The Middle English Athelston and 1381, Part II: The Road to Rebellion

Abstract

This article forms the second in a series exploring the Middle English Athelston in light of the events of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, in this case exploring the poem's unusually precise map and its portrayal of the messenger trade. The article demonstrates how the map of the poem forms a virtual site map of the Peasants' Revolt, including its birthplace in northern Kent, its route between Canterbury and London, and the precise route of the rebellion through the city, all of which feature prominently in the poem, similarly against a backdrop of national crisis. City and county in the poem, moreover, maintain the same symbiotic relationship that prevailed in 1381. Finally, the article examines the messenger in the poem, his occupational grievances, and his socially transgressive behavior as an unflattering portrait of the peasant rebels.