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, SHELAGH MITCHELL, MICHAEL PRESTWICH, ARND REITMEIER, NIGEL SAUL.
Reviews
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....A lively, stimulating and rewarding volume. HISTORY
Details
First Published: 31 Oct 2002
13 Digit ISBN: 9780851158914
Pages: 190
Size: 23.4 x 15.6
Binding: Hardback
Imprint: Boydell Press
Series:
Fourteenth Century EnglandSubject:
Medieval HistoryBIC Class: HBLC1
Details updated on 07 Feb 2012
Contents
- 1 'Pur Salvation du Roiaume': Military Service and Obligation in Fourteenth-Century Northumberland
- 2 Some Notes on 'Royal' Medicine in the Reign of Edward II
- 3 Queen Isabella at the Court of France
- 4 Italians in English Mints and Exchanges
- 5 John of Eltham, History and Story: Abusive International Discourse in Late Medieval England, France and Scotland
- 6 Lollard Trials and Inquisitorial Discourse
- 7 A Curious Erasure in Walsingham's Short Chronicle and the Politics of Heresy
- 8 Sacred Space and the Profane Image
- 9 A Farewell to Arms? Criticism of Warfare in Late Fourteenth- Century England
- 10 Born to by a Tyrant? The Childhood and Education of Richard II
- 11 Richard II and the Mortimer Inheritance
- 12 Richard II and the Broomcod Collar: New Evidence from the Issue Rolls
