1. Increasing number of landlords stopped paying workers for their labour. Villagers were given land to farm, but it was the poorest land. After the BD there so few people to work on the land that they could ask for more money for their labour => the end of serfdom.

2. new class – “yeoman”: landlords let out their land to energetic freeman farmers who bit by bit added to their own land. It was a way of avoiding losses.

3. Replacement of wool by finished cloth as England’s main export.

The Watt Tyler revolt

1377 – Richard II became the king (the grandson of Ed. III)

Without any diplomatic skill, not popular. He became the king when he was only 11. So others governed for him. In a year he became king, these advisers introduced him a tax payment for every person over the age of 15.

1381 – this tax was enforced and increased to three times => immediate revolt in E.Anglia and in Kent (the richer parts) => people had become more aware and confident of their rights and power.

The new tax had led to revolt. But there were other reasons. The landlords had been trying for some time to force the peasants back into serfdom (cheaper than paid labour). The leader of a revolt – Watt Tyler. Revolutionary rhyme – when God created man he had not made one man master over another => called for an end feudalism. Peasant’s Revolt lasted for four weeks. Peasants took control of much of London. There were also poorer townspeople. Tyler was killed.

Richard II agreed to meet the leaders of the revolt, and listen to their demands. Watt Tyler decided to ride out alone and parley with the King. Unarmed Tyler was suddenly attacked without warning and killed by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Walworth and John Cavendish, a member of the king's group.

The Peasant’s Revolt made far-reaching demands: a charter of liberties, the end of all lordship except the King’s, the end of serfdom, return of church land to people, etc.

Maybe it’s the cause of revolt too… Tax collector came Tyler’s house and decided that his daughter should pay this tax too (she was under 14). Watt Tyler “protected” her. John Ball – co-leader of 1381 Peasants' Revolt. Jack Straw – co-leader of 1381 Peasants' Revolt

Events leading to the revolt

1.Poll tax

The revolt was precipitated by King Richard II's heavy-handed attempts to enforce the third medieval poll tax, first levied in 1377. The youth of King Richard II (aged only 14) was reason for the uprising: a group of unpopular men dominated his government. These included John of Gaunt, Simon Sudbury and Sir Robert Hales. Many saw them as corrupt officials, trying to exploit the weakness of the king.

2.Triggering

Incidents in the Essex villages of Fobbing and Brentwood triggered the uprising. On May 1381, John or Thomas Bampton attempted to collect the poll tax from villagers at Fobbing. The villagers, led by Thomas Baker, a local landowner, told Bampton that they would give him nothing, and he was forced to leave the village empty-handed. Robert Belknap was sent to investigate the incident and to punish the offenders. On June, he was attacked at Brentwood. By this time, the violent discontent had spread, and the counties of Essex and Kent were in full revolt. Soon people moved on London in an armed uprising.

John Wycliffe and his translation of the Bible. Heresy and orthodoxy.

Discontent with the church. 1381 - rebel for removal of all bishops and archbishops

Discontent with the church:

1.Church – feudal power.

2.Pop – foreigner, from France => paying taxes to the Church => helping France against England.

The end of 14^th century – new religious ideas appeared in England (dangerous to Church authority), heresy. Known as “Lollardy”, came from a Latin “to say prayers”. One of the leaders – John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor. Believed that everyone should read the Bible in English. Also, he thought that Church should be poor, as in the days of the apostles. Translated the Bible from Latin in 1396. But he wasn’t allowed to publish it and was forced to leave Oxford.

There are two distinct versions of Wycliffe's Bible that have been written, the earlier was translated during the life of Wycliffe. The later version is regarded as the work of John Purvey. The earlier bible is a rigid and literal translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible, Wycliffe's view of theology is close to realism rather than spiritual. This version was translated word for word which often lead to confusion of meaninglessness. It was aimed towards the less learned clergymen and the lay.

The Wars of the Roses: roots and procedures.

1455-1485

Lancaster, “Lancastrians” – barons of the North; red rose Henry VI

York, “Yorkists” – barons of the South; white rose, Richard (Duke of York), Ed. IV (Richard’s son), Richard III (Ed.’s IV brother).

Henry VI – simple-minded, book-loving, didn’t like warlike nobles => unsuitable king for violent society. He was mentally ill.

Nobles’ question: ‘Who should be ruling the country?’

More than sixty noble families controlling England. The discontented nobility were divided between:

1. Henry VI, the ‘Lancastrians’

2. The Duke of York, the ‘Yorkists’

1460 – the duke of York claimed the throne for himself. After his death in the battle, his son Edward took up the struggle and won the throne in 1461.

Ed.VI put H. into the Tower of London. Nine years later H. was rescued and Ed. was chased out of the country. He returned in England in 1471 and defeated the “L.”

Ed.’s, Ed. V, son had been old enough to rule and Ed.’s brother, Richard of Gloucester, was very ambitious => Ed.IV died in 1483 => his sons were put in the Tower by Richard => were murdered month later. He became King Richard III.

R. III wasn’t popular. 1485 – a challenger with a distant claim to royal blood through John of Gaunt landed in England with soldiers to claim the throne. L and Y joined him. It was Henry Tudor, duke of Richmond. R. III was defeated.

H.T. married Elisabeth of York in 1485 and was crowned as H. III of England. He thus reunited the two royal houses, merging the rival symbols of the red and white roses into the new emblem of the red and white Tudor Rose.

The structure of the 15^th century society

Still based upon rank. At the top – dukes, earls and other lords (fewer as a result of war). Below – knights (‘gentlemen farmers’). Next to the gentlemen were the ordinary freemen of the towns. They controlled the life of a town. Towns offered to poor men the chance to become rich and successful through trade.

The guilds protected those memberships from the poorer classes. As they didn’t have money or connections to become members, they tried to join together to protect their interests => the first efforts to form a trade union.

The merchant organizations necessary to operate trading stations became important at a national level, and began to replace the old town guilds as the most powerful trading institutions. They copied the aims and methods of the guilds.

New middle class. The most successful of the lawyers, merchants, cloth manufactures, exporters, esquires, gentlemen and yeomen farmers were forming a single class of people with interests in both town and country. Educated and skilled in law, administration and trade => because of the increase in literacy => ‘literate class’. They disliked serfdom partly because it was now viewed as unchristian, but also for the practical reason that it wasn’t economic.

The Stuarts

The name Stewart derives from the political position of office similar to a governor, known as a steward. The Stuart dynasty reigned in England and Scotland from 1603 to 1714

• James VI of Scotland and I of England, 1566–1625

• Charles I of Scotland and England, 1600–1649

• Charles II of Scotland and England, 1630 - 1685

• James VII of Scotland and II of England, 1633–1701

• Mary II of Scotland and England, 1662–1694 and Anne of Great Britain, 1665–1714