Justice, meurtre et leadership politique dans la Révolte anglaise de 1381

Recent interpretations of the 1381 Peasant’s Revolt in England have played down its violence. By focusing on the identity of the victims who were put to death, the article draws attention to an aspect of this movement that has been neglected, namely the commoners’ seizure of the monopoly of violence that had been held by the nobility and members of the royal court. This violence allowed the insurgents to assume political leadership in a movement against the Crown for the first time across the realm of England.