The latest definitive biography in the acclaimed Yale English Monarchs series Edward II (1284-1327), King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine, was the object of ignominy during his lifetime and calumny since it. Conventionally viewed as worthless, incapable of sustained policy, and significant only for his sporadic displays of ill-directed energy or a stubborn adherence to greedy and ambitious favorites, he has been presented as fit only to be deposed and replaced by someone more worthy of the throne. This definitive biography, the fruit of a lifetime's study, does not present Edward II as a heroic or successful king: his deposition after a turbulent reign of nearly twenty years is proof enough that it went terribly wrong. But Seymour Phillips' scrutiny of the multitude of available sources shows that a richer picture emerges, in line with the complexity of events and of the man himself. If Edward II was not a successful king, he was not fundamentally different in many ways from most English monarchs. The biography strikes a deft balance, taking full account of the problems the king faced in England, Scotland, and Ireland and in his relations with France. It also tackles the contentious issue of whether Edward II did not die in 1327, murdered under barbaric circumstances, but lived on as a captive in England and then a wanderer on the Continent. Eight hundred years on, a king's life is properly examined.

The fruits of new research on the politics, society and culture of England in the fourteenth century. Drawing on a diverse range of documentary, literary and material evidence, the essays collected here consider a wide range of important issues for the period. Political and institutional history is addressed in essays on Edward II's personal expenditure and the development and workings of parliament, including an analysis of those neglected "parliamentarians" of the period, the parliamentary proctors. Important new insights into the social history of the fourteenth century are provided by chapters on marriage and the accumulation of lay estates, the brokerage of royal wardship and the important and difficult subject of sexual violence towards under-age girls. Another chapter considers the enormously costly and complex task of feeding and supplying medieval armies across the "long" fourteenth century, while two final pieces offer important new insights into the material culture of the age, focusing in turn on St Stephen's Chapel, Westminster, and the phenomenon of royal reburial. Richly textured with personal and local detail, these new studies provide numerous insights into the lives of great and small in this fascinating period ofmedieval history. GWILYM DODD is Associate Professor of Medieval History at the University of Nottingham. Contributors: Elizabeth Biggs, Anna M. Duch, Bridget Wells-Furby, Alan Kissane, Ilana Krug, Alison K.McHardy, Seymour Phillips, Laura Tompkins, Kathryn Warner.

A major contribution to the history of Parliament, to medieval English history, and to the study of the English constitution. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW The rolls of parliament were the official records of the meetings of the English parliament from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) until the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509), after which they were superseded by the journals of thelords, and, somewhat later, the commons. This volume covers the first ten years of the reign of Edward III. It begins with the parliament of 1327, during which Edward II was deposed, which was called in the name of Edward II but was treated as the first parliament of the reign of Edward III. In addition to the deposition and later murder of Edward II, this period was marked by other dramatic events: the rule of Roger Mortimer and Isabella, the former queenof Edward II; the trials in 1330 of Mortimer and his accomplices for the murder of Edward II; the renewal of war with Scotland and the path to war with France. All these are reflected directly or indirectly in the Parliament Rolls. An introduction is provided to each of the Parliaments during this period, discussing the political context in which it was held; the purpose for which it was summoned; who was summoned; and analyzing the proceedings of the parliament both as recorded in the Parliament Rolls and in other sources, such as royal records and chronicles. Seymour Phillips is Professor of History, University College Dublin; Mark Ormrod is Professor of History,University of York.

A major contribution to the history of Parliament, to medieval English history, and to the study of the English constitution. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW The rolls of parliament were the official records of the meetings of the English parliament from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) until the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509), after which they were superseded by the journals of thelords, and, somewhat later, the commons. This volume contains the records of the parliaments held during the reign of Edward II, between October 1307 and November 1325. The parliament of January 1327, which was called in the nameof Edward II, was instead treated as the first parliament of the reign of Edward III. It covers a very eventful reign, which was marked by political conflict, strong personal enmities and civil war, wars with Scotland and France,and the unprecedented deposition of the king in 1327 - all events reflected, directly or indirectly, within the Rolls. An Introduction to each of the Parliaments during this period discusses the political context in which itwas held; the purpose for which it was summoned; who was summoned; and analyzes the proceedings of the parliament both as recorded in the Parliament Rolls (several of which have not previously been published) and in other sources, such as royal records and chronicles. Seymour Phillips is Professor of History, University College Dublin.