description John Ball Overview
John Ball was an English priest who became a radical figure in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, advocating for social equality in feudal England. He is best known for his rhetorical question "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?" which challenged the divinely ordained social hierarchy. Ball had been imprisoned multiple times for preaching unorthodox views before being released by rebel forces during the uprising. After the revolt failed, he was captured, tried for treason, and executed in July 1381.
His egalitarian sermons represented early expressions of social justice principles that would recur throughout English history.
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Who was John Ball?
John Ball was an English priest and radical preacher associated with the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. He criticized feudal inequality and argued that social rank should not be treated as divinely fixed.
What did John Ball mean by "When Adam delved and Eve span"?
The phrase asks why one person should be a gentleman when Adam and Eve, the first humans in Christian tradition, worked with their hands. It became a memorable challenge to the hierarchy of medieval England.
Was John Ball involved in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381?
Yes. He preached ideas of social equality that helped inspire the revolt, which saw rebels from parts of England move against taxes, officials, and feudal restrictions. Ball was later captured and executed after the uprising.
Why is John Ball remembered today?
He is remembered as a religious radical who used Christian ideas to question feudal privilege. His sermons and the Adam-and-Eve quotation made him an enduring symbol of medieval protest against inequality.
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