Ormrod, W. M., 'The Peasants’ Revolt and the Government of England', Journal of British Studies 29 (1990), 1-30

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Quick Summary

The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 reveals the failings of royal government during the early years of Richard II’s reign

  • English government failed to take decisive action after the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381
  • Indirectly addressed the demands of the rebels relating to public order
  • Failure of government in 1380s due to the inadequacy of royal advisors
Key Conclusion

Ormrod explores the failure of royal government to take decisive action on the proposals for reform put forward in parliament following the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. The minority government that ruled England during the first years of Richard II’s reign was ‘insecure, hesitant and mediocre’ (p. 30). However, this was part of a broader trend. Ormrod concludes that the English government had been ineffectual since the middle decades of the fourteenth century.

Content Overview

The ‘one important initiative’ (p. 25) taken by government following the Peasants’ Revolt was the reform of peacekeeping. This involved making professional royal judges responsible for the maintenance of public order throughout England – a return to a system of ‘tight central control over local justice’ (p. 26) that had been successful in the 1350s under Edward III. Although this reform was not initiated in direct response to the demands put forward by the rebels in 1381, the reform actually addressed some of the demands articulated by Wat Tyler in London during the Peasants’ Revolt.

Further Findings

Ormrod contrasts the failure of royal government in the aftermath of the Peasants’ Revolt with the relative success and skill of government under Edward I in 1279-81 and under Edward III in 1343-51. The failure in the early 1380s was largely down to the inadequacy of royal advisors – a problem only exacerbated by the vacuum in central politics caused by the abandonment of Richard’s II regency councils in 1380.

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