Pros And Cons Of The Peasants Revolt

As Tony Imperato points out, 'Medieval feudalism placed the monarch in the position of owner of all the lands in the realm, which he distributed to his nobles in return for their loyalty and service. As their overlord, the King could demand a payment whenever changes took place in landholding arrangements.' This paved the way for the exploitation of his nobles in order to gain revenue. There were many means in which he did this. One was the system of 'wardship', and 'relief'.

The peasant's rebellion in the German states was an even that took place between 1524 and 1526, when the peasants rose up and attacked authoritative figures like churches and nobles. The revolt was eventually crushed and suppresed by the German Princes, and over a hundred thousand rebels were killed in the process, The revolt was ultimately caused by poor economic status for the peasants and Martin luther's anit-authoritiative ideas. After it had begun, the responses to the revolt were mostly negative to the people with high economic status- Martin Luther and other lords despised it.

A major impact for this period of time was the “Black Plague” or also called Black Death. This Phenomena was a bubonic plague that wiped out 1/3 of Europe’s population. The plague was considered one of the deadliest pandemics in the history of humankind. 75 million people around the world lost their lives to this plague noting the biggest number of people being located in Europe. The “Black Plague” played a major role in the economic history of the Western Civilization due to so many people dying, Europe was declining rapidly. There were shortages of labor providing a fertile ground for economic diversification and innovation in technology. There was famine and pestilence, which would eventually lead to the capital accumulation intensification in the urban areas, stimulating the growth of trade and industry.

Popular protest and rebellion show that subordinate members of society were unhappy with how society was based around class. Rebellions and protests were an outlet for class based frustrations. There was a fear that the crown, which was positioned in a high level on the Great Chain of Being, would make life harder for the commoners for its own benefit. For example, in 1536 Adam Fermour in Waldron in Essex had a fear that if a man should pass away, the crown would allow his wife and children to starve or turn to beginning to survive. Fears such as this one were shared within in labouring class between 1530 and 1550. These fears further antagonised local grievances and made it more likely for people to join rebellions. The rebellions of 1549 show this frustration with the class based system as John Guy describes the situation as being ‘the closest thing Tudor England saw to a class war’.

With depopulation, agricultural and commerce reform and labor force alterations, the effects of the Black Death in England were dramatic and placed the course of the English economy on a new path.

The Peasant Uprising of England and France, erupted in 1381. Armies of peasants were revolting and captured the Tower of London. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the King's Treasurer were slaughtered. What had caused this uproar? Had the country become loose due to their 14 year old King? What made the peasants revolt and march to London?

Often medieval events seem primitive and distant, but the English Peasants’ Revolt during the summer of 1381 shared traits with many of today’s problems. Poor government, passionate leaders, and powerful momentum made the peasants a substantial force. Contemporaries of the revolt recorded it with a shared feeling of horror, while some modern men applaud the revolt for its ideals. Ultimately, for all its significance, the bloody revolt ended with little except a change in political atmosphere. The Peasants’ Revolt resulted from a great culmination of English issues, but despite the revolt’s relevant origins and catastrophic nature, the bloodshed and chaos ultimately brought little of value.

There were a number of conditions that would lead to the emergence of “feudal warfare” in the early Middle Ages and there would be an equal number that would lead to its decline in the later middle ages as well yet to find the meaning of “feudal warfare” one has to look first at where this notion came from, and that was Feudalism.

The English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 is seen a major event in British history. The peasants raised up against the clergy and the government. They were tired of the extreme economic hardship they were being placed under. The taxes were unbearable, so they revolted.

Feudalism captivates over the lord’s giving certain rights and land in return for work. These workers would provide all the items needed for these places to survive. Although these peasants worked a lot, their lives were very tough. These individuals have to pay enormous taxes for everything. They had to pay a church tax, this was further known as a tithe, and consisted of 10 percent of their pay.

The answer to the question ,“Say you have the delightful choice between life as a country peasant in the High Middle Ages or life as a common city resident at that time. Which would you eagerly choose?” I would choose peasant, no I am not crazy. Peasants worked the land and produced the stuff that the lord and his manor needed. This trade was not easy for the peasants. They were heavily taxed and were required to hand over much of what they harvested. The peasants did not even "belong to" themselves, according to medieval law.

The feudal system consisted of four parts, the kings, lords, knights, and the peasants also known as serfs. The feudal system helped sustain order in Medieval Europe. The King, the most powerful position, owned all the land and created the laws in the country. The king would provide small areas of lands, called fiefs, to the higher class lords and nobles. In exchange, the lords / nobles would supply the king with soldiers. The nobles held power over the knights. In return for the knight’s services the nobles would give them small pieces of land. The peasants would work on the knight’s land only if they were promised for protection. There was a connection between all of the classes.

\The main reason for feudalism was for the king to be able to be able to gather an army using his vassals. A king would have to call an army when invaders came to take his land, since there was not roman legion to protect them (Richardson, Robert 1). The king would summon his vassal to gather an army to fight for him. The king’s vassals would prepare for war and, gather their vassals who swore an oath to serve them and, the men who lived on their estates. Then the men would join the king's army. The soldiers would have weapons and armor to join the king's army (Richardson, Robert 28). There were specific roles in the army, the elite and foot soldiers. Their would be 2 categories of soldiers. The knights who were the elite soldiers of the army

But, if the king’s vassals doesn’t have enough knights, the king’s vassals asked their own vassals and it keeps on going until the lower class, or serfs, has to fight for the king. Another instance, “Scarce money […] and the constant threat of raids and warfare and lack of a strong central government forced the nobility to build strong defense networks around their strongholds and castles” (“Vassal”). If the lord is not strong enough to protect them, then the vassals will go to find new lords that will have military power that will protect them. This is when loyalty to the lord and generosity comes into play. Also, chivalry is significant in the feudal society.

The system was developed since the whole entire basis of rule from all the civilizations before the Middle Ages was lost. Early Europe was in desperate need of such a system since they were constantly being raided by the Vikings and other outsiders. Most of the people were peasants or serfs they were the lowest in the feudal system they did not own anything but the kings and lords were the highest, because the kings owned a lot of land and the lord were the closest to God. In this time period every one worked except for the king he just eats, punishes people, then sleep. A lord could demand 40 days of battle from his knights in a time of war. During peacetime a vassal had to hold courts of justice, charge tolls on bridges, collect taxes, and much more. A peasant lived on a manor or a small estate from which the lord's family gained everything it needed. A peasant farmed the land and did lots of jobs for the lord. Serfs were kind of the same as a peasant except at birth they were bound to the land and could not leave. A free peasant might have become a serf if a bad harvest took place in exchange for bread and protection.The usual life expectancy was 31 years old, which is not much at all compared to today's world. Based on the book