In the wake of the Black Death a labour shortage gives the underclass leverage to demand better wages, but England's involvement in the Hundred Year War has left the treasury empty and Britain's Baron's are sick of paying for it all. Their solution? Levy new taxes against the working class. An act that leaves England's lower ranks on the brink... But one radical leader rises up to mobilise the common people. Wat Tyler organises an army of peasants, tradesmen and soldiers to march on London, to present King Richard II with a list of grievances. The lower class seemingly have an upper hand, and the King is open to negotiations. But simmering resentments hit a boiling point and the riots quickly turn violent. When the news reaches King Richard II that his subjects are out for blood, he's no longer sympathetic to their cause and ensures Wat Tyler meets a gruesome end.
Up Next in Revolutions That Changed History - Season 1
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The French Revolution
During the Ancien Regime, France is composed of the Clergy, the Nobility and everyone else... With none of the rights or privileges of the other two, the Third Estate's chance to escape a life of squalor can only come on a tide of change. One that will ultimately bring in a new order, but first c...
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The American Revolution
After years of fighting arm-in-arm with their British compatriots, American colonists are shocked by stern import duties enacted over the heads of the colonies. Designed to address the crippling national debt of a warring empire, the Sugar Act, Stamp Tax, and Townshend Act incite open rebellion. ...
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Decembrist Revolt
A secret society of Russian military officers with dreams of political revolution set out to overthrow the Romanovs by spreading a lie about one Tsar usurping another. But when Tsar Konstantine renounces the throne, opportunity to bring an end to the autocratic government and serfdom begins to cl...
