1 · 51.27° N, 0.53° E
Maidstone11
Ball was imprisoned in Maidstone, Kent, at the time of the 1381 Revolt. Shortly after the Revolt began, Kentish rebels released him from prison.12,13
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
The Peasants' Revolt began in May 1381, triggered by a newly imposed poll tax of four pence on every person aged fifteen and above. Its root lay in tensions between peasants and landowners after the Black Death and later plague outbreaks.1,2
The rebels demanded that each labourer be allowed to work for the employer of his choice, and sought an end to serfdom and rigid social distinctions.3
The revolt begins1
The rising
The Peasants' Revolt began, triggered by a newly imposed poll tax of four pence on every person aged fifteen and above.
John Ball executed9
Aftermath
Ball was hanged, drawn and quartered at St Albans in the presence of King Richard II.
Memorial unveiled10
Aftermath
A memorial commemorating Wat Tyler and the Great Rising of 1381 was unveiled in Smithfield, London.
Places of the revolt
Route: Rebels to London: Maidstone → Blackheath → London Bridge → Smithfield
2 · 51.47° N, 0.01° E
Blackheath14
Ball preached to the rebels at Blackheath, the peasants' rendezvous south of Greenwich, in an open-air sermon.15
3 · 51.51° N, 0.09° W
London Bridge16
Tyler and other Kentish rebels crossed London Bridge to enter the city. Later, Tyler's head was displayed on London Bridge.4,17
4 · 51.52° N, 0.10° W
Smithfield18
Tyler and his Kentish forces parleyed with King Richard at Smithfield, where Tyler put forward his demands. There Tyler was killed by officers loyal to the King.7,19
Who tells it? 13 to 15 June 1381
From London Bridge to Smithfield, June 13814,7
Step through the days from the crossing of London Bridge to the parley at Smithfield, and compare the differing accounts of how Tyler was killed.4,7,20
13 June4
14 June6
15 June7
Afterwards21
Crossing London Bridge4
On 13 June 1381 Tyler and other Kentish rebels crossed London Bridge to enter the city.4
The same day the king set out by the Thames, but crowds at Greenwich made it impossible to land, and he returned to the Tower.5
In London the rebels destroyed legal records, opened prisons, sacked homes and killed those they thought associated with the royal government.22
Sheltering in the Tower, the king and his councillors agreed that the Crown lacked the forces to disperse the rebels, so negotiation was the only feasible option.23
The king meets the rebels24
On Friday 14 June the king rode out and met the rebels at Mile End.24
The 14-year-old Richard II agreed to many concessions and to give the rebels full pardons.6
This only emboldened them, and they continued looting and killing.24
Unclear25
Richard was only fourteen, and it is unclear how much he was involved in the deliberations.25
The parley at Smithfield7
On 15 June Tyler and his Kentish forces parleyed with King Richard at Smithfield, outside London, where Tyler put forward his demands.7
The rebels wanted each labourer free to work for the employer of his choice, and an end to serfdom and rigid social distinctions.3
Accounts differ20
Walworth killed Tyler in front of his people, but accounts of how he did so are messy and debated.20
Follow one account20
Walworth's own hand8
After an altercation broke out, William Walworth, the Lord Mayor of London, pulled Tyler from his horse and killed him.8
The king's officers19
Tyler was killed by officers loyal to King Richard II during the negotiations at Smithfield.19
The mayor's judgment26
Tyler was taken to a hospital, but Walworth tracked him down and brought him back to Smithfield, where he was publicly beheaded by judgment of the mayor.26
Gower's poem27
John Gower's Vox Clamantis gives an allegorical account of the revolt, takes the side of the aristocracy, and ends with an allusion to Walworth's suppression of the rebels.27,28
After Tyler's death the king said "I am your captain, follow me!" and led the crowd away from the scene.29
The revolt ends21
Walworth gathered a force to surround the rebels, but the king granted clemency and let them disperse and go home.30
Tyler's head was carried through the city on a pole, then displayed on London Bridge.17
Richard II knighted Walworth and four colleagues after Tyler's death at Smithfield.31
Richard II then revoked all his concessions, and many rebels were hunted down and executed, effectively ending the revolt.21
Where it happened in London4,7
London Bridge16
Smithfield18
City of London32