 The Peasants ' Revolt , also called Wat Tyler 's Rebellion or the Great Rising , was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381 . The revolt had various causes , including the socio @-@ economic and political tensions generated by the Black Death in the 1340s , the high taxes resulting from the conflict with France during the Hundred Years ' War , and instability within the local leadership of London . The final trigger for the revolt was the intervention of a royal official , John Bampton , in Essex on 30 May 1381 . His attempts to collect unpaid poll taxes in Brentwood ended in a violent confrontation , which rapidly spread across the south @-@ east of the country . A wide spectrum of rural society , including many local artisans and village officials , rose up in protest , burning court records and opening the local gaols . The rebels sought a reduction in taxation , an end to the system of unfree labour known as serfdom and the removal of the King 's senior officials and law courts . 
