Editing Peasants' Revolt (section)

===Suppression===
[[File:Henry le Despenser 2.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Photograph|A 14th-century carving of [[Henry Despenser]], the victor of the [[Battle of North Walsham]] in Norfolk]]
The royal suppression of the revolt began shortly after the death of Wat Tyler on 15 June.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|p=135}}</ref> Sir [[Robert Knolles]], Sir [[Nicholas Brembre]] and Sir Robert Launde were appointed to restore control in the capital.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=135–136}}</ref> A summons was put out for soldiers, probably around 4,000 men were mustered in London, and expeditions to the other troubled parts of the country soon followed.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=135–136}}; {{harvnb|Tuck|1987|p=200}}</ref>

The revolt in East Anglia was independently suppressed by [[Henry Despenser]], the [[Bishop of Norwich]].<ref name=Dunn2002P131/> Henry was in [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]] in Lincolnshire when the revolt broke out, and when he found out about it he marched south with eight men-at-arms and a small force of archers, gathering more forces as he went.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|p=131}}; {{harvnb|Oman|1906|pp=130–132}}</ref> He marched first to [[Peterborough]], where he routed the local rebels and executed any he could capture, including some who had taken shelter in the local abbey.<ref>{{harvnb|Jones|2010|pp=172–173}}</ref> He then headed south-east via [[Huntingdon]] and Ely, reached Cambridge on 19 June, and then headed further into the rebel-controlled areas of Norfolk.<ref>{{harvnb|Jones|2010|pp=178–182}}</ref> Henry reclaimed Norwich on 24 June, before heading out with a company of men to track down the rebel leader, Geoffrey Litster.<ref>{{harvnb|Jones|2010|p=194}}</ref> The two forces met at the [[Battle of North Walsham]] on 25 or 26 June; the Bishop's forces triumphed and Litster was captured and executed.<ref>{{harvnb|Jones|2010|pp=194–195}}</ref> Henry's quick action was essential to the suppression of the revolt in East Anglia, but he was very unusual in taking matters into his own hands in this way, and his execution of the rebels without royal sanction was illegal.<ref>{{harvnb|Tuck|1987|pp=197, 201}}; {{harvnb|Powell|1896|p=61}}</ref>

On 17 June, the King dispatched his half-brother [[Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent|Thomas Holland]] and Sir Thomas Trivet to Kent with a small force to restore order.<ref name=Dunn2002P136>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|p=136}}</ref> They held courts at Maidstone and Rochester.<ref name=Dunn2002P136/> William de Ufford, the Earl of Suffolk, returned to his county on 23 June, accompanied by a force of 500 men.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=126, 136}}</ref> He quickly subdued the area and was soon holding court in [[Mildenhall, Suffolk|Mildenhall]], where many of the accused were sentenced to death.<ref>{{harvnb|Powell|1896|p=25}}; {{harvnb|Dunn|2002|p=136}}</ref> He moved on into Norfolk on 6 July, holding court in Norwich, [[Great Yarmouth]] and [[Hacking, Norfolk|Hacking]].<ref name=Dunn2002P136/> Hugh, Lord la Zouche, led the legal proceedings against the rebels in Cambridgeshire.<ref name=Dunn2002P136/> In St Albans, the Abbot arrested William Grindecobbe and his main supporters.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=140–141}}</ref>

On 20 June, the King's uncle, [[Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester|Thomas of Woodstock]], and [[Robert Tresilian]], the replacement Chief Justice, were given special commissions across the whole of England.<ref name=Dunn2002P136/> Thomas oversaw court cases in Essex, backed up by a substantial military force as resistance was continuing and the county was still in a state of unrest.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=136–137}}</ref> Richard himself visited Essex, where he met with a rebel delegation seeking confirmation of the grants the King had given at Mile End.<ref name=Saul1999P74>{{harvnb|Saul|1999|p=74}}</ref> Richard rejected them, allegedly telling them that "rustics you were and rustics you are still. You will remain in bondage, not as before, but incomparably harsher".<ref name=Saul1999P74/>{{#tag:ref|The "rustics" quotation from Richard II is from the chronicler Thomas Walsingham, and should be treated with caution. Historian Dan Jones suspects that although Richard no doubt despised the rebels, the language itself may have been largely invented by Walsingham.<ref>{{harvnb|Jones|2010|p=196}}; {{harvnb|Saul|1999|p=74}}; {{harvnb|Strohm|2008|p=198}}</ref>|group="nb"}} Tresilian soon joined Thomas, and carried out 31 executions in Chelmsford, then travelled to St Albans in July for further court trials, which appear to have utilised dubious techniques to ensure convictions.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=137, 140–141}}</ref> Thomas went on to Gloucester with 200 soldiers to suppress the unrest there.<ref name=Dunn2002P137>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|p=137}}</ref> [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland|Henry Percy]], the [[Earl of Northumberland]], was tasked to restore order to Yorkshire.<ref name=Dunn2002P137/>

A wide range of laws were invoked in the process of the suppression, from general [[treason]] to charges of book burning or demolishing houses, a process complicated by the relatively narrow definition of treason at the time.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=137–138}}; {{harvnb|Federico|2001|p=169}}</ref> The use of informants and denunciations became common, causing fear to spread across the country; by November at least 1,500 people had been executed or killed in battle.<ref>{{harvnb|Jones|2010|pp=200–201}}; {{harvnb|Prescott|2004}}, cited {{harvnb|Jones|2010|p=201}}</ref> Many of those who had lost property in the revolt attempted to seek legal compensation, and John of Gaunt made particular efforts to track down those responsible for destroying his Savoy Palace.<ref name=Dunn2002P138>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|p=138}}; {{harvnb|Rubin|2006|p=127}}</ref> Most had only limited success, as the defendants were rarely willing to attend court.<ref name=Dunn2002P138/> The last of these cases was resolved in 1387.<ref name=Dunn2002P138/>

The rebel leaders were quickly rounded up.<ref>{{harvnb|Jones|2010|p=20}}</ref> A rebel leader by the name of Jack Straw was captured in London and executed.<ref name=Dunn2002P139>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|p=139}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|As noted above, questions exist over Jack Straw's identity. The chronicler [[Thomas Walsingham]] attributes a long confession to the Jack Straw executed in London, but the reliability of this is questioned by historians: Rodney Hilton refers to it as "somewhat dubious", while Alastair Dunn considers it to be essentially a fabrication. There are no reliable details of the trial or execution.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=71, 139}};{{harvnb|Hilton|1995|p=219}}</ref>|group="nb"}} John Ball was caught in Coventry, tried in St Albans, and executed on 15 July.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunn|2002|pp=137, 139–140}}</ref> Grindecobbe was also tried and executed in St Albans.<ref name=Dunn2002P139/> John Wrawe was tried in London; he probably [[turn state's evidence|gave evidence]] against 24 of his colleagues in the hope of a pardon, but was sentenced to be executed by being [[hanged, drawn and quartered]] on 6 May 1382.<ref>{{harvnb|Powell|1896|p=25}}; {{harvnb|Dunn|2002|p=139}}</ref> Sir Roger Bacon was probably arrested before the final battle in Norfolk, and was tried and imprisoned in the Tower of London before finally being pardoned by the Crown.<ref>{{harvnb|Powell|1896|p=39}}</ref> As of September 1381, Thomas Ingleby of Bridgwater had successfully evaded the authorities.<ref>{{harvnb|Dilks|1927|p=67}}</ref>

Although women such as Johanna Ferrour played a prominent role in the revolt, no evidence has been found of women being executed or punished as harshly as their male counterparts.<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18373149|title=Peasants' Revolt: The time when women took up arms|author=Melissa Hogenboom|date=14 June 2012|work=[[BBC News Magazine]]|access-date=14 June 2012}}</ref>