The priest John Ball (c.1338–1381) was a popular figure around the time of the English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 and known for his preaching against the existing secular and ecclesiastical hierarchies. Ball was quickly seen as the central ideologue of this startling uprising from below which somehow managed to execute leading figures of the realm, including the Archbishop of Canterbury. This in turn made Ball a figure of considerable interest for future interpreters trying to explain what had happened in and to England in 1381.
Very interesting—thank you!