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.

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Jacquerie British  

/ ʒakri /

noun

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

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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

What but the Jacquerie was the red spectre?

From Napoleon the Little by Hugo, Victor

Jacques, a jacket, is decidedly French; Jacques de mailles equally so; and the word Jacquerie embraces all the catalogue of virtues and vices which we connect with our Jack.

From Notes and Queries, Number 191, June 25, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Bell, George

The atrocious insurrection, called La Jacquerie, was a term which originated in cruel derision.

From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 3 by Disraeli, Isaac

Here amid hard work and haunting suggestions of a coming poem, "The Jacquerie," he tried to work out the problem of his life's expression.

From Literary Hearthstones of Dixie by Pickett, La Salle Corbell