Aspects of the turbulent rule of Richard II freshly examined. The reign of Richard II is well known for its political turmoil as well as its literary and artistic innovations, all areas explored by Professor Nigel Saul during his distinguished career. The present volume interrogates many familiar literary and narrative sources, including works by Froissart, Gower, Chaucer, Clanvow, and the Continuation of the Eulogium Historiarum, along with those less well-known, such as coroner's inquests and gaol delivery proceedings. The reign is also notorious for its larger than life personalities - not least Richard himself. But how was he shaped by other personalities? A prosopographical study of Richard's bishops, a comparison of the literary biographies of his father the Black Prince, and Bertrand du Guesclin, and a reconsideration of Plantagenet family politics, all shed light on this question. Meanwhile, Richard II's tomb reflects his desire to shape a new vision of kingship. Commemoration more broadly was changing in the late fourteenth century, and this volume includes several studies of both individual and communal memorials of various types that illustrate this trend: again, appropriately for an area Professor Saul has made his own. Contributors: Mark Arvanigian, Caroline Barron, Michael Bennett, Jerome Bertram, David Carpenter, Chris Given-Wilson, Jill Havens, Claire Kennan, Hannes Kleineke, John Leland, Joel Rosenthal, Christian Steer, George Stow, Jenny Stratford, Kelcey Wilson-Lee.

Essays offer a lively snapshot of important topics. The essays presented here draw on a number of different approaches and perspectives to address and illuminate key aspects and issues of the period. Longitudinal studies of king's confessors and corrodies of the crown provide insights into the intersection of political, religious and demographic currents over the longue duree, and are complemented by studies of documentary sources of various kinds - newsletters, chronicles, and municipal archives - to challenge current understandings of important events and processes such as the deposition of Edward II, the evolving identity of the parliamentary peers, and Richard II's vision for the house of Lancaster. Prosopographical and biographical studies of post-plague clerics, and of knights within comital affinities and within their own individual affinity groups, shed light on county communities and gentry society; they also demonstrate the impact of the Black Death on society at large, especially on the question of religious continuity and discontinuity at the parish level. Contributors: Paul Dryburgh, Pierre Gaite, Chris Given-Wilson, Michael Jones, Taylor Kniphfer, Samuel Lane, Jonathan Mackman, Alison McHardy, Matt Raven, David Robinson.

Essays exploring how England was governed during a tumultuous period. The twin themes of power and authority in fourteenth-century England, a century of transition between the high and late medieval polities, run throughout this volume, reflecting Professor Given-Wilson's seminal work in the area. Covering the period between Edward I's final years and the tyranny of Richard II, the volume encompasses political, social, economic and administrative history through four major lens: central governance, aristocratic politics, warfare, and English power abroad. Topics covered include royal administrative efficiency; the machinations of government clerks; the relationship between the crown and market forces; the changing nature of noble titles and lordship;and ideas of court politics, favouritism and loyalty. Military policy is also examined, looking at army composition and definitions of "war" and "rebellion". The book concludes with a detailed study of treasonous English captainsaround Calais and a broader examination of Plantagenet ambitions on the European stage. REMY AMBUHL is Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Southampton; JAMES BOTHWELL is Lecturer in Later Medieval Historyat the University of Leicester; LAURA TOMPKINS is Research Manager at Historic Royal Palaces. Contributors: Andrew Ayton, Michael Bennett, Wendy R. Childs, Gwilym Dodd, David Green, J.S. Hamilton, Andy King, Alison McHardy, Mark Ormrod, Michael Prestwich, Bridget Wells-Furby

Fourteenth Century England has quickly established for itself a deserved reputation for its scope and scholarship and for admirably filling a gap in the publication of medieval studies. HISTORY Drawing on a diverse range of documentary, literary and material evidence, the contributors to this volume examine several inter-related topics on political, social and cultural matters in late medieval England. Aspects of both arms production and armigerous society are explored, from the emergence of royal armourers in the early fourteenth century to the social implications of later armour and armorial bearings. Another major focus is the church and religion more broadly. The nature and significance of the ceremonial entry, the adventus, of bishops is explored, as well as the legal impact of provisions in shaping church-state relations in mid-century. Religious constructsof women are considered in a comparative analysis of orthodox and Lollard texts. Finally, a group of papers looks at aspects of politics at the centre, with an examination of the queenship of Isabella of France and the issue of the Mortimer inheritance in the early years of Richard II. J.S. Hamilton is Professor and Chair, Department of History, Baylor University. Contributors: Beth Allison Barr, Philip Caudrey, Katherine Harvey, Mark King, Malcolm Mercer, Shelagh Mitchell, Lisa Benz St John, Charlotte Whatley

A new review of the most significant issues of Edward II's reign. Edward II presided over a turbulent and politically charged period of English history, but to date he has been relatively neglected in comparison to other fourteenth and fifteenth-century kings. This book offers a significant re-appraisal of a much maligned monarch and his historical importance, making use of the latest empirical research and revisionist theories, and concentrating on people and personalities, perceptions and expectations, rather than dry constitutional analysis. Papers consider both the institutional and the personal facets of Edward II's life and rule: his sexual reputation, the royal court, the role of the king's household knights, the nature of law and parliament in the reign, and England's relations with Ireland and Europe. Contributors: J.S. HAMILTON, W.M. ORMROD, IAN MORTIMER, MICHAEL PRESTWICH, ALISTAIR TEBBIT, W.R. CHILDS, PAUL DRYBURGH, ANTHONY MUSSON, GWILYM DODD, ALISON MARSHALL, MARTYN LAWRENCE, SEYMOUR PHILLIPS.

The fourteenth century was, for the English, a century which witnessed dramatic and not always easily explicable changes of fortune. In 1300, England's population was around seven million, and Edward I seemed to be on the verge of turning the British Isles into an English Empire. By 1400, its population was between three and four million (due mainly to the Black Death), dreams of a 'British' empire had all but crumbled, and instead England had become embroiled in a war - the Hundred Years' War - which was not only ultimately disastrous, but which also established the French as the 'national enemy' for many centuries to come. In addition, despite the fact that before 1300 no reigning English monarch had ever been deposed, by 1400 two had: Edward II in 1327, and Richard II in 1399. Sandwiched between these two turbulent reigns, however, came that of Edward III, one of the most successful, both politically and militarily, in English history. It is against the background of these remarkable fluctuations that the articles in this volume, the second in the Fourteenth Century England series, have been written. The range of subjects which they cover is wide: from princely education to popular heresy, from national propaganda to the familial and territorial power politics which occasioned the downfall of kings. Taken together, they reinforce the view that, whether viewed as calamitous or heroic, the fourteenth century was never less than interesting.CHRIS GIVEN-WILSON is Professor of Late Medieval History, University of St Andrews. Contributors: MARTIN ALLEN, JOHN ARNOLD, PAULETTE BARTON, TOM BEAUMONT-JAMES, ALASTAIR DUNN, JEFFREY HAMILTON, JILL C. HAVENS, ANDY KING, CARLA LORD, SHELAGHMITCHELL, MICHAEL PRESTWICH, ARND REITMEIER, NIGEL SAUL.

Fourteenth Century England has quickly established for itself a deserved reputation for its scope and scholarship and for admirably filling a gap in the publication of medieval studies. HISTORY The new research here covers a number of aspects of the politics and culture of fourteenth-century England, including religious culture and institutions as illustrated in the cult of Thomas of Lancaster, preaching to women in thelater fourteenth century, and in the Church's response to a royal fundraising campaign. There are detailed examinations of prominent and less prominent individuals - Bishop Thomas Hatfield, Agnes Maltravers, and Lord Thomas Despenser - together with investigations of broader policy issues, particularly the dispensation of justice in the reign of Richard II. Finally, the intersection of environmental, political, and economic issues is approached from two very different perspectives, the development of royal landscapes and of the late medieval coal industry. Contributors: JOHN T. MCQUILLEN, AMANDA RICHARDSON, A. K. MCHARDY, CHRISTIAN D. LIDDY, J.S. BOTHWELL, BETH ALLISON BARR, DIANE MARTIN, HELEN LACEY, JOHN LELAND, MARTYN LAWRENCE, ULRIKE GRASSNICK, MARK ARVANIGIAN J.S. HAMILTON is Professor and Chair of History at Baylor University.

Biennial volumes of new research on an eventful century coloured by the Plantagenet dynasty. The fourteenth century is one of the most turbulent and compelling periods of English history, reflected in the vitality of the current scholarship devoted to it. This new series provides a forum for the most recent research intothe political, social, and ecclesiastical history of the century, and complements earlier series from Boydell & Brewer, Anglo-Norman Studies and Thirteenth Century England, which taken together offer a complete overview of debate on the middle ages. The substantial and significant studies in this volume have a particular focus on political history, including examinations of Edward II's charter witness lists and the consolidation of HenryIV's power in his early years; other topics include the Black Death and law-making, castle-building and memorials, war and chivalry in the Scalacronica, and architecture in the courts of Edward III and Charles V of France. Contributors: JEFFREY HAMILTON, ANDY KING, ROY M. HAINES, ANTHONY MUSSON, GLORIA J. BETCHER, CYNTHIA J. NEVILLE, CHRISTOPHER PHILPOTTS, CHARLES COULSON, MARY WHITELEY, NICHOLAS ROGERS, LYNDA DENNISON, DOUGLAS BIGGS NIGEL SAUL is Professor of Medieval History, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London.