Summer of Blood: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
- Downloads：4708
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-05 09:57:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Dan Jones
- ISBN：000721393X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Revolt and upheaval in medieval Britain by a brilliant new narrative historian， ‘Summer of Blood’ breaks new ground in its portrayal of the personalities and politics of the bloody days of June 1381。
The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 is one of the most dramatic and bloody events in English history。 Starting with village riots in the Essex countryside， chaos rapidly spread across much of the south-east of England， as tens of thousands of ordinary men and women marched in fury to London， torching houses， slaughtering their social superiors and terrifying the life out of those who got in their way。 The burning down of Savoy Palace， home to the most powerful magnate in the realm， marked one of the Revolt’s most violent episodes。
The Peasants’ Revolt has remained an underexplored period of history。 In revisiting the bloody events of 1381， Dan Jones has brought back to glorious life the squalor， drama and complex hierarchies of a society that until now seemed almost too distant to imagine。 His examination of village life and the failings of government from the perspective of the Revolt’s key players is both intellectually stimulating and compulsively readable。
Vivid， atmospheric and beautifully written， this is historical writing of the highest quality。
The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 is one of the most dramatic and bloody events in English history。 Starting with village riots in the Essex countryside， chaos rapidly spread across much of the south-east of England， as tens of thousands of ordinary men and women marched in fury to London， torching houses， slaughtering their social superiors and terrifying the life out of those who got in their way。 The burning down of Savoy Palace， home to the most powerful magnate in the realm， marked one of the Revolt’s most violent episodes。
The Peasants’ Revolt has remained an underexplored period of history。 In revisiting the bloody events of 1381， Dan Jones has brought back to glorious life the squalor， drama and complex hierarchies of a society that until now seemed almost too distant to imagine。 His examination of village life and the failings of government from the perspective of the Revolt’s key players is both intellectually stimulating and compulsively readable。
Vivid， atmospheric and beautifully written， this is historical writing of the highest quality。
Reviews
Matthew Gale
，
Simple short narrative of the the peasant revolt， breezy but detailed timeline， if you want to focus in on the events。
Shona Carnall
，
Very detailed retelling of the events。
Ryan
，
This was an interesting read。 I don't think it was as good nor as readable as the other books by Jones ive read。 But I believe this was also written years before the next full length book。 Interesting topic， kind of blah in areas and some parts were fantastic。 This was an interesting read。 I don't think it was as good nor as readable as the other books by Jones ive read。 But I believe this was also written years before the next full length book。 Interesting topic， kind of blah in areas and some parts were fantastic。 。。。more
Kieran
，
The story of the Great Revolt of 1381， when the people of England declared up with this they would not put。 I especially liked the focus on the rebels’ motives， ranging from small scale improvements to the entire rewriting of society， and the focus on events after the great showdowns at Mile End and Smithfield; turns out the death of Wat Tyler was nowhere near the end of the rebellion。
Bernard S Cooper
，
What a good read。 If there had been history books like this when I was at school I would have performed much better。 Excellent。
Rox
，
Dan Jones over describes city scenes to a point where I sometimes forgot what was going on “and if he looked over his right shoulder， to the north by the south gate。。 450ft in the air。。。” often times these descriptions end up being useless to the point， or simply a “what-if”。 At times I found myself skipping over sentences that were dragging on descriptions and would have to re-read。 I have to give Jones credit， he evidently knows the events like the back of his hand。 Overall， the book was a goo Dan Jones over describes city scenes to a point where I sometimes forgot what was going on “and if he looked over his right shoulder， to the north by the south gate。。 450ft in the air。。。” often times these descriptions end up being useless to the point， or simply a “what-if”。 At times I found myself skipping over sentences that were dragging on descriptions and would have to re-read。 I have to give Jones credit， he evidently knows the events like the back of his hand。 Overall， the book was a good read。 This is my 2nd or 3rd book of Dan Jones， and while I normally love his descriptions， his writing style felt pedantic in this one。 Still recommend it though， the subject matter is interesting and despite my complaint it is a good read。 。。。more
Stephanie Fleming
，
It's an interesting and informative history， but I was expecting something more of Marxist review of the events （I don't know why in retrospect- I think it was some sort of inherent thought that there would be more of a class history reading， which the author acknowledges occurs at the end）。 I was very surprised to find that there were many things in common with later political movements-the protests over the church taking lands and wealth， criticisms over tax， and workers demanding fair payment It's an interesting and informative history， but I was expecting something more of Marxist review of the events （I don't know why in retrospect- I think it was some sort of inherent thought that there would be more of a class history reading， which the author acknowledges occurs at the end）。 I was very surprised to find that there were many things in common with later political movements-the protests over the church taking lands and wealth， criticisms over tax， and workers demanding fair payment for work。 I always thought that a lot of these issues arose at later points in history， so that was very interesting。 The person reading the audiobook did a good job of it and I enjoyed his reading of the various quotes， especially Chaucer。 。。。more
Susan W
，
Very readable history。 1381 revolt by the ‘common’ people of England and London。Interesting！
John Watts
，
Excellent。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about a period of English History I knew little about。 The story of the events of 1381 are clearly re-told， in fact the 'action' speeds along。 A rattling good read with interesting characters and a real sense of a time of turmoil。 Peasants' Revolt is perhaps a misnomer， not the fault of Dan Jones， but it is hard not to follow the tale without reflecting on the disaffection with the elite today。 I learnt a lot from this book， and it gave me pause Excellent。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about a period of English History I knew little about。 The story of the events of 1381 are clearly re-told， in fact the 'action' speeds along。 A rattling good read with interesting characters and a real sense of a time of turmoil。 Peasants' Revolt is perhaps a misnomer， not the fault of Dan Jones， but it is hard not to follow the tale without reflecting on the disaffection with the elite today。 I learnt a lot from this book， and it gave me pause to think about our modern world。 Thoroughly recommended。 。。。more
Mark Gannon
，
Dan Jones has done it again。 He has written another brilliant book that keeps the reader engaged。 Five stars。
Colin J。
，
In Summer of Blood: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381， Dan Jones says he tries to write a good story with a balanced perspective。 Many of the written sources of the era favour the clergy and aristocracy， thus historians often result to theories about the revolt。 Jones tries to avoid this， resulting in a relatively straightforward read。 He suggests several reasons that led to the revolt， all having to do with a shortage of funds in federal coffers and ineffective tax schemes to remedy the problem。 He In Summer of Blood: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381， Dan Jones says he tries to write a good story with a balanced perspective。 Many of the written sources of the era favour the clergy and aristocracy， thus historians often result to theories about the revolt。 Jones tries to avoid this， resulting in a relatively straightforward read。 He suggests several reasons that led to the revolt， all having to do with a shortage of funds in federal coffers and ineffective tax schemes to remedy the problem。 He traces the revolt's origins， its climax in London， and then its recession as the aristocracy regained control。 I found this book to be interesting for a more limited audience since it deals with a very brief event， the revolt。 Some readers may find it hard to stay engaged while delving more deeply in such a limited topic with less broad appeal。 。。。more
Callum
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Another fantastic work from Dan Jones， with a narrative that was thoroughly gripping and a prose that makes this text accessible to even the most ignorant reader。 Admittedly， I’d never read about the revolt of 1381 before， so reading this was a real jump in the deep end。 However， coming at just over 200 pages， Jones manages to weave just the right amount of detail into the narrative。 Jones also vividly describes Richard II’s unmatched ability to seemingly snatch relative defeat from the jaws of Another fantastic work from Dan Jones， with a narrative that was thoroughly gripping and a prose that makes this text accessible to even the most ignorant reader。 Admittedly， I’d never read about the revolt of 1381 before， so reading this was a real jump in the deep end。 However， coming at just over 200 pages， Jones manages to weave just the right amount of detail into the narrative。 Jones also vividly describes Richard II’s unmatched ability to seemingly snatch relative defeat from the jaws of victory， as seen as at Blackheath where Richard provides the order for the rebels to effectively do as they pleased with the perceived traitors of the realm。 Ultimately， Jones does a very good job of expressing how the nature of Richard II’s reign changed during June 1381， ending with the typically tyrannical response most accustomed to the Plantagenets。 From this text， one can certainly see why Richard would come to be deposed by 1399。 。。。more
Drew Reilly
，
I've admired Dan Jones work presenting for documentaries， and now I'm happy to have had the chance to read his works。 In this quick history， Jones is able to summarize the background， which also hypothesizing some of the emotions that occurred during the 1381 uprising。 Very good， and very readable。 I've admired Dan Jones work presenting for documentaries， and now I'm happy to have had the chance to read his works。 In this quick history， Jones is able to summarize the background， which also hypothesizing some of the emotions that occurred during the 1381 uprising。 Very good， and very readable。 。。。more
Peter Kennedy
，
If you only read one book on 14th Century English History， read this one！It is as David Starkey said ‘ unputdownable’。Fascinating and real。 It didn’t feel like the distant past and In left wanting to find out more about these characters and this period。But first more Dan Jones books ！
Claudia
，
An overall quick read of the peasant uprising that devastated the south-southeastern counties of England including the capitol of London itself during 1381。 Jones goes into detail not only of the causes of the uprising - basically the same reasoning behind the American revolution - taxes as well as those notables and notorious。 England was at war with France and labor shortages due to the Black Death made some nobles attempt to lure peasants to their fields while others imposed penalties to prev An overall quick read of the peasant uprising that devastated the south-southeastern counties of England including the capitol of London itself during 1381。 Jones goes into detail not only of the causes of the uprising - basically the same reasoning behind the American revolution - taxes as well as those notables and notorious。 England was at war with France and labor shortages due to the Black Death made some nobles attempt to lure peasants to their fields while others imposed penalties to prevent those peasants from leaving for - basically - more money。 The hatred that the commons felt for John of Gaunt， the youthful King's uncle， which fortunately for Gaunt， he was on the Scottish border and unable to come to his king's rescue during the weeks of revolt。 Basically， mobs took to the roads and towns - vandalizing homes and property through fire and deconstruction， stealing food as well as wealth （silver， gold， jewels and precious objects）， releasing any prisoners， burning any records they could find- especially tax rolls， judgements of any sort， books， correspondence and more。 Servants attempting to protect their employer/masters property were brutally beaten if not executed while others were 'encouraged' to join the wandering bands in fear of their lives。 From Essex and Kent into London and after ravaging London itself， the mobs then moved further out into the countryside。For those who like the blood-and-guts details， there are plenty here。 Clergy， monks， nobility， merchants， foreigners and anyone that disagreed with the insurrectionists were beaten， hung or beheaded。 And it was not professionals doing the killing and hundreds were executed so blood ran through the streets。 Bodies were abused and/or cast aside in the flush of mob mentality and murder。 Eventually， it would become a matter of revenge and retribution against competitors and neighbors along with those that decided to become the 'King of the Commons' and portray themselves in that role with all the perks that they could force others to display。 In response to the rebellion， King Richard II， who watched the horror trapped in the Tower of London with his family， clergy and advisors， first tried to appease the rebels but within days of the rebels starting to again flow out to the nearby towns and villages， his fear turned to rage。 The retribution inflicted on the common folk of England as participants were searched for was brutal and harsh。 His actions were only tempered by replacement advisors and his bride。Jones shows that the combat wasn't just between the royal armies or between the nobility。 Here was an early example that the peasantry， or rather the so-called 'common' people， were also socially aware and willing to let their leaders know of their dissatisfaction。 2021-004 。。。more
Charles
，
" Oh！ You wretches， hateful on land and sea， and not worthy to live， who demand to be made equal to your lords。 You would certainly have died a most ignominious death if we had not determined to observe the rights of envoys。。。 Give this message to your colleagues from the King。 Villeins you are， and villeins you will remain; in permanent bondage， not as it was before but incomparably harsher。。。 While by God's grace we rule over this kingdom， we shall strive。。to keep you in subjection， to such a " Oh！ You wretches， hateful on land and sea， and not worthy to live， who demand to be made equal to your lords。 You would certainly have died a most ignominious death if we had not determined to observe the rights of envoys。。。 Give this message to your colleagues from the King。 Villeins you are， and villeins you will remain; in permanent bondage， not as it was before but incomparably harsher。。。 While by God's grace we rule over this kingdom， we shall strive。。to keep you in subjection， to such a degree that the suffering of your servitude may serve as an example to posterity， and that now and in the future men like you may ever have before your eyes your present misery as something to contemplate， a reason for cursing you and for fearing to perpetrate crimes like yours。"-14 year old Richard II incredulously to an overly bold petitioner after the Peasant's Revolt。 。。。more
Kevin Murphy
，
The True Commons！ This is a fun history， effectively written as a thriller， as a near daily account in and around the summer of 1381。 Reading it at the end of 2020。 It is also a cautionary tale of the pitfalls of subsequent popular revolts， including the ones happening recently。 The writing is an exciting blend of colorful prose， intimate character development， and chronological accuracy。 Histories， I imagine， are tough to write in a way that make such effective use of suspense and imagery。 Da The True Commons！ This is a fun history， effectively written as a thriller， as a near daily account in and around the summer of 1381。 Reading it at the end of 2020。 It is also a cautionary tale of the pitfalls of subsequent popular revolts， including the ones happening recently。 The writing is an exciting blend of colorful prose， intimate character development， and chronological accuracy。 Histories， I imagine， are tough to write in a way that make such effective use of suspense and imagery。 Dan Jones is able to make this look easy， giving us a blow-by-blow account of the events of 1381， while setting a thrilling pace in a modest amount of pages （250 or so）。 It is the successful history that can make the reader realize how we can still live with the repercussions of now obscure， mostly forgotten events。tRichard II cuts a surprisingly tragic figure， a teenage king under guardianship of （apparently） one of the great villains of English History （John of Gaunt）， and essentially powerless around the financial and political considerations of what is now known as the hundred years war， suddenly barricaded in a London being overrun without any clear strategy as to how to proceed。 Hard to pity a Monarch， but if you ever were inclined to do so， he would make a strong candidate （especially considering how his reign ultimately ended）。 tWat Tyler， and his fellow leaders， start out as exciting and popular figures that are hard to cheer against。 Raising the commons was no easy task， and even if there was a fair amount of violent coercion involved， it is easy to forgive them for such transgressions given the circumstances， at least initially。 Notwithstanding some questionable methods， the description of the march on London was awe-inspiring， especially considering how primitive the means were。tAs the summer drags on， we start to see why this， and so many other， popular revolts so often fail。 The relatively modest aims that caused the revolt are supplanted by the ambitions of those who lead it。 The once concrete demands start to become more ethereal。 It becomes unclear what society looks like if the rebels take over。 It is almost as if the success of the movement would be its ultimate demise。 Fragile to begin with， fracturing occurs and gains momentum and then more immediate aims of personal gain， in this case primarily looting and personal retribution start to become the focus of the rebellion， and what started as hope ends as despair。 This of course isn’t always how these movements end。 As the author points out， the events of 1381 were almost a prelude to another revolt of notoriety to the English nobility: the American revolution。 Perhaps a reading six hundred years later allows for the perspective of this one revolt to fit into a larger， longer， historical movement toward the more idealistic aims of the “true commons。” Perhaps in the end， at least some of the Commons’ demands would be met in ways so complete they would have never been able to imagine it。 tRarely is a history written equally entertaining and informative as it is here。 Highly recommend as an introduction into the history of popular revolts as well as an introduction to medieval English history！ 。。。more
Piggyogre
，
这已经是我连着读的第三本丹·琼斯的作品了。如今，我越来越倾向于认为，他缺乏一种叙事的天赋。这种天赋可以把许多凌乱的人物和线索捏合起来，辅以适度的发挥与后见之明，形成一个流畅而生动的故事，进而帮助读者去理解诸多事件之间的内在脉络。而不是像现在这样，让历史仅仅成为一系列先后发生的事件的合集。
George Foord
，
So much detail throughout and enthralling writing。 Was a great read。
Ledgismus
，
I would write my audible review again， but I honestly don't have the energy or time to do that。I just didn't enjoy it very much。 I would write my audible review again， but I honestly don't have the energy or time to do that。I just didn't enjoy it very much。 。。。more
Anne
，
Very well researched and easy to follow a very complicated event。
Christine Watts
，
Short， clear， detailed and `a cracking good story`。 Short， clear， detailed and `a cracking good story`。 。。。more
Margaret
，
Great read， I couldn't put it down until I'd got to the end。 I thought growing up in the area in Essex where it began that I knew most of what there was to know about the Peasants' Revolt but actually it was far bloodier than I had ever imagined， and the country came so much closer to total revolution and collapse。 Excellent research as always from Dan Jones， my favourite Historian。 Great read， I couldn't put it down until I'd got to the end。 I thought growing up in the area in Essex where it began that I knew most of what there was to know about the Peasants' Revolt but actually it was far bloodier than I had ever imagined， and the country came so much closer to total revolution and collapse。 Excellent research as always from Dan Jones， my favourite Historian。 。。。more
Luke B
，
Very detailed and well structured， but this reads as one of the more tendentious accounts of history I've ever come across。 At every event， the nobility are cast as righteous where the peasants are depicted as craven and maniacal。 Jones can hardly conceal his contempt during his descriptions of the revolt across Kent and Essex - with barely and introduction to the indigent conditions they would have been yoked under before deciding upon action。 At any rate， it's not hard to decipher who Jones th Very detailed and well structured， but this reads as one of the more tendentious accounts of history I've ever come across。 At every event， the nobility are cast as righteous where the peasants are depicted as craven and maniacal。 Jones can hardly conceal his contempt during his descriptions of the revolt across Kent and Essex - with barely and introduction to the indigent conditions they would have been yoked under before deciding upon action。 At any rate， it's not hard to decipher who Jones thinks has the moral rectitude during the rebellion。 。。。more
Christopher Riley
，
Dan Jones could write a book on medieval paint drying and I’d still read it。 A wonderful insight into the life and reign of Richard II Who I always believed handled the Peasants Revolt of 1381 very well but Jones shows that the young king’s mismanagement of the great revolt was a precursor for things to come later on。 And interesting look into the hearts of mind of the lower orders in England as opposed to the usual kings and queens view that most medieval histories have to take。 Another vivid a Dan Jones could write a book on medieval paint drying and I’d still read it。 A wonderful insight into the life and reign of Richard II Who I always believed handled the Peasants Revolt of 1381 very well but Jones shows that the young king’s mismanagement of the great revolt was a precursor for things to come later on。 And interesting look into the hearts of mind of the lower orders in England as opposed to the usual kings and queens view that most medieval histories have to take。 Another vivid account of life on the 14th century that doe the most part， was enjoyable。 At times I felt like the subject was being fleshed out to make the book more worth while but overall worth reading。 。。。more
Jake
，
A great narrative history of an event glossed over in most school history classes。 The key players could fit into any grimdark fantasy novel and no one would notice。 Dan Jones does an expert job （sometimes with some artistic licence） at telling the story of the Summer of Blood and making history fun again。A revell！
ian whyley
，
The thing that struck me is the how similar today's society is to medieval times。 Yes our standard of living is light years away but the the class structure and 'status quo ' is comparable。 The lies told at Smithfield to appease the masses，only for the 'elite ' to go back on their word， the unfair disproportionate taxes placed on the poor to pay for excesses of the rich and powerful to abuse。 If the peasants had saw it through and killed the evil tyrannical Richard instead of hoping and believin The thing that struck me is the how similar today's society is to medieval times。 Yes our standard of living is light years away but the the class structure and 'status quo ' is comparable。 The lies told at Smithfield to appease the masses，only for the 'elite ' to go back on their word， the unfair disproportionate taxes placed on the poor to pay for excesses of the rich and powerful to abuse。 If the peasants had saw it through and killed the evil tyrannical Richard instead of hoping and believing he was genuine （still a trait of the working classes） then the course of history would have been changed and maybe totally different。 Things may change one day，in a country where 'the old school tie ' rules all， but don't hold you're breath。 Excellent book。 。。。more
Thomas Land
，
Dan Jones， for me， is the master story-teller of history。 Specifically for a period of history that has not been written in a hugely accessible way。 Until now。 Dan Jones brings to life and opens the door on a really vibrant， thriving world and not the muddy， dreary world that text books over the past 50 years would have us believe。 Dan makes people from 650 years ago relatable， and understandable。 You get their anger and their day to day problems， and why they did what they did。 And then Dan mak Dan Jones， for me， is the master story-teller of history。 Specifically for a period of history that has not been written in a hugely accessible way。 Until now。 Dan Jones brings to life and opens the door on a really vibrant， thriving world and not the muddy， dreary world that text books over the past 50 years would have us believe。 Dan makes people from 650 years ago relatable， and understandable。 You get their anger and their day to day problems， and why they did what they did。 And then Dan makes you relate to the nobility and what they were juggling with。 You understand two vastly different groups of society， nothing quite like which exists today， and then once that wizardry has been performed， weaves a fantastic narrative of the events as they unfolded， as well as the aftermath and long term consequences。 This pivotal moment in the history of the little island of England。 This few months over the summer of 1381 is but a date to people today， in which stuff happened which probably should be learned for a test。 Yet， Dan shows you the people。 He shows you that they had wants and fears and plans。。and that the tragedy of death was the same then as compared to now。 Back then it was seemingly the end of the world to the normal citizens。 Murder， fire， riots and robbery were widespread。 Law and order had fallen。This book makes you realise how immensely terrifying this period was for the people living through it。 It also shows that times like these do， eventually end and pass。 In this case by December 1381。 People （hopefully） come out the other side， learned， and wiser to the world。 With current world conditions， this was even more relatable， and in a strange way， almost comforting （I just hope the current situations is dealt with absolutely no state executions。。。。。*ahem ahem*。。。looking at you Richard II）。 Read this book。 It isn't that long。 It is vibrant， exceptionally interesting and fascinatingly brutal， Dan does not pull any punches on the details。 Oh yeah and it's one of my favourite history books ever written。 P。S。 I'm not even a historian。 Just a weirdly diversely keen biologist。 。。。more
charlotte，
，
fuck richard ii
Rose Aitken
，