A Young King Richard II looks on horrified as the Mayor of London William Walworth (left) lunges forward to stab Wat Tyler (right) at the climax of The Peasants Revolt, 1381. Tyler was stabbed again by one of Walworth's men and died as a result. A painting by Peter Jackson.
wat tyler, BORN 1341
leader of the peasants’ revolt
Walter (Wat) Tyler was the leader of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt in England. He led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to oppose the institution of a poll tax and to demand economic and social reforms. While the brief rebellion enjoyed early success, Tyler was killed by officers loyal to King Richard II during negotiations at Smithfield, London. The revolt was not only about money, as the peasants also sought increased liberty and other social reforms. They demanded that each labourer be allowed to work for the employer of his choice and sought an end to serfdom and other rigid social demarcation. There were uprisings across England, with much of the unrest focused on Essex and Kent. The uprising was opposed by a significant part of English society in those regions, including nobility and wealthy religious establishments. Many peasants and labourers were inspired by the teachings of John Ball, a radical priest who preached that all humans should be treated equally, as descendants of Adam and Eve, and who asked: "When Adam delved and Eve span/Who was then the gentleman?”
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