Wat Tyler
Leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England.
He emerged as the premier leader of a revolt that touched many parts of England and confronted King Richard II.[1] Tyler was killed at Smithfield on 15 July 1381 during an altercation with the Mayor of London.[2] Tyler's early life is not well documented.[3]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 4 January 1341 or c. 1320
- Birthplace
- Kent or Essex, England
- Died
- 15 June 1381
- Place of death
- London, England
- Known for
- Peasants' Revolt
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Historical sources give differing accounts of Tyler's birth, with one claiming he was born on 4 January 1341 and another around 1320.[3] His name "Wat" may have been a diminutive of Walter, and "Tyler" likely came from his occupation as a roof tiler.[3] He probably lived in Kent or Essex and is said by chroniclers to have served as an archer in France.[4] By June 1381, Tyler had emerged as a leader of the Kentish forces.[5]
Tyler met King Richard at Smithfield on 15 June and put forward his demands.[6] Tyler was taken to a hospital but was tracked down and publicly beheaded, and his head was displayed on London Bridge.[7] A birth year around 1341 is accepted by the majority of historians.[3] A poll tax of four pence levied on everyone fifteen years old and older, imposed shortly before, sparked the Peasants' Revolt which started in May 1381.[8]
What the cited sources add
The Spartacus Educational account states that Tyler approached the king mounted on a small horse and addressed him as "Brother".[9] Tyler demanded that no lord shall have lordship in future and that land should be divided among all men.[9] According to the same source, Tyler rinsed his mouth with water in a rude manner before the king.[9] The Centre for Kent History and Heritage notes that the jury of the Maidstone Hundred identified Tyler as Wat Tyler of Colchester.[1]
That source also observes that Tyler's portrayals reflect the society in which they are produced.[1] The Gutenberg account describes the revolt's trigger as a tax collector who pulled up Tyler's daughter's clothes to check her age.[10]
References
- "Wat Tyler, Lossenham project and Cuxton – a fascinating mix", Centre for Kent History and Heritage, 16 June 2021. facts only, no text reused. blogs.canterbury.ac.uk
- "Peasants' Revolt Plaque Unveiled In Smithfield", Londonist, 2015-07-17. facts only, no text reused. londonist.com
- Wikipedia, "Wat Tyler" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Medieval Period: Politics – Wat Tyler and the peasants' revolt", Dartford Town Archive (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wat Tyler" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Medieval Period: Politics – Wat Tyler and the peasants' revolt", Dartford Town Archive; Prescott, "Tyler, Walter [Wat] (d. 1381)", 2004; Dunn, "The Great Rising of 1381: the Peasants' Revolt and England's Failed Revolution", Tempus, 2002, p. 58 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wat Tyler" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Project Gutenberg eBook of London and Its Environs Described. Vol. IV.", www.gutenberg.org; Smith, "Tyler, Wat", Oxford University Press, 1917, p. 1347–1348 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wat Tyler" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Death of Wat Tyler: (Y55) CAC", Spartacus Educational (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wat Tyler" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stow, "The Survey of London", J.M.Dent, 1598, p. 24; "The Death of Wat Tyler: (Y55) CAC", Spartacus Educational; Smith, "Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, 1973, p. 1347–1348; "The Death of Wat Tyler (1381)", The History Guide (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wat Tyler" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hilton, "Medieval England An Encyclopedia", Garland Publishing, 1998, p. 590–591; Smith, "Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, 1973, p. 993 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "The Death of Wat Tyler: (Y55) CAC", Spartacus Educational. facts only, no text reused. spartacus-educational.com
- "The Project Gutenberg eBook of London and Its Environs Described. Vol. IV.", www.gutenberg.org. facts only, no text reused. gutenberg.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Wat Tyler (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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