Dan Snow's History Hit The Peasants' Revolt
Feb 19, 2026
Dr Eleanor Janega, medieval historian and co-host of Gone Medieval, explains 14th-century England's crisis. She covers the social and economic fallout of plague and famine. She outlines the poll tax that ignited unrest, profiles leaders like Wat Tyler and John Ball, and traces the march on London, record-burning, violent attacks and the brutal royal reprisals.
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Multiple Crises Made Life Existential
- Mid-14th century England suffered the Great Famine, the Black Death and rapid climate cooling that collapsed communities.
- These overlapping shocks made life existentially frightening and fuelled unrest across society.
Laws Tried To Reverse Market Forces
- The post‑plague labour shortage raised wages and mobility, provoking draconian laws like the Ordinance of Labourers.
- The state criminalized wage bargaining and punished offenders to try to restore pre‑plague order.
Taxation At Pre‑Plague Levels Sparked Rage
- The crown kept taxing at pre‑plague rates and invented poll taxes, hitting households and provoking widespread anger.
- People resented paying for distant royal wars that gave them no local benefit.