BattlefieldsPeasants' Revolt — Bury St Edmunds Uprising (1381)
Medieval

Peasants' Revolt — Bury St Edmunds Uprising (1381)

1381
Suffolk, England
Also known as: East Anglian Peasants Revolt Bury St Edmunds · Burning of Bury St Edmunds 1381
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Suffolk, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Lords and clergy (temporarily)
Forces
c. 200-300 lords' forces
VS
Victor
Rebels (temporarily)
Forces
c. 2000-4000 East Anglian rebels
Outcome
Prior of Bury St Edmunds beheaded; royal judges executed; town records burned; revolt eventually suppressed
The Battle

History & Significance

East Anglia was one of the most explosive regions of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt. At Bury St Edmunds, rebels led by John Wrawe beheaded the Prior of St Edmundsbury and the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, John Cavendish. Town records and charters were burned. The revolt in East Anglia reflected both agrarian grievances and deep resentment of monastic landlordism, particularly against the wealthy Abbey of St Edmunds.

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