List of peasant revolts

This is a chronological list of revolts organized by peasants.

Background

The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including:

Tax resistance Social inequality Religious war National liberation Resistance against serfdom Land reform External factors such as plague and famine

Later peasant revolts such as the Telangana Rebellion were also influenced by agrarian socialist ideologies such as Maoism.

The majority of peasant rebellions ended prematurely and were unsuccessful. Peasants suffered from limited funding and lacked the training and organisational capabilities of professional armies.

Chronological list

The list gives the name, the date, the peasant allies and enemies, and the result of these conflicts following this legend:

Date Conflict State Peasants Result Image Ref. 209–206 BC Anti-Qin revolts (including Dazexiang Uprising) Qin dynasty Peasants under several rebel leaders, including Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, Xiang Yu, and Liu BangQin dissolution 205–186 BC Great Theban Revolt Ptolemaic Kingdom Native Egyptian peasants and soldiers under secessionist Pharaohs Hugronaphor and AnkhmakisSuppression of the rebellion 17–25 Lülin Xin dynasty Lülin rebelsCollapse of Xin dynasty; ascendancy of rebel leader Liu Xiu after infighting among Lülin forces 17–27 Red Eyebrows Xin dynasty Red Eyebrows rebelsGoal of the rebellion partially achieved, but eventual defeat of the movement by Liu Xiu 172–173 Bucolic War Roman Empire Egyptian peasants under IsidorusSuppression of the rebellionDio Cassius, Epitome 72 184–205 Yellow Turban Rebellion Han dynasty Yellow Turban rebelsSuppression of the rebellion, though Han dynasty is severely weakened 185–205 Heishan bandit movement Han dynasty Bandit confederacy of the Taihang Mountains Gongsun Zan's forcesSuppression of the rebellion, though Han dynasty is severely weakened 200s–400s Bagaudae Roman Empire Bagaudae SuebiGain control of some territory; end with the general collapse of the Roman Empire 300s–late 400s Circumcellions Roman Empire (until 435) Catholic Church (until 435) Vandal Kingdom (since 435) African landlords Berber and Roman peasants Donatist authorities Rebellious Roman military under Gildo (in 398)End of Roman Catholic rule in Africa, but suppression of the rebellion by Vandals and Arian authoritiesBaldwin, pp. 3–11. 611–619 Anti-Sui rebellions Sui dynasty Peasants under several rebel leaders Defected military forces under several rebel generals, officials and noblesCollapse of Sui dynasty; ascendancy of rebel leader Li Yuan after infighting among rebel forces 720–832 Bashmurian revolts Rashidun Caliphate Native Egyptian peasants rise in resistance against Arab rule, Bashmur becomes capital of semi-independent native stateSuppression of the rebellion after 112 years 841–843 Stellinga Uprising Saxon nobility Frankish military under Louis the German StellingaSuppression of the rebellion 859–860 Rebellion of Ch'iu Fu Tang dynasty Chinese peasants and bandits under Ch'iu FuSuppression of the rebellion, though Tang dynasty is severely weakenedSomers, pp. 688–692. 874–878 Rebellion of Wang Xianzhi Tang dynasty Chinese peasants and bandits under Wang Xianzhi and Shang JunzhangSuppression of the rebellion, though Tang dynasty is severely weakenedSomers, pp. 727–736. 875–884 Rebellion of Huang Chao Tang dynasty Chinese peasants and bandits under Huang ChaoSuppression of the rebellion, though Tang dynasty is severely weakenedSomers, pp. 727–762. 928–932 Basil the Copper Hand Rebellions Byzantine Empire Peasants under Basil the Copper HandSuppression of the rebellion 993–995 Da Shu rebellion in Sichuan Song dynasty Peasants under Wang Xiaobo and Li ShunSuppression of the rebellion 996 Peasants' revolt in Normandy Normandy under Rodulf of Ivry and Richard II, Duke of Normandy Norman peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1277–1280 Uprising of Ivaylo Bulgarian nobility Byzantine Empire Golden Horde Peasants under IvayloMurder of IvayloAndreev, pp. 221–228. 1323–1328 Peasant revolt in Flanders Kingdom of France Flemish peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1343–1345 St. George's Night Uprising Livonian Order Kingdom of Denmark Estonian peasantsSuppression of the rebellionVahtre, pp. 79–90. 1351–1368 Red Turban Rebellion Yuan dynasty Goryeo Red Turban Armies of White Lotus members, Manichaeans and Chinese peasantsFall of Yuan dynasty and retreat of the Mongols into Mongolia as the Northern Yuan dynasty; ascendancy of rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang after infighting among rebel forces 1358 Jacquerie Kingdom of France French peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1381 Peasants' Revolt Kingdom of England English peasantsSuppression of the rebellion, though Plantagenet dynasty is weakened 1382 Harelle Kingdom of France French peasantsSuppression of the rebellionSumption, p. 444. 1428 Shōchō uprising Ashikaga shogunate Japanese peasantsPeasant debts cancelled. 1437 Transylvanian peasant revolt Kingdom of Hungary Transylvanian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1438 Hallvard Graatops Revolt Norwegian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1441 Kakitsu uprising Ashikaga shogunate Do-ikki (leagues) of peasants and jizamuraiPeasant debts cancelled, Ashikaga shogunate is severely weakened.Hall, Toyoda; pp. 28–30. 1441 Funen and Jutland Peasant rebellions Danish peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1450 Jack Cade's Rebellion Kingdom of England English peasantsSuppression of the rebellion, though Lancaster dynasty is weakened and eventually overthrown during the Wars of the Roses.Thomson, pp. 195–297. 1450–1451 John and William Merfold's Uprising Kingdom of England English peasantsSuppression of the rebellionHicks, pp. 33–55. 1453–1454 Morea revolt of 1453–54 Despotate of the Morea Ottoman Empire Greek peasants under Manuel Kantakouzenos Albanians under Peter Bua Latin loyalists under John Asen ZaccariaSuppression of the rebellionCheetham, p. 218. 1462–1472, 1485–1486 War of the Remences Catalan constitutionalists and nobility (1462–1472) Crown of Aragon (1485–1486) Catalan peasants Royalists under John II of Aragon (1462–1472)Goal of the rebellion largely achieved, Sentència de Guadalupe signedRotger, 2011, pp. 26–33. 1467–1469 Galician Irmandiños Revolt Kingdom of Galicia (Crown of Castile) Galician peasants, led by Galician burgeoisie and part of the local lower nobilitySuppression of the rebellion by feudal armiesBarros, 2006: O que sabemos dos irmandiños 1476 Niklashausen Peasant Revolt Holy Roman Empire German peasants led by Hans Böhm, who had a vision of the Virgin Mary, against the nobility and clergy of the Holy Roman Empire.Böhm executed and pilgrimages to Niklashausen ceased 1478 Carinthian Peasant Revolt Holy Roman Empire Carinthian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1482–1511 Yamashiro ikki uprisings Ashikaga shogunateVarious samurai clans Yamashiro ikki and later, lesser ikkiVarious samurai clansMost ikki submit to the shogunate in 1493, though they achieved many of their aims and continued to retain autonomy until the gradual end of the movementBerry, pp. 37–44. 1487–1488 Kaga Rebellion Togashi clan Ikkō-ikkiMotoori clanYamagawa clanDecisive victory for the Ikkō-ikki. 1488–1582 Ikkō-ikki Uprisings Several major samurai clans (including Oda clan and Tokugawa clan) Nichiren sect Tendai sōhei Jōdo-shū sōhei Ikkō-shū peasant and ji-samurai leagues Jōdo Shinshū sōhei Mōri clan Azai clan Asakura clanDestruction of most militant Ikkō-shū leagues; Jōdo Shinshū sect and remaining Ikkō-ikki submit to Toyotomi HideyoshiOtani, pp. 609–612.1490–1492Mukha rebellion Kingdom of PolandOrthodox Ruthenian peasants Orthodox Moldavian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion1493–1517 Bundschuh movement Holy Roman Empire German peasantsAll rebellions suppressed 1498–1878 Opryshky movement Kingdom of Poland Austrian Empire Ruthenian (Ukrainian) peasants Hutsul peasantsSuppression of the movement 1511 Friulian Revolt Republic of Venice Friulian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1514 Poor Conrad Rebellion Duchy of Württemberg Württemberg peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1514 György Dózsa Rebellion Kingdom of Hungary Hungarian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1515 Slovene Peasant Revolt of 1515 Holy Roman Empire Slovene peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1515–1523 Frisian peasant rebellion Habsburg Netherlands Arumer Zwarte Hoop Charles II, Duke of GueldersSuppression of the rebellion 1516–1521 Trần Cảo Rebellion Lê dynasty Vietnamese peasants under Trần Cảo and Trần CungSuppression of the rebellion, though Lê dynasty is severely weakenedCooke, Vietnamese Confucianization, pp. 289–292. 1519–1659 Celali rebellions Ottoman Caliphate Turkmen peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1524–1525 German Peasants' War Swabian League German peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1524–1533 Dalecarlian Rebellions Dalarna peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1525 Palatine Peasants' War Electoral Palatinate Palatine peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1525 Sambian peasant revolt Duchy of Prussia Prussian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1534 Skipper Clement's Rebellion Kingdom of Denmark Danish peasants under Skipper Clement Suppression of the rebellion 1540 Peasant's Rebellion in Telemark Denmark–Norway Norwegian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1542–1543 Dacke War Småland peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1549 Kett's Rebellion Kingdom of England English peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1573 Croatian–Slovene Peasant Revolt Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Croatia Slovene peasants Croatian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1594–1637 Croquant rebellions Kingdom of France French peasantsSuppression of all rebellions 1596–1597 Cudgel War Sweden Finnish peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1606–1607 Bolotnikov Rebellion Tsardom of Russia Russian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1626–1636 Peasants' War in Upper Austria Electorate of Bavaria Austrian peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1630–1633 Peasant uprising in Podhale Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1630–1645 Rebellion of Li Zicheng Ming dynasty (1630–1644) Qing Dynasty (1644–1645) Peasants under Li Zicheng, Gao Guiying and other generals of the Shun dynastyCollapse of Ming dynasty, but suppression of the rebellion by Qing dynasty 1630–1647 Rebellion of Zhang Xianzhong Ming dynasty (1630–1644) Qing Dynasty (1644–1647) Peasants and bandits under Zhang XianzhongCollapse of Ming dynasty, but suppression of the rebellion by Qing dynasty 1635 Second Slovene peasants' revolt Holy Roman Empire Peasants under a scattered leadership of various leadersSuppression of the rebellion 1637–1638 Shimabara Rebellion Tokugawa shogunate Dutch Empire Christian peasants and rōninSuppression of the rebellionMurray, Japan, pp. 258–262. 1639 Revolt of the va-nu-pieds Kingdom of France Normandy peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1640 Corpus de Sang Principality of Catalonia Catalan harvestersRevolt successful. Start of the Reapers' War; eventual defeat of Catalonia1648Pokuttia Uprising Polish–Lithuanian CommonwealthRuthenian (Ukrainian) peasantsrebels destroyed manors and churches, captured towns and castles, and dealt harshly with the nobility, Poles, Catholic clergy, and landlords Under pressure from Polish units in December 1648, S. Vysochan left Pokuttia with his regiment and retreated to Podillia. The uprising was suppressed 1651 Kostka-Napierski Uprising Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish peasantsSuppression of the rebellionMajda, pp. 17–30. 1652 Guo Huaiyi Rebellion Dutch East India Company Aboriginal Taiwanese Chinese peasantsSuppression of the rebellion 1653 Swiss peasant war of 1653 Republic of the Swiss Swiss peasantsSuppression of the rebellionSuter, pp. 146–155.1664–1665Varenytsia Uprising Polish–Lithuanian CommonwealthUkrainian peasants Kalnyk Cossack regiment under Vasyl Varenytsia and Ivan Sulymka