The Uprising: Why the tensions of 1381 feel familiar today

New film, The Uprising, is set to be released on Friday 9 October, centred around the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381. 

Speaking about upcoming release of the film, Professor Adrian Bell, lead researcher of the People of 1381 project said: 

"It’s no wonder the Peasant’s Revolt is capturing the public imagination at this particular point in time. So many facets of the story reflect our own contemporary situation: the 1381 revolt emerged in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic, labour disruption, corruption scandals, resistance to taxation and a lack of faith in the ability of the elites to govern. We see the same tensions that fuelled the revolt at play today. 

"Our research for the People of 1381 database challenges simplistic interpretations of this revolt. Though the film centres on Andrew Garfield’s ‘Ploughman’ character, our research shows that rebels extended far beyond the typical stereotype of peasants and farmers. Many men and women across society were involved, including townsmen, landowners, servants, soldiers and even tax collectors, all with different motivations for joining the rising.

"Traditional history has centred around the leaders of the rebellion, like Wat Tyler and John Ball. To see an ordinary labourer portrayed at the centre of this story, amidst the pressure of all this economic turbulence and pain, should encourage us reflect on what we can learn from history in order to predict and work to prevent future revolts.

"The People of 1381 project is the most comprehensive database of participants in the revolt, using judicial records, government records, poll tax records and GIS mapping to reconstruct who was involved and how the rebellion spread."

To speak with Professor Adrian Bell, contact pr@henley.ac.uk.