On February 24, 1382, the Rouen people went hunting for the rich.
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At the end of the 14th century, France’s fiscal situation was delicate.
King Charles VI is only 14 years old. Two years earlier, he inherited a France ruined by the Hundred Years War.
The regents of the kingdom, who are his own uncles, take advantage of the situation to enrich themselves.
On January 15, 1382, a royal ordinance announced the reinstatement of indirect taxes on salt and wine.
The dissatisfaction of the Rouen residents.
The city of Rouen was not informed until February 24. The inhabitants of the village, the bourgeois, are very dissatisfied.
This measure completely contradicts the charter to the Normans signed in 1315.
In it, Louis X, the father of the current monarch, had granted the Normans fiscal privileges.
This had allowed the bourgeois, often traders, to enrich themselves and take power in the cities.
To oppose these new taxes, the inhabitants of Rouen are organizing a carnival around the town hall.
It is mainly textile workers who meet. They ring the belfry bells and choose a carnival king, Jean le Gras, who presides over the procession in his chariot.
Rouen rises.
But now, the event degenerates.
The rioters cross the city shouting “Haro!” to rally as many people as possible to their cause. Hence the name of the revolt: La Harelle.
Quickly, they loot homes, free prisoners and attack the richest
The wealthiest bourgeois, who initially supported the carnival, are forced to leave the city. They organize armed militias to suppress the popular movement.
The anti-tax revolt turns into a social conflict.
The royal punishment.
After three days, the revolt was exhausted. The rioters, panicked, ask for the royal pardon. But the king will not be kind to them.
On March 29, Charles VI entered Rouen. He has 6 leaders of the riot executed.
The belfry which signaled the start of the revolt is destroyed. Instead, a new tower was built, the Gros-Horloge, a symbol of royal authority.
To drive the point home, the monarch increases the city’s taxes even more.
On Easter Day 1382, Charles VI nevertheless ended up granting his forgiveness to Rouen. A few social movements broke out later, but they were quickly repressed by the local elites.
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