New Film ‘The Uprising’ Explores the Brutal Reality of England’s 1381 Peasants’ Revolt

Set against the bleak backdrop of England’s fens, Paul Greengrass’s new film The Uprising premieres in theaters on September 11. The epic dramatizes the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, a pivotal moment when tens of thousands of English commoners, burdened by crushing taxes following the Black Death, marched on London to demand systemic change. Anchoring the narrative is Andrew Garfield as Ploughman, a fictional character created to represent the ordinary individuals at the heart of the uprising.

Greengrass deliberately avoided centering the story on known historical figures like rebel leader Wat Tyler or priest John Ball. “I wanted him to be emblematic of all the tens of thousands of people who rose up,” Greengrass told TIME. “They were all ordinary farmers, ordinary people who lived in villages and small towns, who’d had enough.” The film follows Ploughman from his isolated life, where the plague took his family, into the collective anger that eventually reaches the gates of power.

The historical context begins with the arrival of the Black Death in Dorset in the summer of 1348. The pandemic swept through England, killing an estimated half the population within two years and leaving villages empty. Economically, the labor shortage should have improved conditions for survivors, but the ruling elite moved quickly to suppress wages and maintain the feudal hierarchy through parliament Acts. This economic oppression, combined with ruinous wars against France and successive poll taxes, created the volatile climate that exploded in 1381.

Historian Dan Jones, author of Summer of Blood, describes the revolt as a broad coalition that included whole villages, craftsmen, and even women, whose grievances affected approximately 85% of the country. The movement was led by Tyler, who provided military organization, and Ball, who articulated the moral argument through radical preaching. Ball’s famous couplet—”When Adam delved and Eve span, who then was the gentleman?”—challenged the divine right of aristocracy.

The rebellion reached its peak in London, where rebels stormed the Tower of London and executed Archbishop Simon Sudbury and Treasurer Robert Hales. However, the uprising ultimately failed after King Richard II, then 14, initially granted their demands but later reneged on them following Tyler’s death. Jones notes that while the grievances were justified, the revolt descended into brutality, leading to harsh reprisals against the participants.

Greengrass developed the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing parallels between the 14th-century crisis and modern times. The original script title, The Hood, hinted at the film’s connection to outlaw legends like Robin Hood, which emerged from the same political disillusionment. By creating an invented protagonist, Greengrass aims to humanize the historical record, allowing audiences to connect with the universal question of how individuals respond to grave injustice.