The Peasants Revolt
The King is dead. Long live the King.
The Geste ends with the death of Edward III, our comely king, who died about the same time William Langland published his contemporary poem, Piers Ploughman. Being a cleric, the violence of the Cheshire Archers at Dieulacres Abbey must have deeply distressed him. That aside, Lady Meed was Alice Perrers, the king’s lover; the Earl of Chester was the Black Prince; and the lazy priest resembled Friar Tuck. He did not know the Psalter, but he knew the rhymes of Robin Hood. As King Edward lay on his deathbed, Alice Perrers took the ring off his finger. A priest gave him a crucifix to hold, and Edward expired. Laurence Minot, the minstrel, described Edward III as approachable, liberal, compassionate, and charming. Shakespeare depicted the new monarch, King Richard II, as cruel, vindictive, and irresponsible.
On the day Richard ascended the throne, he granted Guichard D. Angelo the title of Earl of Huntingdon plus a second pension for life. With the crowning ceremony completed, the bishop of Hereford, William Courtenay (1342-1396), crowned Anne of Bohemia, Queen Consort of England. Richard had not been king for long when the French invaded England for the third time. Landing on the south coast, they occupied the Isle of Wight, from where they raided Rye, Lewes, Folkestone, and Portsmouth. King Edward had already imposed a poll tax of four pennies on every adult to fund an army, but the problem persisted. So, after their second invasion in 1378, John O’Gaunt imposed another poll tax, in which the rich paid more than the average person. Unfortunately, Gaunt’s efforts failed again, and it fell to his son Richard II, who raised the poll tax to twelve pence for everyone over fifteen years old. Large families suffered tremendous poverty, while Richard and his friends lived in luxury, with the finest of everything.
People’s anger knew no bounds when the self-obsessed king squandered a fortune on fine buildings, culture, and art for selfish pleasure while they struggled to survive. Rioters killed Simon de Sudbury, the Chancellor, and the Bishop of Hereford, William de Courtenay, took his place. He chastised King Richard for his extravagance in front of the people, and the resulting royal threats drove him to Devon for a time. His position as chancellor soon ended, although people will remember him as the Bishop of Hereford as long as the rhymes remain.
When news of the London riots reached York, people, including Robin, took to the streets themselves in protest. John Gisbourne, the Lord Mayor of York, had the same selfish, heartless attitude as the king. He changed the rules to his advantage and penalised those who committed minor offences. He tinkered with the royal mint in York, forged money with impunity, and taxed the citizens to pay for the merchant adventurer’s ships. The people got nothing in return, while the merchants grew rich. Later, he gave those same ships to the king to help in the French wars. Gisbourne did not care about the citizens of York; his loyalty lay with the king.
King Richard granted the people’s demands during negotiations in London after the rioting. He pardoned the 20,000 followers of Wat Tyler. John Ball and Jack Straw, the king’s thirty scribes, worked late into the night writing pardons. Still dissatisfied, Tyler continued negotiations the next day at Smithfield. His hot temper and aggressive manner, combined with even more demands, became too much for Walworth, the Mayor of London. He took hold of a scimitar from beneath his coat and struck Tyler on the head. Tyler fell from his horse, a dead man. King Richard revoked his concessions and pardons, putting the rebels in grave danger of losing their lives.
The protesters began their journey home, unaware of the changed circumstances. The king retaliated by ordering his private army, the Cheshire Archers, to follow and hang the protesters by the necks until they were dead. Despite waving their pardons in the air, the king’s troops seized and hanged hundreds. (These are the same men who were at Dieulacres Abbey.) One thousand five hundred people died in Kent, and the camp at Billericay in Essex suffered destruction. They massacred five hundred people in Hertfordshire and more in St. Albans. When King Richard saw his loyal soldiers dying, he changed his mind. So, with his council’s agreement, he ordained they would receive his grace and pardon for their misdeeds, provided they never rebel again. Everyone was to have his charter of pardon and pay the King twenty shillings to make him rich as a fee for his seal. If they ever rebelled again, they would die.
Twelve months later, King Richard held an inquiry in York. He reinstated Gisbourne and granted pardons, including one for Robin of Loxley. Otherwise, nothing had changed. “You are villains and will remain villains,” he told the people of York. In London, he said, “Rustics you were, and rustics you are still. You will remain in bondage, not as before, but incomparably harsher. As long as we live, we will strive with mind, strength, and goods to suppress you so that the rigour of your servitude will be an example to posterity.” The wealthy clergy, exempt from paying taxes themselves, declared bondsmen to be the goods and chattels of the lords of the manor. Nothing will change. Simon de Quixley, the people’s preferred Lord Mayor of York, and Robin paid a high price for their efforts. Their names are on the pardon roll.
OBSERVATIONS:
William Langland, born in the Hereford region, a cleric, and author of Piers Ploughman, may have obtained his education at the Benedictine school in Great Malvern. References to places in Piers Ploughman suggest he was familiar with London, Westminster, and Shropshire.
In the ballad Robin and the Bishop of Hereford, Robin robs the bishop on the road to York; and forces him to dance in his boots and ride a horse backwards. He was Langland’s superior. The tree in Hadrian's Wall is a Hollywood prop. The Bishop was on his way to York to collect his stipend, a journey he made every month..
On the day Richard ascended the throne, the Bishop of Hereford, William de Courtenay, crowned Richard’s wife Queen Consort. When they killed Simon de Sudbury in the Poll Tax riots, Bishop William de Courtenay became Chancellor of the Exchequer and the bishop of the ballads.
William Langland died c. 1400. William Courtenay, died in 1396. Robin died in c. 1402.
Copyright © 2020, Graham Kirkby All rights reserved. NEXT PAGE
The Geste ends with the death of Edward III, our comely king, who died about the same time William Langland published his contemporary poem, Piers Ploughman. Being a cleric, the violence of the Cheshire Archers at Dieulacres Abbey must have deeply distressed him. That aside, Lady Meed was Alice Perrers, the king’s lover; the Earl of Chester was the Black Prince; and the lazy priest resembled Friar Tuck. He did not know the Psalter, but he knew the rhymes of Robin Hood. As King Edward lay on his deathbed, Alice Perrers took the ring off his finger. A priest gave him a crucifix to hold, and Edward expired. Laurence Minot, the minstrel, described Edward III as approachable, liberal, compassionate, and charming. Shakespeare depicted the new monarch, King Richard II, as cruel, vindictive, and irresponsible.
On the day Richard ascended the throne, he granted Guichard D. Angelo the title of Earl of Huntingdon plus a second pension for life. With the crowning ceremony completed, the bishop of Hereford, William Courtenay (1342-1396), crowned Anne of Bohemia, Queen Consort of England. Richard had not been king for long when the French invaded England for the third time. Landing on the south coast, they occupied the Isle of Wight, from where they raided Rye, Lewes, Folkestone, and Portsmouth. King Edward had already imposed a poll tax of four pennies on every adult to fund an army, but the problem persisted. So, after their second invasion in 1378, John O’Gaunt imposed another poll tax, in which the rich paid more than the average person. Unfortunately, Gaunt’s efforts failed again, and it fell to his son Richard II, who raised the poll tax to twelve pence for everyone over fifteen years old. Large families suffered tremendous poverty, while Richard and his friends lived in luxury, with the finest of everything.
People’s anger knew no bounds when the self-obsessed king squandered a fortune on fine buildings, culture, and art for selfish pleasure while they struggled to survive. Rioters killed Simon de Sudbury, the Chancellor, and the Bishop of Hereford, William de Courtenay, took his place. He chastised King Richard for his extravagance in front of the people, and the resulting royal threats drove him to Devon for a time. His position as chancellor soon ended, although people will remember him as the Bishop of Hereford as long as the rhymes remain.
When news of the London riots reached York, people, including Robin, took to the streets themselves in protest. John Gisbourne, the Lord Mayor of York, had the same selfish, heartless attitude as the king. He changed the rules to his advantage and penalised those who committed minor offences. He tinkered with the royal mint in York, forged money with impunity, and taxed the citizens to pay for the merchant adventurer’s ships. The people got nothing in return, while the merchants grew rich. Later, he gave those same ships to the king to help in the French wars. Gisbourne did not care about the citizens of York; his loyalty lay with the king.
King Richard granted the people’s demands during negotiations in London after the rioting. He pardoned the 20,000 followers of Wat Tyler. John Ball and Jack Straw, the king’s thirty scribes, worked late into the night writing pardons. Still dissatisfied, Tyler continued negotiations the next day at Smithfield. His hot temper and aggressive manner, combined with even more demands, became too much for Walworth, the Mayor of London. He took hold of a scimitar from beneath his coat and struck Tyler on the head. Tyler fell from his horse, a dead man. King Richard revoked his concessions and pardons, putting the rebels in grave danger of losing their lives.
The protesters began their journey home, unaware of the changed circumstances. The king retaliated by ordering his private army, the Cheshire Archers, to follow and hang the protesters by the necks until they were dead. Despite waving their pardons in the air, the king’s troops seized and hanged hundreds. (These are the same men who were at Dieulacres Abbey.) One thousand five hundred people died in Kent, and the camp at Billericay in Essex suffered destruction. They massacred five hundred people in Hertfordshire and more in St. Albans. When King Richard saw his loyal soldiers dying, he changed his mind. So, with his council’s agreement, he ordained they would receive his grace and pardon for their misdeeds, provided they never rebel again. Everyone was to have his charter of pardon and pay the King twenty shillings to make him rich as a fee for his seal. If they ever rebelled again, they would die.
Twelve months later, King Richard held an inquiry in York. He reinstated Gisbourne and granted pardons, including one for Robin of Loxley. Otherwise, nothing had changed. “You are villains and will remain villains,” he told the people of York. In London, he said, “Rustics you were, and rustics you are still. You will remain in bondage, not as before, but incomparably harsher. As long as we live, we will strive with mind, strength, and goods to suppress you so that the rigour of your servitude will be an example to posterity.” The wealthy clergy, exempt from paying taxes themselves, declared bondsmen to be the goods and chattels of the lords of the manor. Nothing will change. Simon de Quixley, the people’s preferred Lord Mayor of York, and Robin paid a high price for their efforts. Their names are on the pardon roll.
OBSERVATIONS:
William Langland, born in the Hereford region, a cleric, and author of Piers Ploughman, may have obtained his education at the Benedictine school in Great Malvern. References to places in Piers Ploughman suggest he was familiar with London, Westminster, and Shropshire.
In the ballad Robin and the Bishop of Hereford, Robin robs the bishop on the road to York; and forces him to dance in his boots and ride a horse backwards. He was Langland’s superior. The tree in Hadrian's Wall is a Hollywood prop. The Bishop was on his way to York to collect his stipend, a journey he made every month..
On the day Richard ascended the throne, the Bishop of Hereford, William de Courtenay, crowned Richard’s wife Queen Consort. When they killed Simon de Sudbury in the Poll Tax riots, Bishop William de Courtenay became Chancellor of the Exchequer and the bishop of the ballads.
William Langland died c. 1400. William Courtenay, died in 1396. Robin died in c. 1402.
Copyright © 2020, Graham Kirkby All rights reserved. NEXT PAGE