Birth in Woodstock of , the eldest son of King Edward III and . He fought at and Poitiers, and died in 1376, a year before his father. The throne eventually passed to his son, who reigned as Richard II.
Wat Tyler’s name may be one of the most famous in English history, but remarkably little is known about him. In the spring of 1381 he was an obscure Kentish man, unlikely to trouble later historians. But then, amid growing discontent at efforts to enforce a highly regressive poll tax, the Peasants’ Revolt broke out in Essex, soon spreading to neighbouring counties.
By early June the rebels had elected Tyler as their leader, and on the 13th they swept into the capital. The next day, they stormed the Tower of London. With Richard II just a 14-year-old boy, authority seemed about to collapse completely.
Then, late on the afternoon of 15 June, came the dramatic turning point. At Smithfield, Richard and his officials rode out to meet the rebels. According to one medieval chronicler, “Tyler, in the presence of the king, sent for a flagon of water to rinse his mouth, because of the great heat that he was in,” and proceeded to drink it “in a very rude and disgusting fashion before the king’s face.
” Harsh words were exchanged, and Tyler struck at one of Richard’s men with his dagger. Then, as the lord mayor of London, William Walworth, intervened, a scuffle broke out. Swords flashed, and Tyler, wounded in his chest, neck and head, spurred his horse to ride back to his m.