Everything Everywhere Daily · Tuesday, August 4, 2026
The podcast discusses the socio-economic conditions in 14th century England that preceded the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. England was grappling with the aftermath of the Black Death, an expensive war, and a labor shortage that empowered the peasantry. Attempts by the ruling class to legislate away these shifts through laws like the Statute of Laborers were met with resentment.
“The Black Death had first swept across the country in 1348 and 1349, killing perhaps a third to a half of the population. And further outbreaks in 1361 and 1369 kept mortality high and the population depressed for decades afterward.”
“Labor had become scarce, and scarce labor should have commanded higher wages and better terms.”
“These laws were, in effect, an attempt to use the state to reverse a market reality that had shifted decisively in the peasants' favor.”