They Finally Snapped

Centuries of exploitation eventually exploded. The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 saw tens of thousands march on London, burning tax records and beheading the Archbishop of Canterbury. Their leader Wat Tyler demanded an end to serfdom.

King Richard II promised reforms, then had Tyler killed during negotiations. The revolt was crushed. But it planted a seed — within 150 years, serfdom in England was effectively dead. The people who built everything finally refused to be nothing. The shockwaves spread, with later uprisings in France, Flanders, and Germany as peasants saw that collective action could challenge the feudal order.