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

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 Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron

It thus became a sort of Jacquerie which, being exploited by unscrupulous demagogues, soon alienated all its respectable elements.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 "Anjar" to "Apollo" by Various

The Maillotins of Paris found imitators in other great towns; and in Auvergne and Vivarais the Tuchins renewed the Jacquerie.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7 "Fox, George" to "France" by Various

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

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