1381–1382: Taxation and Revolts (Maillotins, Harelle)

The government of the uncles inherits a more efficient state… and therefore a greater capacity to levy taxes. But society remains fragile: weakened demography, unstable local economies, memories of the crises. In this context, war taxation became a trigger for revolts.

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🧾 Taxation as a Political Fault Line

When taxes rose or were prolonged, contestation was not only economic: it targeted the legitimacy of those who governed. Towns could organise, mobilise guilds, and turn a fiscal dispute into a public order crisis.

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🏙️ Paris and Rouen: Maillotins and Harelle

In January 1382, the council restored old taxes and indirect levies. Contestation spread rapidly throughout the pays d’oïl. In Rouen, the Harelle revolt broke out at the end of February. In Paris, on 1 March 1382, rioters known as the Maillotins sacked the city and attacked tax collectors, striking them with iron mallets.

The reaction was harsh: the monarchy had to restore order, but also preserve its capacity for financing. Repress, punish, then reorganise: executions and hangings of ringleaders, ceremonial submission of towns, and administrative reassertion. This brutality was also a message: the king and council intended to reaffirm authority at a moment when the minority made power vulnerable.

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🧠 Key Takeaways

• Taxation is one of the sinews of war, but also one of the sinews of protest.
• Urban revolts show that the reinforced state remained politically fragile.