The Peasants' Revolting
2 total works
Popular history writer Terry Deary takes us on a light-hearted and often humorous romp through the centuries with Mr & Mrs Peasant, recounting foul and dastardly deeds committed by the underclasses, as well as the punishments meted out by those on the right side' of the law.
Discover tales of arsonists and axe-wielders, grave robbers and garroters, poisoners and prostitutes. Delve into the dark histories of beggars, swindlers, forgers, sheep rustlers and a whole host of other felons from the lower ranks of society who have veered off the straight and narrow. There are stories of highwaymen and hooligans, violent gangs, clashing clans and the witch trials that shocked a nation. Learn too about the impoverished workers who raised a riot opposing crippling taxes and draconian laws, as well as the strikers and machine-smashers who thumped out their grievances against new technologies that threatened their livelihoods.
Britain has never been short of those who have been prepared to flout the law of the land for the common good, or for their own despicable purposes. The upper classes have lorded and hoarded their wealth for centuries of British history, often to the disadvantage of the impoverished. Frustration in the face of this has resulted in revolt. Read all about it here!
This entertaining book is packed full of revolting acts and acts of revolt, revealing how ordinary folk - from nasty Normans to present-day lawbreakers - have left an extraordinary trail of criminality behind them. The often gruesome penalties exacted in retribution reveal a great deal about some of the most fascinating eras of British history.
Discover tales of arsonists and axe-wielders, grave robbers and garroters, poisoners and prostitutes. Delve into the dark histories of beggars, swindlers, forgers, sheep rustlers and a whole host of other felons from the lower ranks of society who have veered off the straight and narrow. There are stories of highwaymen and hooligans, violent gangs, clashing clans and the witch trials that shocked a nation. Learn too about the impoverished workers who raised a riot opposing crippling taxes and draconian laws, as well as the strikers and machine-smashers who thumped out their grievances against new technologies that threatened their livelihoods.
Britain has never been short of those who have been prepared to flout the law of the land for the common good, or for their own despicable purposes. The upper classes have lorded and hoarded their wealth for centuries of British history, often to the disadvantage of the impoverished. Frustration in the face of this has resulted in revolt. Read all about it here!
This entertaining book is packed full of revolting acts and acts of revolt, revealing how ordinary folk - from nasty Normans to present-day lawbreakers - have left an extraordinary trail of criminality behind them. The often gruesome penalties exacted in retribution reveal a great deal about some of the most fascinating eras of British history.
Prime Minister and novelist, Benjamin Disraeli, said there are
Two nations between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other's habits, thoughts, and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets. The rich and the poor.'
Today we ARE aware of the habits, thoughts and feelings of the rich, because historians write about them endlessly. The poor are largely ignored and, as a result, their contributions to our modern world are forgotten.
Look at popular surveys asking Who is history's greatest hero?' Churchill, Nelson and Elizabeth I have all topped the polls. But the truth is the real heroes are the people who have done the work, and still do. They were born into poverty and spent a life of foul food, terrible toilets, danger, disease and death - the last was usually premature. And the greatest insult is they are forgotten; buried with no gravestone to mark their passing and no history book to celebrate their efforts. Until now. _The Peasants' Revolting Lives_ looks at the oppressed and disempowered and explores the most astonishing fact of all: they endured. They suffered and survived hardships and deprivations that would have killed most of us today. They persevered when the odds were stacked against them and made sure their families survived too. Look at the lives of the dwellers in the neglected zone and ask ourselves again, who the real heroes are. The answer just might be: Mr and Mrs Peasant.
Two nations between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other's habits, thoughts, and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets. The rich and the poor.'
Today we ARE aware of the habits, thoughts and feelings of the rich, because historians write about them endlessly. The poor are largely ignored and, as a result, their contributions to our modern world are forgotten.
Look at popular surveys asking Who is history's greatest hero?' Churchill, Nelson and Elizabeth I have all topped the polls. But the truth is the real heroes are the people who have done the work, and still do. They were born into poverty and spent a life of foul food, terrible toilets, danger, disease and death - the last was usually premature. And the greatest insult is they are forgotten; buried with no gravestone to mark their passing and no history book to celebrate their efforts. Until now. _The Peasants' Revolting Lives_ looks at the oppressed and disempowered and explores the most astonishing fact of all: they endured. They suffered and survived hardships and deprivations that would have killed most of us today. They persevered when the odds were stacked against them and made sure their families survived too. Look at the lives of the dwellers in the neglected zone and ask ourselves again, who the real heroes are. The answer just might be: Mr and Mrs Peasant.