It began in Essex as a response to the harsh economic demands of parliament and was one of the most significant uprisings in Europe during the medieval period. A national movement of people that spread as far as York and Scarborough in the northeast and over to Somerset in the southwest of England. Previous uprisings had always been led by noblemen, ambitious to overthrow the out of touch government and seize power for themselves. This time it was different, the so called ‘Peasants Revolt’, was led by a group of commoners, men like Watt Tyler, John Ball and Jack Straw. A group of men and women from all walks of life who wanted to radically change English society rather than seek out personal advancement.