It was a "social protest" poem that arose in the aftermath of the Great Famine of 1315–1317. It clearly targeted the negligences and vices of specific social groups, such as the clergy and nobility, within the context of the failures of the Great Famine and wars of the early 14th century. The tradition of social protest poems in England would later culminate with "Piers Plowman" – see Piers Plowman tradition for further discussion.