What historical event inspired A Dream of John Ball?

A Dream of John Ball, a romantic fantasy by William Morris, was inspired by the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.12

The novel centers on the historical figure John Ball, a 14th-century priest who became a prominent leader of the uprising. Ball was known for his inflammatory sermons advocating for a classless society, famously questioning the origins of nobility with the rhyme, "When Adam dalf [dug] and Eve span [spun], Who was then a gentleman?"123

In Morris’s narrative, a 19th-century protagonist dreams he is a scholar in Kent during the rebellion, where he witnesses Ball inspiring the peasants and later engages in a conversation with him about the future of society. The revolt itself was a significant historical event triggered by economic discontent and the imposition of an unpopular poll tax, ultimately ending in the suppression of the rebels and the execution of Ball.13