Planning on Peasant Revolt / Servile Rebellion During The Antiquity

[Dolan]

Note that by Antiquity, I meant anything before the sack of Rome in 410 AD, and not quite limited to Greco-Roman world, but also Ancient Near East (Babylonia, Persia, Egypt), India (Magadh, Maurya), or even Zhou, Qin, or Han China.

Let's say that the current ruler is a tyrant who mistreats his subjects cruelly and yadda yadda yadda... Now, I don't want to focus on what kind of Government the Peasantry will create after the successful revolt, but the general planning, or military aspects of the revolt itself.

Assume that said ruler and the revolt is rather local in scope, about a city-state with the immediate surrounding countryside. The city has a population of 200000 and the countryside is about 300000, said ruler has his own personal army (the core, that is loyal to him and his family), about 4000 strong heavy infantry and 800 cavalries, supplemented by a larger numbers of levies of questionable loyalty in case of revolt from the inside.

a) General points to mobilize and organize the peasants against a said ruler.
b) Assuming the peasants have some little access to metal tools, what are the much more ideal weapons for fighting a revolt inside a city? Crude short spears, wood axes, or good old club?
c) Let's said that the Tyrants do have rivals that would also get some advantage if the tyrant is removed from power, how a group of peasants manages to convince another Warlord/Despot to not helping the Tyrant in question?

For clarity's sake:
Scenario 1: This scenario happened in unspecified hellenistic City-State during the Peloponnesian War
Scenario 2: This scenario happened in an unspecified Phoenician Town during the decline of Babylon
Scenario 3: This scenario happened in unspecified Chinese city during The Warring States period.

 

[Kaushlendra pratap singh]

Mrcchakatika(little clay cart) a love story novel from ancient India in which Main female protagonist Vasantasenā, a rich courtesan plan successfully revolt against tyrant king of Avanti .dispose him with another prince Āryaka. you can read it. also, Maurya comes to power after public revolt at hand of Chanakya who was the teacher of political science in Taxila university.

 

[mjwebb76]

Note that by Antiquity, I meant anything before the sack of Rome in 410 AD, and not quite limited to Greco-Roman world, but also Ancient Near East (Babylonia, Persia, Egypt), India (Magadh, Maurya), or even Zhou, Qin, or Han China.

Let's say that the current ruler is a tyrant who mistreats his subjects cruelly and yadda yadda yadda... Now, I don't want to focus on what kind of Government the Peasantry will create after the successful revolt, but the general planning, or military aspects of the revolt itself.

Assume that said ruler and the revolt is rather local in scope, about a city-state with the immediate surrounding countryside. The city has a population of 200000 and the countryside is about 300000, said ruler has his own personal army (the core, that is loyal to him and his family), about 4000 strong heavy infantry and 800 cavalries, supplemented by a larger numbers of levies of questionable loyalty in case of revolt from the inside.

a) General points to mobilize and organize the peasants against a said ruler.
b) Assuming the peasants have some little access to metal tools, what are the much more ideal weapons for fighting a revolt inside a city? Crude short spears, wood axes, or good old club?
c) Let's said that the Tyrants do have rivals that would also get some advantage if the tyrant is removed from power, how a group of peasants manages to convince another Warlord/Despot to not helping the Tyrant in question?

For clarity's sake:
Scenario 1: This scenario happened in unspecified hellenistic City-State during the Peloponnesian War
Scenario 2: This scenario happened in an unspecified Phoenician Town during the decline of Babylon
Scenario 3: This scenario happened in unspecified Chinese city during The Warring States period.

Isn't this exactly the story of the founding of the Han dynasty. Liu Bang was a peasant. He became a minor official of the Qin (one of the great tyrants of history). He led a group of bandits and eventually a peasant army after the death of the first Qin Emperor and eventually became the Han Emperor.