The True Story Behind the Peterloo Massacre: What to Know Before Watching Mike Leigh’s New Film

You’ve likely heard of the Battle of Waterloo, and perhaps you’ve even seen the 1970 film, Waterloo, which starred Rod Steiger as the infamous French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte and Orson Welles as King Louis XVIII of France. But Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Mike Leigh would like you to know of another -loo-suffixed historic event: the Peterloo Massacre.

Leigh’s new film for Amazon Studios, Peterloo, is now streaming on Prime Video after a limited, 4-week theatrical run in April. And yes, as you hopefully guessed—and like several of Leigh’s other films including Mr. Turner and Topsy-Turvey—Peterloo is based on a true story. In Peterloo, Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful, The Imitation Game) stars as Henry Hunt, who was a radical British speaker in the early 19th century known for his working-class activism. The film introduces many other British historical figures including King George IV’s mistress, Lady Conyngham (played by Marion Bailey); English radical Samuel Bamford (Neil Bell); Colonel L’Estrange of Manchester (Patrick Kennedy); the soon-to-be-King-George-IV Prince Regent (Tim McInnerny), Lord Sidmouth (Karl Johnson); Commander John Byng (Alastair Mackenzie), and more.

It’s all very British, eloquent and literary, but it’s also a tad confusing if you lack the proper historical context. Luckily, that’s where Decider comes in. Here’s everything you need to know about the Peterloo Massacre before you watch Peterloo on Amazon Prime Video.

Is Peterloo a true story? What is the Peterloo Massacre?

The Peterloo Massacre began as a politic rally on August 16, 1819, in St. Peter’s Field, a city square in Manchester, England. The rally turned violent when the local Manchester authorities charged the crowd, killing at least 18 people and injuring somewhere between 400 and 700.

The protestors who gathered that day—somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 people—were advocating for parliamentary reform. One prominent speaker at the rally was Henry “Orator” Hunt, an activist who believed all men and women should have the right to vote, and called for other radical reform in the English government. The demonstration was meant to be a peaceful protest of the many working class people in England who were dying of starvation and had no representation in Parliament. There was particular frustration over the Corn Laws, tariffs on imported food and grains that made bread too expensive for the poor.

When Hunt’s speech riled up the crowd, a short-lived regiment called the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry—which had been created specifically to quell social unrest—were sent in to arrest Hunt. They did so by charging the crowd, killing a child. Then a regiment of the British Army, the King’s Hussars, were called in to disperse the crowd, which they did by charging in on horseback, swords drawn. Panic ensued. Crowd members were unable to escape the scene of the protest because of the surrounding troops. Eighteen people were killed by sword or being trampled.

It is considered one of the bloodiest days in British history and went a long way toward turning public opinion in favor of democracy—but it also prompted the government to crack down on reform, including passing the Six Acts, which was legislation aimed at repressing any sort of political meetings or radicalism. Dolores Umbridge would be proud.

Why is it called the “Peterloo” Massacre? Is it connected to Waterloo?

After the events of that violent day in Manchester, a local journalist dubbed the massacre “Peterloo,” referencing the name of the square, St. Peter’s Field, and the Battle of Waterloo, which had occurred just four years earlier in 1815. That battle, and the bloody French Revolution that preceded it by twenty years, were on the minds of the magistrate, who saw the cries for democracy as inherently dangerous. The name “Peterloo Massacre” has stuck ever since.

What historical context should I know before watching Peterloo?

You should know that England’s Industrial Revolution was underway at that point, meaning that the working class folks in places like Manchester posed a threat to London’s royal and educated class. You should also know that the government was terrified of a national revolution, á la the French one. The Home Secretary at the time, Lord Sidmouth, was in constant communication with Manchester lawmakers to spy on growing social unrest. And 25 years before the Peterloo Massacre, the government suspended habeas corpus, which basically meant the king was allowed to arrest and imprison anyone he wanted. In other words, the atmosphere was ripe for government-sanctioned violence.

Most of Leigh’s Peterloo lays out the events leading up to the massacre, an event the director has said should be more widely covered in British schools. Well, now school teachers can just pop in this film! As long as everyone is assigned to read this post on Decider.com first.

Watch Peterloo on Prime Video