How did peasant revolts in France and that of the Ciompi of Florence compare?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary, but students should demonstrate an understanding of the Jacquerie revolt, which was the only revolt that began with the peasants themselves, started after the French defeat at Poitiers, when the English massacred or captured almost all of the nobles, including the king himself, the peasants were forced to raise the king's ransom. The violence began in May 1358 and rapidly turned into an expression of rage toward the nobility. Castles were destroyed; nobles and their families murdered. Word of the rebels' violence spread far beyond the region affected, until the rebellion was finally suppressed.The Italianate revolts, in contrast, came as a result of political exclusion. The Ciompi Revolt resulted from the nobility's decision to not let wool merchants form guilds, denying them a political voice. Their anger finally exploded into riots in the summer of 1378. Other workers, who felt shut out of Florence's political life, joined them. For a few weeks that summer, Florentines flooded the streets with riotous demonstrations or they hid in their houses. Crowds demanded the government lower taxes, abolish the public debt, and allow the ciompi to form their own guild. Continued struggles followed, culminating in an oligarchical control of Florence.