Jacquerie

American  

[zhahk^uh-ree] / ʒɑkəˈri /

noun

1. the revolt of the peasants of northern France against the nobles in 1358.

2. (lowercase) any peasant revolt.

---

Jacquerie British  

/ ʒakri /

noun

1. the revolt of the N French peasants against the nobility in 1358

---

Etymology

Origin of Jacquerie

< French, Middle French, equivalent to jaque ( s ) peasant (after Jacques, a name thought to be typical of peasants) + -rie -ry

Explanation

A jacquerie is an insurrection or revolt, especially by peasants against the ruling class. The original jacquerie was an organized uprising by working class farmers in 14th-century France. Chaos among the nobility had left these peasants charged with risking their lives to defend the palaces against invading English soldiers. They rebelled violently for months, but ultimately lost to the aristocrats. Jacquerie derives from the nobles' mocking nickname for peasants, Jacques, a reference to the padded jackets, or jacques, they wore.

Example Sentences

This, combined with the soaring fiscal burden of near-constant war, set off a series of uprisings, most notably the French Jacquerie of 1358 and the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2020

We may add, that a Jacquerie had been promised, and that M. Bonaparte could not break all his promises at once without some inconvenience.

From Napoleon the Little by Hugo, Victor

"But," I cried aghast, "do you fear a Jacquerie?"

From The Red Cockade by Weyman, Stanley John

Some of these, like the Jacquerie in France and the revolt associated with the name of Wat Tyler in England, were of a serious and more or less extended character.

From German Culture Past and Present by Bax, Ernest Belfort

War again broke out, quickly followed by a new treaty, after which the king of Navarre took part in suppressing the peasant rising known as the Jacquerie.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 8 "Chariot" to "Chatelaine" by Various