The Peasants' Revolt
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
4.7 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 19 February 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1381, after plague, famine and war had pushed England to the brink, a final blow sparked an extraordinary uprising. This episode explores the Peasants’ Revolt, not as a chaotic riot, but as a coordinated challenge to royal and religious power in England.
To cut through the myths, we're joined by medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega, co-host of the 'Gone Medieval' podcast. She explains what really happened, why it mattered, and how this rebellion sent shockwaves through medieval England and beyond.
Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You have survived the Black Death, a series of famines, and the Hundred Years' War. |
| 0:09.0 | The year is 1381, it's fair to say, you're up against it. |
| 0:13.0 | And now, with perhaps 60% of the population gone and crops failing again, |
| 0:20.0 | the government goes and issues new crushing taxes. |
| 0:25.1 | It is really not surprising that one man says, we have paid enough. |
| 0:31.4 | And that was the spark that ignited a movement. Well, more than a movement, a revolution. |
| 0:36.9 | Now, this is not a baying mob of |
| 0:38.7 | pitchfork-wielding rioters. It is a coordinated, organized strike at the heart of power. |
| 0:46.6 | Religious houses and royal palaces burned. An archbishop and senior government officials |
| 0:52.5 | beheaded. The gates of London thrown open. |
| 0:56.3 | The rebels welcomed into what was supposed to be an impregnable royal fortress, |
| 1:01.6 | the Tower of London. |
| 1:03.7 | Today, I'm going to be joined by the brilliant medieval historian |
| 1:07.7 | and host of gone medieval, Dr. Eleanor Jarniger, |
| 1:10.8 | to unravel some of the |
| 1:12.4 | myths around the Peasants' Revolt, to really get to the heart of what happened and why, |
| 1:18.9 | and look at how it rocked the medieval world, not just in England, but across Europe too. |
| 1:24.1 | Welcome to Dan Snow's history hit. This is the story of the Peasant's Revolt. |
| 1:31.5 | T-minus 10. |
| 1:32.6 | The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. |
| 1:34.9 | God saves the king. |
| 1:36.5 | No black-white unity till there is first in black unity. |
... |
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