Rodney Hilton's account of the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 remains the classic authoritative text on the 'English Rising'. Hilton views the revolt in the context of a general European pattern of class conflict. He demonstrates that the peasant movements that disturbed the Middle Ages were not mere unrelated outbreaks of violence but had their roots in common economic and political conditions and in a recurring conflict of interest between peasants and landowners.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

A New Introduction

Old Introduction

Part I: General Problems of Medieval Peasant Societies

1 The Nature of Medieval Peasant Economy

2 Early Movements and their Problems

3 Mass Movements of the Later Middle Ages

Part II: The English Rising of 1381

4 The Events of the Rising

5 The General Background

6 The Areas of Revolt

7 Social Composition

8 The Allies of the Rebels

9 Organisation and Aims

10 Conclusion

Index