Summer of Blood: England's First Revolution

A tale as old as time and one still prevalent today. The poor believing the propaganda fed to them that the rich and organized religion have their best interests at heart (And wield their wealth to protect and benefit said poor). The poor realizing that the rich and the church don’t give a shit about them as people, their well-being, their existence and only care about, not only maintaining their wealth but, acquiring more more more at any and all detriments to those the rich consider their lessers.

It would appear the message hasn’t quite been pounded through enough rich folk’s heads given the way our own modern society somehow sells the same propaganda pablum to us. More rich heads (Secular and church) need to be on more poor show more pikes, simple as. show less

Not my favorite Jones book. But still a good yarn. Loved reading about the restraint of the mobs and how they just fell to madness and blood lust. The Fourteenth Century was a chaotic time to live in. Daily life was threaded through a needle. It was quite understandable for and obvious that the masses would eventually get tired of the status quo or lack of. Only Dan Jones could bring this time to life as well as this.

Summer of Blood by Dan Jones is an expertly written account of the Peasants Revolt of 1381 when the oppressed, disease and poverty stricken commoners of southeast England rose up in brutal rebellion. Prompted by yet another burdensome parliamentary poll-tax to fund England’s continental military ventures, the disgruntled local populace banded behind the magnetic idealism of Wat Tyler and John Ball. With all-encompassing demands of equality and justice they marched on London, bringing the entire English establishment to its knees with wanton murder and destruction until the young Plantagenet King Richard II and his closest advisors had finally had enough – launching ruthless and swift retribution. The author shows true passion for show more his chosen field of study and particularly this episode of history. He provides vivid descriptions of the events as they unfolded and also of life in fourteenth century Europe. show less

Unflinching look at one of the major upheavals of medieval England, the 1381 Wat Tyler Rebellion. The Rebellion left its mark on the then-teenaged Richard II, ushering in a fairly brutal reign that lasted until his deposition in 1399. The author's narrative flows logically and well, and he refrains from a lot of speculation as to "what they must have felt." Good illustrations, but the placement of maps in the front of the book, rather than spread out in the relevant text, does hurt a bit, since geography does play a key role in the Rebellion. Still, recommended.

Yay, another book of Dan Jones that I love. He has a way of weaving history together that’s novel-like, and Jones makes it easy to understand. Reading about England’s first revolution was interesting, and fascinating to learn more about it. Jones also did a great job, in m opinion, in the fact that the book was more focused on the pesants rising up rather than the nobility except when necessary. I highly recommend this as a read.

An enjoyable account of the events of the bloody Summer of 1381 when large scale unrest erupted in London, Kent, Essex, East Anglia and as far north as Yorkshire. Under the leadership of Wat Tyler, John Ball and Jack Straw the common people of England demanded equality and the end of villeiny but instead received bloody reprisals. Jones retells the events in a highly readable way and his analysis of the effects of the rebellion on the young and impressionable King Richard are insightful.

A bit thin, even for popular history. The narrative is coherent but moves at such a pace, and the book is so short, that the impact of the rebellion is somewhat lessened.