Reprint of the original, first published in 1877.

John Howard, baron Howard and first duke of Norfolk, was one of the most important men of the Yorkist period. He was a consistently loyal supporter of the Yorkist dynasty from the late 1450s until his death at Bosworth in 1485. He was an indefatigable royal servant, active in the military field, as an agent of the Crown at home in East Anglia, as a councillor at Westminster and as an ambassador who became England's leading envoy to France. And yet there were other men of the period, equally significant in their careers, for whom no biographies have been forthcoming. To the question - why write a biography of John Howard? one answer must be - because we can. With the exceptions of the kings he served, no other man of the fifteenth-century peerage has left us so much in the way of evidence of his day-to-day life, not only of his royal service but his domestic concerns. Information about other men of his time depends largely on well-documented political or administrative action; very little information is available on their private lives. The same is not true of Howard. The unparalleled records that he left behind are four volumes of household memoranda covering the periods 1462 -1471 and 1481-1483.The memoranda were a daily record of the money received and dispersed by Howard himself, his family and senior household members. The lack of distinction between business and domestic concerns and the great range of subjects, from payments for ships to laces for his wife's gowns, are what make them so illuminating. Taken together, these surviving records illustrate almost every aspect of his life and bring him alive: talented, efficient, ambitious and not above some dishonourable dealings, short-tempered, paternalistic and loyal.

First of its kind, this book showcases relationships between women, as well as their individual efforts and roles during the Wars of the Roses. The Wars of the Roses were fought in England from the mid-fifteenth century, as the supporters of Lancaster and York wrestled over control of the crown. Books have analyzed the politics, battles and motives of its key characters. However, a discussion of women’s roles relating to the conflict is so far missing. Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses highlights their involvement, their lives during wartime and the consequences of their actions. Many women lost male relatives to battle, execution and rebellion, suffering emotional and legal consequences as rivals seized lands and livelihood. Despite the uneasy political atmosphere and challenges in marriage and parenting, women maintained the household and supported the family commercially and politically. Forgotten royal women acted as diplomats, negotiators and supporters to both York and Lancaster. Religious women were involved in the conflict and their individual experiences are examined. There is a discussion of women who fought to overcome potentially dangerous circumstances to secure safety and statusand those who directly supported of the war effort. There were organisers writing lists, planning defenses and strategy and quietly supplying husbands with horses, silver and men. Defenders commanded soldiers during a siege, usually at their homes, and took active roles in family feuds. The existence of women rebels at this time is also discussed, as is women’s wider, more subtle contributions and experiences to the security of the monarchy. The book demands acknowledgement of women’s varied roles during the conflict at all levels of society. It draws on primary sources, aspects of their families, their daily lives, homes and fashions, thus presenting them as three dimensional people against the backdrop of the wars.

Gender, Family, and Politics is the first full-length, gender-inclusive study of the Howard family, one of the pre-eminent families of early-modern Britain. Most of the existing scholarship on this aristocratic dynasty's political operation during the first half of the sixteenth-century centres on the male family members, and studies of the women of the early-modern period tends to focus on class or geographical location. Nicola Clark, however, places women and the question of kinship in centre-stage, arguing that this is necessary to understand the complexity of the early modern dynasty. A nuanced understanding of women's agency, dynastic identity, and politics allows us to more fully understand the political, social, religious, and cultural history of early-modern Britain.