Reputation And Representation In Fifteenth Century Europe

This volume deals with political, military, social, architectural, and literary aspects of fifteenth-century England. The essays contained in the volume range across the century from some of the leading scholars currently working in the period. With contributions by Mark Arvanigian, Kelly DeVries, Sharon Michalove, Harry Schnitker, Charlotte Bauer-Smith, Candace Gregory, Helen Maurer, Karen Bezella-Bond, E. Kay Harris, Daniel Thiery, John Leland, Peter Fleming, Virginia K. Henderson.

This volume deals with political, military, social, architectural, and literary aspects of fifteenth-century England. The essays contained in the volume range across the century from some of the leading scholars currently working in the period.

Since the mid-twentieth century, political histories of late medieval England have focused almost exclusively on the relationship between the Crown and aristocratic landholders. Such studies, however, neglect to consider that England after the Black Death was an urbanising society. Towns not only were the residence of a rising proportion of the population, but were also the stages on which power was asserted and the places where financial and military resources were concentrated. Outside London, however, most English towns were small compared to those found in contemporary Italy or Flanders, and it has been easy for historians to under-estimate their ability to influence English politics. Politics and the Urban Sector in Fifteenth-Century England, 1413-1471 offers a new approach for evaluating the role of urban society in late medieval English politics. Rather than focusing on English towns individually, it creates a model for assessing the political might that could be exerted by towns collectively as an 'urban sector'. Based on primary sources from twenty-two towns (ranging from the metropolis of London to the tiny Kentish town of Lydd), Politics and the Urban Sector demonstrates how fluctuations in inter-urban relationships affected the content, pace, and language of English politics during the tumultuous fifteenth century. In particular, the volume presents a new interpretation of the Wars of the Roses, in which the relative strength of the 'urban sector' determined the success of kings and their challengers and moulded the content of the political programmes they advocated.

The first full edition and English translation of the RA I.34 Firework Book. Produced from the early fifteenth century onwards, Firework Books are, broadly speaking, manuals on how to use gunpowder, witnessing a major development in warfare. Surviving in a corpus of some 65, each text has different content and components, but core elements are present throughout. An important example is a manuscript in the collection of the Royal Armouries (RA I.34), written in Early New High German, and (unlike many other manuscripts) still in what appears to be its original format and binding; it also, unusually, contains a number of illustrations. This volume provides the first full edition and English translation of the material, with a detailed analysis of its content and context. It positions the Firework Books at a crucial stage in the development of gunpowder artillery, offering an unparalleled insight into fifteenth-century gunpowder technology at a critical juncture of military and technological change at the end of the Middle Ages.

Described as 'greedy and grasping, and raised from nothing', the Woodviles have had a bad press. 'Brought Up of Nought' investigates the family origins, explains the rise and fall of the senior branch, and how the junior branch rose to the highest levels of court society after struggling to establish itself in Northamptonshire. The family originally rose to the status of 'baron', but lost land over time as it descended to the gentry; however, the medieval wheel of fortune was to turn dramatically in favour of the junior branch in Northamptonshire. Early in the 15th century, Richard, the son of Richard Woodvile Esq., was placed in the service of John Duke of Bedford at his court in Rouen, which resulted in his secret marriage to the duke's young widow Jacquetta. In 1464, their daughter Elizabeth made an extraordinary marriage to Edward IV, which attracted great criticism, resulting in a period of slander that continues to this day. This book argues that the Woodvile's blackened reputation was the result of a campaign by Richard, Earl of Warwick who was jealous and eager to retrieve his position as 'kingmaker'.

Examination of the role played by key figures around the monarchy in the Wars of the Roses.

Examining Malory's political language, this study offers a revisionary view of Arthur's kingship in the Morte Darthur and the role of the Round Table fellowship. Considering a range of historical and political sources, Lexton suggests that Malory used a specific lexicon to engage with contemporary problems of kingship and rule.

Groundbreaking new approach to the idea of treason in medieval England, showing the profound effect played by gender.