Walter (Wat) Tyler is an English rebel. He became the leader of the largest peasant uprising that took place in 1381. This is a military historical figure whose activities influenced medieval England.
Wat Tyler is remembered in history as an ardent defender of peasant rights. The member of the lower class showed incredible courage and ingenuity in the struggle against the serfdom of the peasants.
Tyler's biography
Walter was born in the small village of Broxley, which geographically belonged to the county of Kent. The future rebel received his name in honor of his father - Walter Hillard. The latter was a civilian and always worked as a roofer. All the events of Tyler's youth were restored page by page in the famous work of 1851. Walter's biography tells that an unsuccessful love story prompted a young man to enter military service. Walter went to France, where he managed to prove himself excellently in several battles of the Hundred Years War. The young man stood out from the rest of the soldiers for his courage and ingenuity. King Edward, who ruled in those years, repeatedly noted the courage and courage of Walter. Then Tyler returned to his native village, mastered the skill in the forge and married a girl he liked. But England is restless - a rebellion is brewing due to the successful uprisings of the French peasants.
Great peasant uprising
A major industrial leap in the middle of the 14th century made the labor of the English serfs ineffective. The feudal lords began to transfer them to a monetary quitrent and often gave them personal freedom. Some peasants were able to get rich by taking up their own production. Others went bankrupt, not getting what they wanted, and were forced to return again as farm laborers to their former owners. On the way to capitalist agriculture, a new form of land holding was introduced - they could be rented. But this did not help most of the peasants to establish their life. Many of them became low-paid wage workers, toiled for a piece of bread. But the lords still hoped to regain their old positions. A conflict was brewing. But the main reasons for the peasant uprising of 1381 were:
- endless hostilities - all the hardships fell on the common people, who dreamed of ending the Hundred Years War;
- the introduction of a poll tax - 3 grottoes or a silver coin equal to 4 pence became unaffordable for citizens;
- problems with the eradication of serfdom for family peasants - loners became free, but other people had no chance to take their wife and children to the city, to earn a living normally.
The peasants have already made concessions earlier. But the growth in the well-being of ordinary citizens did not happen, which caused mass unrest. Against the backdrop of riots in France, a major uprising broke out in the county of Essen in the south-east of England. The year was 1381. The rebels were joined by peasants from the county of Kent, led by Wat Tyler. A military career gave him great experience, so the man confidently led the campaign to London. In total, peasants from 25 counties of England took part in the uprising.
The capture of the impregnable Tower, the assassination of the Lord Chancellor and the Archbishop - these events led King Richard to sad thoughts about the seriousness of what was happening. The ruler at the age of 14 was quick-witted and cunning. He decided to gather advice from the courtiers and ask for advice. But the nobles were too scared to make recommendations. Then the king ordered to notify people that he will speak to them in one of the suburbs of London (Mile End). The result of this cunning event was the elimination of part of the rebels. For the rebels, royal power remained sacred, so many did not disobey Richard's decree.
The Mile End Program included a set of people's demands on their king. The peasants at that time were in dire need of the following transformations:
- complete abolition of serfdom and serfdom;
- the establishment of a single cash rent - 4p per acre of land;
- free trade throughout England;
- amnesty for participants in the uprising.
No one encroached on the existing feudal stand. Hungry peasants only wanted to improve their life. Wat Tyler also played an important role in compiling the list of requirements. King Richard gave his word that he would fulfill his promise, and this prompted many people to end hostilities. But Tyler did not trust the ruler and, along with other rebels, continued to stay in London. The riots did not subside, so the king had to promise people a new meeting. As a result, Richard arrived at Smithfield and demanded a meeting with the leader of the uprising. Tyler and the king met on June 15, 1381 on the battlefield. The peasant put forward new demands that became the basis of the Smithfield Program. Now they affected the entire feudal system. Wat Tyler proposed the creation of a union of free communities. But the king did not oppose such an idea and promised to fulfill the demand, reserving the right to wear the crown.
And then something happened that became a real symbol of the treachery of the representatives of the nobility. London Mayor William Wallworth made an attempt to arrest the rebel leader. But Tyler was not going to give up - he hit the enemy with Kiptal, but could not break through the chain mail. In response, the mayor mortally wounded Wat with his sword. After that, one of the servants hit the rebel again. Companions managed to help their leader leave the battlefield. But the mayor of London with troops rushed into the hospital and demanded to give him half-dead Tyler, the leader of the uprising was beheaded. The story mentions that Wallworth presented to Richard the head of the enemy, impaled. And for this, the king awarded the mayor with silver, an estate of land, bestowed upon him a knighthood. After the murder of Wat Tyler, the rebellion ended. But London was flooded with rivers of peasant blood for a long time. King Richard could not calm down and perpetrated reprisals against hundreds of families.
Preserved in literature image
Wat Tyler has made a huge contribution to history. After his death, the London authorities did not return to the old order, oppressing the rights of the peasants. This man's life is immortalized in books. In 1794, therefore, a drama of the same name, "Wat Tyler", was written in English. In 1922, the Soviet writer Andrei Globa created a poem of a similar theme. And the composer from England Alan Bush dedicated an opera to the events of the peasant uprising of 1381.
