Wat Tyler

Wat Tyler led the English rebels who marched on London during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. He was killed during a meeting with King Richard II at Smithfield.

Peasants’ Revolt: A major English uprising in 1381 against taxation, labor restrictions, and social hierarchy. Tyler became the revolt’s most prominent leader as rebel forces advanced on London.
Maidstone: A town in Kent, England, where rebels freed prisoners from the local castle during the 1381 revolt. Tyler’s followers took Maidstone before joining the wider advance toward London.
Mile End: An area east of medieval London where Richard II met rebel representatives in 1381. At Mile End, the king granted concessions before Tyler’s later death at Smithfield.
Froissart’s Chronicles: A set of French-language historical chronicles by Jean Froissart covering fourteenth-century Europe. Froissart’s account helped shape later narratives of Tyler and the revolt.
Poll tax: A tax levied at a fixed rate on each liable person rather than according to wealth. The unpopular 1380 poll tax helped trigger the rising Tyler led.
London: The capital of England, located on the River Thames. Tyler’s forces entered the city and occupied key sites during the revolt.
Charter of 1381: A set of royal concessions issued during the Peasants’ Revolt, including promises concerning serfdom and rents. Tyler sought broader reforms than the concessions Richard II offered at Mile End.
Anachronism: A chronological error in which something is placed in a period where it does not belong. Later portrayals sometimes project modern political identities onto Tyler and his rebels.
Statute of Labourers 1351: An English law that attempted to limit wages and restrict workers’ movement after the Black Death. Its restrictions on labor helped fuel the grievances behind Tyler’s revolt.
Savoy Palace: A grand London residence belonging to John of Gaunt, destroyed during the 1381 revolt. Rebels burned the palace as an attack on aristocratic wealth and power.

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