Episode notes
June 1381- and the peasants revolts slams into London… but what really happened on those crowded and violent streets. The Story of London finally gets to examine the opening part of a terrible few days, where we see far from being angry yokels falling upon an unsuspecting city, rather it is the residents of London who use this as an excuse to settle old scores. From neighbour turning on neighbour in Southwark, from the suburbs of Smithfield, to the Temple and the Savoy, London erupted in flame and destruction, as buildings were set alight, torn down and people murdered.
Yet what role did the Mayor and Aldermen play in all of this? Stalwarts opposed to the violence? Secret facilitators? Or men trying to thread an impossible needle, desperately seeking to stay one jump ahead of the terrible violence?
Keywords
londonhistorymedieval