John Ball Hanged and Quartered: Peasants' Revolt Crushed
The priest who preached "When Adam examined and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?" died watching his own intestines burn. John Ball had stirred 100,000 peasants to march on London over a poll tax, demanding an end to serfdom. On July 15, 1381, he was executed in front of fourteen-year-old King Richard II at St Albans—hanged until nearly dead, then cut open while conscious. His body parts were sent to four different towns as warning. Within months, every concession Richard had promised the rebels was revoked.
July 15, 1381
645 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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