Why Did the Peasants Revolt Fail?

A factor that caused the failure of the revolt was the death of Wat Tyler. Since he was the leader it meant the peasants lacked organisation and clear direction. From the beginning they had no plan and they also did not think of the consequences of their actions. This is evident when the rebels murdered Archbishop of Canterbury and Hales resulting in them losing support of many Londoners. There were rebellions outside London that also lacked clear direction such as in East Anglia.

Another reason was the fact that the peasants believed they got what they asked for after Mile End and went home. This meant that when the King broke his promise the peasants were short in numbers. The rebels relied purely on sheer numbers since they were poorly armed compared to the Royal troops. The rebels were also very affectionate towards the King and has no desire to get rid of him. Therefore it could be argued that the peasants were too lenient towards the King resulting in giving him time to organise his military.

Furthermore, the excessive demands from the peasants could also contribute to the failure of the revolt. Some demands led to more radical ideas and this was mainly due to John Ball. These demands were too extreme and therefore contributed to the failure of the revolt as the King did not accept. Also the demands involved opposition to the church. The peasants believed that the church was too rich. However the church was very powerful and thereby opposing the church's status was a radical idea which would not be able to be put into place. Their excessive demands did contribute to the failure of the result as their ideas were too extreme to be considered.