PEASANTS RISE UP!

There was a duality in both kingship and in feudal duties. While a serf or servant owed duties to a liege lord, the lord was in return responsible for protecting his vassals. When the fine balance within this relationship broke down - due to abuses of power or over-taxation - there was the potential for unrest and rebellion.

Guy Bowers

So how well armed would the peasants be? Most feudal systems had a form of levy, where the common folk were expected to take up arms. In England, there were statutory requirements for local militias: the 1181 Assize of Arms set out the minimum requirements of arms and armour that free men would have to purchase and keep. The 1285 Statute of Winchester went further, requiring poorer men to be armed with polearms or bows. With the Archery Law of 1363, all men between 17 and 60 were required to own a bow and practise with it; as such, English peasants could be surprisingly well armed. It is likely too that a number of them would have been veterans of wars: Wat Tyler (the leader of one of the Poll…

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Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy (Digital) - 1 Issue, WSS 134

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