The Jacquerie of 1358

The Jacquerie of 1358 is one of the most famous and mysterious peasant uprisings of the Middle Ages. Beginning in a small village but eventually overrunning most of northern France, the Jacquerie rebels destroyed noble castles and killed dozens of noblemen before being put down in a bloody wave of suppression. The revolt occurred in the wake of the Black Death and during the Hundred Years War, and it was closely connected to a rebellion in Paris against the Frenchcrown. The Jacquerie of 1358 resolves long-standing controversies about whether the revolt was just an irrational explosion of peasant hatred or simply an extension of the Parisian revolt. It shows thatthese opposing conclusions are based on the illusory assumption that the revolt was a unified movement with a single goal. In fact, the Jacquerie has to be understood as a constellation of many events that evolved over time. It involved thousands of people, who understood what they were doing in different and changing ways. The story of the Jacquerie is about how individuals and communities navigated their specific political, social, and military dilemmas, how they reacted to events as theyunfolded, and how they chose to remember (or to forget) in its aftermath. The Jacquerie Revolt of 1358 rewrites the narrative of this tumultuous period and gives special attention to how violence andsocial relationships were harnessed to mobilize popular rebellion.

“"Firnhaber-Baker's fine account neatly underlines all these issues in an important and absorbing study which gives as clear and perceptive understanding of the uprising as we are likely to have. This is an accomplished and authoritative study, convincing in its arguments, and a tremendous book." -- Craig Nakashian, De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval History”

This is the first dedicated monograph to be published on the northern French peasant revolt of 1358 known as the Jacquerie since Siméon Luce's École des chartes thesis of 1859...A monographic approach enables Justine Firnhaber Baker to show how the political was dominant in this revolt, even though it was not controlled by political professionals in Paris. Christopher Fletcher, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies
Firnhaber-Baker's fine account neatly underlines all these issues in an important and absorbing study which gives as clear and perceptive understanding of the uprising as we are likely to have. This is an accomplished and authoritative study, convincing in its arguments, and a tremendous book. Sean McGlynn, De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval History
One of the many strengths of The Jacquerie of 1358 is how well-rounded it is...Medievalists and historians of unrest and social movements alike will undoubtedly benefit from engaging with this book. Jillian M. Bjerke, H-France Review

Justine Firnhaber-Baker is Senior Lecturer at the University of St Andrews and a former fellow of All Souls College, Oxford University. Her work focuses on violence, politics, and law in late medieval France from a social historical perspective. Her previous book, Violence and the State in Languedoc, was published by Cambridge University Press. Her articles have appeared in Past & Present, Speculum, French History, and The Journal ofMedieval History.

The Jacquerie of 1358 is one of the most famous and mysterious peasant uprisings of the Middle Ages. Beginning in a small village but eventually overrunning most of northern France, the Jacquerie rebels destroyed noble castles and killed dozens of noblemen before being put down in a bloody wave of suppression. The revolt occurred in the wake of the Black Death and during the Hundred Years War, and it was closely connected to a rebellion in Paris against the Frenchcrown. The Jacquerie of 1358 resolves long-standing controversies about whether the revolt was just an irrational explosion of peasant hatred or simply an extension of the Parisian revolt. It shows that these opposing conclusions are based on the illusory assumption that the revolt was a unifiedmovement with a single goal. In fact, the Jacquerie has to be understood as a constellation of many events that evolved over time. It involved thousands of people, who understood what they were doing in different and changing ways. The story of the Jacquerie is about how individuals and communities navigated their specific political, social, and military dilemmas, how they reacted to events as they unfolded, and how they chose to remember (or to forget) in its aftermath. The JacquerieRevolt of 1358 rewrites the narrative of this tumultuous period and gives special attention to how violence and social relationships were harnessed to mobilize popular rebellion.

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