1381
Peasants' Revolt: Tyler's men enter London
Provoked by a flat poll tax, Kentish and Essex rebels under Wat Tyler swarmed across London Bridge, sacked the Savoy Palace, and met the fourteen-year-old Richard II at Mile End. He promised the abolition of serfdom. The next day at Smithfield, Tyler was killed, the promises rescinded, the leaders hanged.
Timur conquers Herat and absorbs Khorasan
The great Persian cultural city fell to Timur's armies, its Kart dynasty extinguished. Unlike Urgench, Herat was spared destruction - Timur recognized its value as a center of Persian learning and art. Under his successors, Herat would become the Timurid Renaissance's brightest jewel, home to Bihzad's miniatures and Jami's poetry.
Nanjing's Ming imperial examinations reinstituted
Hongwu restored the civil service examination system that the Mongols had suspended, reopening the Confucian meritocratic pathway to power. Thousands of scholars streamed into examination halls to compose eight-legged essays on the Four Books of classical Confucianism. The decision cemented the scholar-official class as Ming China's governing elite for three centuries and shaped Chinese intellectual life profoundly.
John Ball preached: 'When Adam delved and Eve span'
The renegade Lollard priest, freed from prison by Tyler's mob, preached a sermon outside London that asked whether God had created any gentlemen. The doggerel couplet attached to his name became the first English protest slogan with a half-life into modern times. Ball was hanged, drawn, and quartered before the king's mother.
Yongle prince exiled to Beijing
Hongwu sent his fourth son Zhu Di to govern the former Yuan capital as Prince of Yan. The posting was meant to be both an honor and a containment. Two decades later Zhu Di would march south and take the throne by force, moving the capital back to Beijing as Yongle emperor.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1381?
Saeculum lists 5 curated events from 1381. The most significant is Peasants' Revolt: Tyler's men enter London: Provoked by a flat poll tax, Kentish and Essex rebels under Wat Tyler swarmed across London Bridge, sacked the Savoy Palace, and met the fourteen-year-old…
What era was 1381 part of?
1381 falls within the Late Middle Ages (1301-1500). Plague, papal schism, and the seeds of nation-states.
Which regions saw notable events in 1381?
The curated events from 1381 span Europe, Central Asia and East Asia.