Taxation, warfare, social unrest and economic decline in fourteenth century England

Abstract EN

The aim of the present article is to explore the relationship between taxation, warfare, social unrest and economic decline in fourteenth century England.

The main causes behind such tumultuous period, such as labour shortage caused by the Great Famine, the ensuing Black Death and the landowners' refusal to pay higher wages, which was the natural outcome of the increase in demand for labour.

It also describes in detail the strategies adopted by the villeins and free labourers to counter the lords' attempts to keep the pre-plague wages.

The strained relationship between the lords and the peasants culminated in the revolt of 1381 whose colossal character supports the idea of a class-conscious movement against the tyranny of the upper class.