Lesson video

Hello, and welcome back.

This is Lesson 2 of 4 for the inquiry, how big a threat was the Peasant's Revolt to the power of the monarchs? In today's lesson, we are going to look at what happened during the Peasant's Revolt.

So, we've done the courses, now let's see what happened.

For today's lesson, you are going to need a pen, or pencil, some paper, and a nice quiet spot in order to concentrate.

Please pause the video in a moment to make sure you have everything you need and that you do have a quiet spot.

Pause the video now.

Excellent! Let's crack on with the lesson.

I hope you got the title down, but if you haven't, just pause the video for a couple more seconds till you get it done.

Excellent! Let's have a look at what the lesson is going to look like.

So for today, we are going to do a bit of recap from Lesson 1.

Have you remembered the really important details that we looked at.

Then we're going to see what happened during the revolt, so we've started off in Essex and Kent.

Then we're going to look at London, and we're going to see how Richard II dealt with the rebels.

So that's today's lesson.

So let's crack on with the recap.

You've got 3 multiple choice questions, so question 1.

Which tax sparked the Peasant's Revolt? Now I know you're going to get this right, so I'm only going to give you a few seconds to get the answer.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Well done! It was the Poll Tax.

What about question 2? Who was blamed for all the problems in England? This is a tough question, but I know you're going to get it.

What's that? I can hear some people shouting the answer already.

So, five, four, three, two, one, well done! Of course, the answer was, John of Gaunt.

Now, I'm going to disappear for the rest of this presentation, but let's continue with the multiple choice.

What did the peasants initially want? Again, tough question.

Which option? I know you're going to get it.

Five, four, three, two, one, well done! It was to be paid, or get more pay for the work they did.

So well done.

That's the recap, over and done with.

So let's see what actually happened during the Peasant's Revolt.

So, it started off in Essex and Kent.

So, what happened? Well, the spark of the revolt was the Poll Tax.

Remember the Poll Tax of 1381 was higher than previously been demanded.

It was 1 schilling, a really big sum of money for the ordinary peasants.

So, ordinary people decided to attack the tax collectors and when the government tried to force them to pay, they decided that enough was enough and rose up.

Well, 2 groups then formed in Essex and Kent.

They managed to gain control of Rochester Castle, which was a royal castle, it was just left open to them.

They also got control of Canterbury, and Canterbury was where the Arch Bishop of Canterbury was meant to be, and it's one of the holiest, and most important religious areas in England.

So, the peasants have gained control of 2 really really important areas, and by doing so, after gaining Rochester, they were able to release a man call John Ball.

And he believed that the people at the beginning of time, when the world was created, that they were equal.

There were no lords, and so he expressed the ideas that we looked at in the previous lesson.

So, how did King Richard respond to the peasants in London? So after gaining control of Canterbury, and Rochester, the peasants marched on London.

There were, or, Richard ordered that the gates to London were closed, and that this army was not allowed in, but the gates were flung open, and the peasants poured into London.

So here is a chronical about what the peasants did and how Richard responded.

What I'd like you to do is pause the video in a moment and read through it.

I'm going to read through it first, and just think to yourself, how did King Richard respond to the peasants in London.

So this is what the chronical says: From a turret in the Tower, the King could see the Savoy.

Now the Savoy was John of Gaunt's palace.

So remember that John of Gaunt was one of the people that the peasants really didn't like.

He was responsible for the Poll Tax, he was responsible for protecting the people who were seen to be not looking after Richard's interests, only after their own.

So they attacked John of Gaunt's palace, and many other buildings all on fire.

He called his lords to his room, and asked them what he should do.

None of them could give him any advice.

Wherefore the king said that he would have it cried that all men should go the next morning to Mile End, and Mile End is a part of London.

There he would meet them to listen to their demands.

So he's going to go listen to the demands of the peasants.

He did this so that the rebels would leave the Tower, and go to Mile End.

Those in the Tower, could then escape.

So have a think about what Richard does when the peasants reach London.

So pause the video for about 30 seconds now.

Well done! But here's a little bit more of a hint for you.

We can see from this source that Richard asked his lords his Barons, to his room, and that's what he should do.

Remember he's only 14 years old.

So he's looking to his adults to his regency council, for advice.

And they don't give him any.

So this is where Richard acts like a true king.

He's decisive.

He decides that he's going to tell and have the peasants meet him at Mile End.

Why Mile End? Because Richard is trapped with his advisors in the Tower of London.

So, by going to Mile End, He can travel by their with the river, anyone in the tower, with the peasants now gone, is able to escape.

So Richard is being incredibly brave here.

Now I've given you a starter sentence right at the bottom.

Richard's response was to.

I'd like you to pause the video in a moment and give yourself 2 to 3 minutes to finish off that answer thinking about the words in bold to help you.

So pause the video, now.

Well done! This is what I put, now remember, you do not need to have put the exactly same thing down as me, but I know you would've worked really really hard on this.

I created this answer, and this is what I said.

Richard's response was to ask his lords, who were meant to be advising him what to do.

The lords failed to give Richard any advice.

The fourteen year old king decided to meet the rebels.

This was a very brave decision as they were attacking London.

Richard, with his lords, then met the rebels with the hope that he could help those left in the Tower escape.

This meant that he put himself in danger to protect others.

Richard was also interested in hearing the demands of the peasants.

So I know you would've got the key things from the source and put them in your answer.

So well done! If you want to, you're more than welcome to pause the video now, look at the model answer, and then improve yours, but I know you would've done a fantastic answer anyways, so well done! So what happened in London? We know the peasants took Rochester, we know the peasants took Canterbury, we know they marched on London, and they attacked John of Gaunt's palace, what was it called again? Five letters long.

I hear you shouting, Savoy! Well done! But they also did other things.

They opened up prisons and released the people inside them.

As you can see in the source, this is Richard meeting the peasants at Mile End.

So you can see he's meeting them on the boat where he's not really in much danger.

Now, I do want to just point out, that these are peasants, and if you look carefully at this picture, you'll see that a lot of the peasants are all wearing armour.

Now, they wouldn't have done that because they wouldn't have been able to afford it.

So the person who created this picture, might've been taking and making a little bit up, to show and to prove that Richard was actually in tremendous danger, from these peasants.

Let's have a quick recap.

Now if you've done Unit 11 with me, you'll know what to do on this activity.

But if you haven't then I've given you a starting letter, and I've told you how many letters are in the words, or I've taken a vowel out.

All of these are really important things to remember, as we go through this inquiry.

So in a moment, I would like you to pause the video, and take 5 to 6 minutes to copy down the sentences and make sure your spelling is correct, and that you've answered every single one.

Now I know you can get 5 out of 5.

So pause the video, now.

Brilliant! You've worked really hard and I know you've got the spellings correct.

So staying with 1, the Poll.

P-O-L-L Tax was an important cause of the Peasant's Revolt.

Making sure that we've used the apostrophe in the correct place for the Peasant's Revolt.

The Peasant's Revolt happened mainly in Essex.

E-S-S-E-X, and Kent, K-E-N-T.

Now that does not mean it was only in those areas, because obviously it wasn't, but the main rebellions, and where the people attacked London, they were mainly from Essex and Kent.

Number 3, the peasant's captured Rochester, R-O-C-H-E-S-T-E-R Castle, and Canterbury C-A-N-T-E-R-B-U-R-Y, Canterbury.

The peasants then marched on London, L-O-N-D-O-N, I know you definitely got that right.

The peasants met with Richard, I hope you know how to spell Richard, it's an I and an A missing, second, at Mile End, M-I-L-E, so that the king could hear their demands, D-E-M-A-N-D-S.

So well done! You've obviously thought really hard, and made sure that all your spellings are correct.

And well done for the 5 out of 5.

If you didn't, or you made some mistakes on your spellings, just make sure you correct them, and you might get those right next time.

So, well done! So what happened after Richard met the rebels for the first time? Well, the first demands, the rebels, the peasants who were rebelling, put to Richard was that they said they wanted a fair wage.

They didn't want any villeins, so that meant that the lower band, where they were to look at the previous lesson, bondsman, they had to work, not their choice, they had to work for their lords, they would no longer be villeins.

They would work and do as they pleased.

And because this wasn't actually a rebellion or revolt against the king, well, no punishment should be given out to the rebels.

They should be allowed just to leave, and have everyone live in peace afterwards.

Well, Richard agreed to everything.

Some of the peasants then left, others didn't really trust Richards.

So they stayed in London, and what they did is they snuck off to the Tower of London, and once again, the gates were opened.

They then found the rebels in the Tower of London, found three men who they did not like.

These three men, they thought, have been leading Richard astray, and were taking advantage of him.

Two of the men, was Simon of Sudbury and Robert de Hales.

Now these men were singled as making money from Richard and you can see what happened to them in this image.

What we do know is that both these men were dragged outside and they were beheaded.

Now Richard decided that a second meeting was needed.

And as we're going to look at in the third lesson, one of the leaders of the Peasant Revolt, Wat Tyler, will be killed during that meeting.

So I'm not going to do any spoilers, but just to leave you with this, the peasants are in control of London.

The king seems to be at their mercy.

He's met them once and agreed to all their demands, but some don't trust him, or they don't trust his advisors, to fulfil those promises.

So, they've shown that they're willing to kill some of the people that they do not like and they see as being a threat to the king.

So, what will happen at the second meeting? You're going to have to wait until the next lesson to find out.

So the glossary, just in case you're not sure.

Adam and Eve: They are the first two people created by God in the Bible.

So Adam is created first, when God, in seven days, creates everything.

Then, because Adam is alone, Eve is created to keep him company, in the story of Genesis.

A Treasurer is someone who looked after the king's money, and if you abolish something, then you destroy something, or it is brought to an end.

So what about the questions then? Where did the Peasant's Revolt begin? Where did the peasants gain control? Who did the peasants blame for their problems? What demands did the peasants initially ask for? Now remember, initially means to begin with, at the beginning, the first demands that they asked for.

What were Wat Tyler's demands? And Wat Tyler led the second meeting, and I've given you a sentence starter, Wat Tyler's demands were.

Now I know you're going to answer these questions really quickly so we've got an extension question.

Who might have felt most threatened by the Peasant's Revolt? So, answer the five comprehension questions, and then we'll have a look at planning before having a go at the extension question.

Please pause the video, and read the worksheets on the following page and answer the comprehension questions now.

Brilliant! Well done! I know you've worked really really hard answering those questions.

So let's see if you've got them right.

Although, we know you did, because you've done absolutely brilliantly.

Now, before we look, just a quick reminder, you do not need to get the same answer as I have got, because I know you would've got the correct information, but you may not have written it in the same way.

We are also aiming for good answers, and that means full sentences using key words from the question.

So here is question 1.

Where did the Peasant's Revolt begin? Well, Essex, but a good answer is going to give a bit more detail.

The Peasant's Revolt began at Brentwood, Essex.

Well done! Where did the peasants gain control? Again, you could just say Rochester and Canterbury, but let's develop it a little more.

The peasants gained control of Rochester Castle and Canterbury.

These were two important places as Rochester Castle, which was a royal castle, defended the road to London.

Which is obviously where the peasants headed afterwards.

Canterbury was the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most important Churchman living in England.

The peasants finally took control of London as well.

So, well done if you've got that, or a key part of it.

You've done really well.

Question 3.

Who did the peasants blame for their problems? You might just have put John of Gaunt, Simon of Sudbury and Robert de Hales.

You might've put all three down and listed them, but let's make sure we put that into a sentence.

For a good answer, the peasants blamed John of Gaunt for stopping many of the changes Parliament had made.

John of Gaunt also created the Poll Tax.

Simon of Sudbury and Robert de Hales were blamed for not advising the king properly and making money out of all the taxes being collected.

So, I've given a bit of detail on why the peasants didn't like these men.

What demands did the peasants initially ask for? So initially, in the beginning, they wanted better wages, but yet again, you can develop and improve this answer for a good one.

The peasants initially demanded, so using key words from the question, the abolition, that's a key word, important word, so the abolition of villeins.

Again remember, the villeins are people at the bottom of the feudal system, the lowest of the low.

This would mean that no one was forced to work for their lords without pay.

They also wanted fair wages and that no one would be punished for the rebellion.

So those were the initial, the first aims of the peasants.

But things don't stay that way, and remember that these have been agreed by Richard.

But Wat Tyler at the second meeting, what were his demands? So an acceptable answer would look like: No more Church owned lands and lordships, except the king.

So Wat Tyler, remember, does not blame the king at any point, this is not a rebellion against the king, this is really against his advisors.

So Wat Tyler demanded that all lordships, except the king, were abolished.

Again, using that key word, abolished, and key words from the question.

This would mean that the peasants would be able to own land or work for themselves.

So its a step further then their initial demands, the lords would no longer be able to take advantage of the peasants, because after all, that is what they were doing.

Remember the first lesson? The peasants were being treated like beasts, like animals, they were forced, they were bondsman, they were being forced to work for the lords.

Wat Tyler also wanted the Church to lose control of their lands.

The Church was incredibly rich because of all the lands they owned.

They forced peasants to work for them, and pay tithes.

A tithe is a tax you have to pay to the church.

If the Church lost these lands, then the peasants could not be taken advantage of to such an extent.

So again, I've given some reasons about why Wat Tyler made the demands that he did.

Here's an extension question, because I know you got 5 out of 5, and you worked really really well.

But I also want you to push yourself a little harder, to do this extension.

Now again, I want to remind you, that for questions like this, there are no right or wrong answer.

So, who might've felt threatened the most by the Peasant's Revolt? So you're seeing the sentence starters and there's a gap in the beginning.

In that gap, you're going to write down a category, it could be the king, would have felt most threatened due to and then you can follow the other sentences, and I have given you the key words that you may wish to include.

So pause the video in a moment to have a quick thought about how you would answer this question.

Brilliant.

Let's all plan it together.

So you can see, I've given you four different groups that might've felt threatened by the Peasant's Revolt.

King, royal advisors, local lords and tax collectors and I've given you a hint of what you can include for each one.

I'd like you to pause the video in a moment, and write down any more information that you can think that supports why each one might've felt threatened.

So pause the video, now.

Well done! I know you've really wrapped your mind, from the last two of these lessons, in order to fill in the information.

So, you may have got more than me, in which case, you are an absolute star! Or you might've missed something out, that's fine, just make sure that you've got it copied down.

So here's what I said.

The king would've felt threatened, he was only fourteen years old, he is still a child, his advisors are not helping him, and he's got an entire peasant army that has taken over the city where he is, and so he's got to feel threatened.

What happens if somebody lost control in the peasant army and tried to kill him? So the king would've felt really scared.

The royal advisors.

John of Gaunt saw the palace he lived in attacked and burnt.

They know that the peasants blame a lot of them for giving the king poor advice.

So, again, you can improve that by saying Simon of Sudbury and Robert de hales, who were killed by the peasants for their belief that they provided poor advice to the king.

What about the local lords in England? They may have punished peasants on their land for asking to be given more wages, or to stop being believed to be villeins.

They may have enforced and enacted the Statutes of Labourers.

So the local lords have to be really careful how they treat their peasants, especially during this revolt.

And finally, at the bottom, you've got the tax collectors.

The people that were sent out by the royal advisors and the local lords to collect the taxes, and they've been told to force the peasants to pay them.

And it's these who've been attacked and killed.

Now that we've got rid of those, back to the sentence starters.

Okay, pause the video in a moment, and have a go answering this question.

You can use the sentence starters to help you, if you wish.

So pause the video, now.

Well done! I'm really really proud of how hard you've worked today, you've been absolute stars.

If you wish to share your work, please ask your parent, carer or guardian to do so on any of the following social media sites.

I look forward to Lesson 3 of 4 and I hope you take a part in it.