This fascinating study of medieval warfare examines the vital role of castles during the English civil wars of the 15th century. The Wars of the Roses comprise one of the most fascinating periods in medieval history. Much has been written about the leading personalities, bitter dynastic rivalries, political intrigues, and the rapid change of fortune on the battlefields of England and Wales. However, there is one aspect that has been often overlooked, the role of castles in the conflict. Dan Spencer’s original study traces the use of castles from the outbreak of civil war in the 1450s during the reign of Henry VI to the triumph of Henry VII some thirty years later. Using a wide range of narrative, architectural, financial, and administrative sources, Spencer sheds new light on the place of castles within the conflict, demonstrating their importance as strategic and logistical centers, bases for marshaling troops, and as fortresses.

Original research and new interpretations of the gentry's role in the political and military conflicts of late fifteenth-century England.

First published in 1998, this valuable reference work offers concise, expert answers to questions on all aspects of life and culture in Medieval England, including art, architecture, law, literature, kings, women, music, commerce, technology, warfare and religion. This wide-ranging text encompasses English social, cultural, and political life from the Anglo-Saxon invasions in the fifth century to the turn of the sixteenth century, as well as its ties to the Celtic world of Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the French and Anglo-Norman world of the Continent and the Viking and Scandinavian world of the North Sea. A range of topics are discussed from Sedulius to Skelton, from Wulfstan of York to Reginald Pecock, from Pictish art to Gothic sculpture and from the Vikings to the Black Death. A subject and name index makes it easy to locate information and bibliographies direct users to essential primary and secondary sources as well as key scholarship. With more than 700 entries by over 300 international scholars, this work provides a detailed portrait of the English Middle Ages and will be of great value to students and scholars studying Medieval history in England and Europe, as well as non-specialist readers.

An edition and translation, with introduction and extended commentary, of all the royal charters granted to Jersey. Examines the process by which the charters were negotiated and the pressures operating on the parties to each grant, including the crown and its local representatives, and the various elements of the local community. It compares and contrasts the charters with those granted to Guernsey, and sets them in the wider context of franchises and liberties across the territories of the English crown through the late medieval and early modern period. Overall, the book highlights the crucial role of these charters in establishing the constitutional position of the bailiwick of Jersey. This is more than a subject of historical interest. The foundations of the constitutional position of Jersey are of great significance for the people of Jersey now and into the future. Jersey's constitutional relationship with the Crown is continuing to evolve, including to address the trading implications of Brexit. Understanding the distinct constitutional position of Jersey and the development of its rights to be governed by its own laws and customs may inform constitutional developments in Jersey, the crown dependencies and elsewhere.

War should be recognised as one of the defining features of life in the England of Henry VIII. Henry fought many wars throughout his reign, and this book explores how this came to dominate English culture and shape attitudes to the king and to national history, with people talking and reading about war, and spending money on weaponry and defence.