The Life & Legend of a Rebel Leader: Wat Tyler
Stephen Basdeo
- In
- 1381,
- England
- was
- on
- the
- brink
- -
- the
- poor
- suffered
- the
- effects
- of
- war,
- the
- Black
- Death,
- and
- Poll
- Tax.
- At
- this
- time
- the
- brave
- Wat
- Tyler
- arose
- to
- lead
- the
- commoners,
- forming
- an
- army
- who
- set
- off
- to
- London
- to
- meet
- with
- King
- Richard
- II
- and
- present
- him
- with
- a
- list
- of
- grievances
- and
- demands
- for
- redress.
- Tyler
- was
- treacherously
- struck
- down
- by
- the
- Lord
- Mayor.
- His
- head
- hacked
- from
- his
- shoulders,
- pierced
- on
- a
- spike,
- and
- made
- a
- spectacle
- on
- London
- Bridge.
- Yet
- he
- lived
- on
- through
- the
- succeeding
- centuries
- as
- a
- radical
- figure,
- the
- hero
- of
- English
- Reformers,
- Revolutionaries,
- and
- Chartists.The
- Life
- and
- Legend
- of
- a
- Rebel
- Leader:
- Wat
- Tyler
- examines
- the
- eponymous
- hero's
- literary
- afterlives.
- Unlike
- other
- medieval
- heroes
- such
- as
- King
- Arthur
- or
- King
- Alfred,
- whose
- post
- medieval
- manifestations
- were
- supposed
- to
- inspire
- pride
- in
- the
- English
- past,
- if
- Wat
- Tyler's
- name
- was
- invoked
- by
- the
- people,
- the
- authorities
- had
- something
- to fear.
