Dan Jones' thrilling Summer Of Blood brings to life one of the most brutal, bloody and largely unexamined periods in England's medieval history – the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
In the summer of 1381, Wat Tyler led an army of peasants towards London to angrily oppose increased poll taxes and general oppression of the lower class. They torched houses, murdered superiors and caused havoc. They also came within an inch of toppling the royal kingdom.
Summer Of Blood uncovers the idealism that compelled the rebels, the brutal consequences of the revolt and its broader after-effects on society.
This is a fast-paced narrative account that's both intellectually stimulating and compulsively readable.