Peasants' Revolt - Part Two: London's Burning
There's no such thing as the Dark Ages
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32m
In part two we investigate the fiery and frenetic days following 13th June 1381. With huge numbers of peasants having gathered around London... things were about to turn violent.
We follow their footsteps as they cross London Bridge and enter the city. Destruction starts quickly as they begin to attack the property of those who hold the documents that keep them firmly underneath the boot of the few. Sadly for John of Gaunt this includes savaging the most luxurious home in the whole of London, his home, the Savoy Palace.
At the Savoy we meet a familiar face from episode one, the formidable Joanna Ferrour, who takes control of the 520 rebels and burns the site to the ground, stealing everything inside it. When the government realises something must be done to quell the rebels violent rampage, the King agrees to meet the rebels leader, Wat Tyler at Mile End.
This goes relatively smoothly, everything is seemingly going to plan…although events at the Tower of London on the same day do not end so peacefully. The attack on the Tower brings about the deaths of some of the most important men in England, Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury and Robert Hales the Treasurer. But new evidence found by the People of 1381 Project can now reveal how normal people, like Margery Tawney, easily got caught up in the chaos of that long hot summer.
And of course, we can’t talk about the scenes in London that summer without discussing one of the most explosive blows to those supporting the peasants throughout the revolt: the death of one of its most important figures at Smithfields, Wat Tyler.
In this episode Matt meets back up with Medieval Historian Dr Helen Castor to discover more about how Richard felt during this turbulent time as well as digging even deeper into the documents uncovered by the People of 1381 Project team with Dr Helen Lacey.
The final episode exploring the legacy in the months following June 1381 will be coming out in mid-March.
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Fancy going to some of the locations featured in this film?
St Magnus the Martyr Church: https://www.stmagnusmartyr.org.uk/
Temple Church: https://www.templechurch.com/
Tower of London: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/
The National Archives: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
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