Peasants' Revolt: The time when women took up arms

Until now the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 is largely believed to have been led by a mob of rebel men, but new research shows women played an important role in orchestrating violence against the government.

Today people are used to the idea of women being in the military. Some are already pressing for the right to fight on the front line.

And women fighting as insurgents has been a fact of conflicts from Vietnam to Sri Lanka.

But there's a growing feeling historians have overlooked their role in medieval rebellions like 1381's Peasants Revolt.

On 14 June 1381, rebels dragged Lord Chancellor Simon of Sudbury from the Tower of London and brutally beheaded him. Outraged by his hated poll tax, the insurgents had stormed into London looking for him, plundering and burning buildings as they went.

It was the leader of the group who arrested Sudbury and dragged him to the chopping block, ordering that he be beheaded.

Her name was Johanna Ferrour.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18373149



Whoo boy,they did'nt mess about then, did they

"...For the female of the species is more dealy than the male." -Rudyard Kipling

There is a reason that such an expression makes so much sense and is quite true. I forget which species of spider it is, but the female mates with the male and then feeds him to their eventual off-spring. It doesn;t get more vicious than that.

Mystic Moon wrote:"...For the female of the species is more dealy than the male." -Rudyard Kipling

There is a reason that such an expression makes so much sense and is quite true. I forget which species of spider it is, but the female mates with the male and then feeds him to their eventual off-spring. It doesn;t get more vicious than that.

The Black Widow Spider, I believe.

wyatt1 wrote:


The Black Widow Spider, I believe.

Which is what makes her a widow? Reminds me of a famous murder case over here where two young men killed their parents and the defense wanted mercy for them because the young men were...wait for it...orphans.

Mystic Moon wrote:

Which is what makes her a widow? Reminds me of a famous murder case over here where two young men killed their parents and the defense wanted mercy for them because the young men were...wait for it...orphans.

Typical bloody lawyers, no interest in justice, only in getting a result.(vote for Wild Bill)

wyatt1 wrote:


Typical bloody lawyers, no interest in justice, only in getting a result.(vote for Wild Bill)

I guess you could say that the lawyers gave them the best defense possible, and after the jury stopped laughing both were sentenced to life without parole.

Mystic Moon wrote:

I guess you could say that the lawyers gave them the best defense possible, and after the jury stopped laughing both were sentenced to life without parole.

Good job the jury were not brainwashed PC idiots . Strange the equally daft 'human rights' mob didn't try to overturn the verdict