Alessandro Barbero introduced by Inigo Lambertini

Italy’s best-known historian Professor Alessandro Barbero talks about his latest book, All’arme! All’arme! I priori fanno carne, the story of popular uprisings of the Middle Ages including the English revolt of 1381.

Barbero brings to life the many revolts that inflamed Europe in the Middle Ages as a mass of people decided they did not like the future and wanted to change it. They include the French peasants’ revolt of 1358, known as the Jacquerie, the Ciompi revolt in Florence in 1378, the English peasants’ revolt in 1381 and a lesser-known Tuchini revolt in Piedmont between 1386 and 1391. Historians have long thought that the failure of these uprising was down to the lack of a conscious goal. However, Barbero argues that the uprisers knew exactly what they were doing and had particular demands that they were fighting for.

Barbero’s books are bestsellers in Italy and have been widely translated. He teaches Medieval history at the University of Eastern Piedmont and his ‘History Lessons’ are followed live and on social media. His previous book, Dante, sold more than 250,000 copies. Barbero has written an account of the Battle of Waterloo and books about the Battle of Adrianople and about Charlemagne. He is also a novelist and won Italy’s leading literary award, the Strega Prize, for his novel Bella vita e guerre altrui di Mr. Pyle, gentiluomo.

He will be introduced by the Ambassador of Italy to the UK HE Inigo Lambertini.

Part of the festival’s programme of Italian literature and culture.