Hello everyone and welcome back to the History of England episode 68, where peasants fight

back and the battle times.

Every week I recommend an audience courtesy of all the ball.

I'd like to start this week's history by going back to Professor Pressswitch and his

downtrodden peasants.

And look, I am certainly not about to mix it with an eminent historian who's forgotten

more than I've learned, but it's just worth putting the statement into context, which

of course he spends several podcasts worth of words doing.

Yes, your average peasant did not face a life of joy, laughter and the unrestricted pursuit

of happiness.

Yes, your average peasant was probably pretty troddenon.

But that did not mean that to be a peasant was to be a doormat.

They were quite capable of working together and fighting back.

We should put this in a bit of context.

From around 1200, magnates and major lords were aware of a growing problem of control.

Large attendance in particular were becoming more independent.

Part of this was the royal justice was being extended to all three men.

But the question was, where should the line be drawn between who was free and who was

unfree?

As we've said before, lords had no problem with royal justice, and indeed they wanted

more and better quality royal justice.

But hey, this royal justice was surely only for the people who matter.

...