Castles

Today we will be... Finding out how the Tower of was used for protection during the Peasants’ Revolt.

NEXT www.planbee.com Can you remember how to order these

medieval lord lady king people from most powerful to least powerful? knight cook

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Did you get the order right?

king

lord Does anyone have less lady power than me? knight

cook

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Even though the cook was a servant, peasants who lived in the village were much worse off than he was.

Can you guess the job most peasants had?

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Most peasants worked the land. They were farmers. They did not get to choose where they worked and they were not allowed to leave their job. Peasants had to grow food for their lord and the church as well as for their family. Most of the money peasants earned was taken away from them as taxes.

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Most people living in the UK today have to pay taxes. Their taxes pay for lots of things like schools, hospitals and roads. The amount of tax you pay depends on how much money you earn.

What do you think taxes were used for in medieval times?

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com The lord collected taxes from everyone who lived in his castle and the surrounding villages. The money was spent on banquets, special events, building castles and wars.

If peasants could not afford to pay their taxes to the lord he could stop them working on his fields. This meant they might not have any food to eat. BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Churches also collected taxes. They spent the money building more churches, cathedrals and monasteries.

If peasants did not have any money they had to give seeds to the church. This meant they might not be able to grow enough food Bridlington Priory Church, North to feed their families. Humberside BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Peasants had to work on the church fields once a week. They did not get paid to do this.

Peasants normally worked seven days a week!

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Everyone in medieval England had to pay the same amount of money for their tax. If you were a lord, the tax would have seemed very small. If you were a peasant the tax would have been most of your money.

Do you think this was fair?

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com This was called the poll tax. It made the poorest people very unhappy because they felt it wasn’t fair.

When King Richard II ruled England the peasants had had enough. They decided to rebel.

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com Rebel means to fight against the people in power. The peasants were fighting against their king.

Do you think the peasants were right to rebel?

Think, pair, share.

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What would you say to the king about the taxes?

Think, pair, share.

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com , Wat Tyler, Jack Straw and Johanna Ferrour led the peasants to London to see the king and demand he changed the rules.

They wanted land rents to be reduced, the poll tax to be abolished, to be pardoned for rebelling and to be given more rights.

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com The king was safe inside the . The rebels knew they could not get in because the castle was too strong and the gates were closed and guarded.

The king decided to leave the Tower and meet with the rebels at .

BACK NEXT www.planbee.com The king left the tower and spoke to the peasants. He promised he would change the law.

Do you think the peasants were right to march to London?

Think, pair, share. BACK NEXT www.planbee.com The king did not keep his promise. He said he was forced to make it so it didn’t count. Wat Tyler and John Ball, Jack Straw and Johanna Ferrour were killed.

Do you think the king was right to break his promise?

Think, pair, share.

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