Jacquerie
Americannoun
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the revolt of the peasants of northern France against the nobles in 1358.
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(lowercase) any peasant revolt.
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
There was not, then, and the honest co-authors of the coup d'état admit it now to their intimates, with playful delight, there was not any "Jacquerie," it is true; but the trick has told.
From Napoleon the Little by Victor Hugo
The atrocities of the Jacquerie, and of Wat Tyler's rebellion, hardened the hearts of men against the common people.
From The History of Freedom by John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron Acton
Time has not wiped, time never will wipe from the French memory the fear of a Jacquerie.
From The Abbess Of Vlaye by Stanley J. Weyman
Ah, believe me, an aristocracy is a feudal fortress which, though it has merciless beleaguers in the Jacquerie of plebeian Envy, has yet no foe so deadly as its own internal traitor of Lost Dignity!
From Wisdom, Wit, and Pathos of Ouida Selected from the Works of Ouida by Ouida
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