Tyler, Wat (died 1381)

The execution of Wat Tyler, the leader of the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381, from the 15th-century Chronicle of English History (British Library). In the course of negotiations between Tyler's men and King Richard II at Smithfield, Tyler was wounded. He was subsequently beheaded by order of the lord mayor of London, William Walworth.

Wat Tyler killing the poll tax collector. Tyler was the leader of the 1380 Peasants' Revolt – a rebellion against poverty and the artificial suppression of labourers' wages. The rebels gained some concessions from Richard II, but after Tyler's death in June at the hands of the Mayor of London, the revolt was brutally quashed and the king reneged on his promises.

English leader of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. He was probably born in Kent or Essex, and may have served in the French wars. After taking Canterbury, he led the peasant army to Blackheath, outside London, and went on to invade the city. King Richard II met the rebels at Mile End and promised to redress their grievances, which included the imposition of a poll tax. At a further conference at Smithfield, London, Tyler was murdered.