development of wool trade and raise his prosperity.
During his reign interest grew in the legendary King Arthur who if ever existed was probably a Celtic ruler and fought the Anglo-Saxons but we know nothing more about him.
Chivalry was a useful way of persuading men to fight by creating the idea that war was a noble and glorious thing. War could be also profitable. But in fact cruelty, death, distraction, theft were the reality of the war as they are today.
The Black Prince who was the living example of chivalry of England was feared in France for his cruelty.


The Century of plague.
In 1348 the outbreak of plague (the Black Death) dealt a terrible blow at the people in Europe and England. More than one third of the English population (was) died. Whole villages disappeared and some towns were completely deserted.
In 1300 the population of Great Britain was probably being over 4 000 million it took until the 17th century before the population reached for 4 000 million again.
After the Black Death there were so few workers and they found they could demand more money for their labour and they did it. This finally led to the end of the serfdom. Yeomen became an important part of the agricultural economy and had always remained so.
The wool export towns declined. They were replaced by towns and villages with fast flowing rivers used for the new process of cleaning and treating of wool. Cloth-making especially spinning was done at home indeed so many young women spun wool that spinster became and has remained for unmarried women.


The Peasants' Revolt
It is surprising that the English never rebelled against Edward III. He handled his people with skill. But his grandson Richard was less fortunate. He became King in 1377 on his grandfather’s death because his father the Black Prince had died a few months earlier. Richard inherited the problems of discontent besides he became King at twelve so others governed for him. That year his advisers introduced a tax payment for every person over 15 but in 1381 this tax was enforced for the third time and also increased to three times the previous amount.
There was an immediate revolt in East Anglia and Kent. The poorer part did not rebel. The leader of the revolt was Wat Tyler. He was the first to call for fire treatment of England’s poor people and rebels were led by him. John Ball a clergyman marched to London captured the Tower with the help of Londoners, killed the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Chancellor. John Ball was a radical opponent of the church Lords and supported the ideas of John Wycliffe (1330-1384) the first reformer of the church. He preached ideas of social justice: “When Adam delved and Eva spans who was then the gentleman”. The Peasants’ Revolt only lasted for four weeks. It made far-reaching demands: 1) a charter of liberties; 2) the end of all the Lordships except the King’s; 3) the end of serfdom; 4) returned the church lands to people and etc.
The young King Richard II met the Kentsmen at Smithfield. The King appeared to agree with Wat Tyler’s demands but during the negotiations Wat Tyler was traitorously killed and his head set up on a spire was shown to the rebels to persuade them to retreat from London and disband.
John Ball was hanged. The great Peasants’ Revolt was defeated. But the ruling class had been badly frighten and unpopular poll-tax withdrawn.
Peasant dependence in Britain disappeared by the 15th century and the Wat Tyler rebellion was instrumental in that.