The people of 1381 is an innovative new research project set to produce the most comprehensive interpretation of the Peasants' Revolt to date. The revolt was one of the largest popular uprisings in medieval Europe and rocked the country in the summer of 1381.
Start date: 1/10/2019
End date: 30/09/2022
Led by collaborators from Henley Business School at the University of Reading, and awarded almost £1 million in funding by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, 'The People of 1381' will shed new light on the complex economic, social and political dynamics of the rebellion, to enhance our understanding of its cultural impact.
Co-investigators for the cross-disciplinary, multi-institution project include Jason Sadler from University of Southampton and colleagues from Universities of Oxford and Glasgow. Data management analysis and visualisation techniques will be facilitated by the GeoData team who will use Geographic Information Systems to map the development and structure of the revolt.
Central to the project is the creation of a database to provide the first overview of events, places and people involved. Judicial and manorial documents will be combined with records of central and local government, poll tax records and more, to reconstruct collective biographies of the people caught up in the rising.
Community engagement with the project will also be encouraged - a travelling exhibition will visit locations closely linked to the events of 1381; while an education collaboration programme with the Historical Association will include materials to be used in schools, and a Poetry Society arranged children's poetry competition.