From an award-winning historian: “A new and convincing likeness of medieval England’s most iconic king” (The Sunday Times). This biography by the bestselling author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England takes an insightful look at the life of Henry V, casting new light on a period in history often held up as legend. A great English hero, Henry V was lionized by Shakespeare and revered by his countrymen for his religious commitment, his sense of justice, and his military victories. Here, noted historian and biographer Ian Mortimer takes a look at the man behind the legend and offers a clear, historically accurate, and realistic representation of a ruler who was all too human—and digs up fascinating details about Henry V’s reign that have been lost to history, including the brutal strategies he adopted at the Battle of Agincourt. “The most illuminating exploration of the reality of 15th-century life that I have ever read.” —The Independent “Compelling, exuberant . . . vivid.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, New York Times–bestselling author of The Romanovs: 1613–1918

Heresy was the most feared crime in the medieval moral universe. By examining the drafting, publicizing, and implementing of new laws against heresy in the 14th and 15th centuries, this text presents a general study of inquisition in medieval England.

In late medieval England, cloistered nuns, like all substantial property owners, engaged in nearly constant litigation to defend their holdings. They did so using attorneys (proctors), advocates and other ""men of law"" who actually conducted that litigation in the courts of Church and Crown, following the increased professionalism of legal practitioners during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. However, although lawyers were as crucial to the economic vitality of the nunneries as the patrons who endowed them, their role in protecting, augmenting or depleting monastic assets has never been.

The Middle English Book analyzes 202 literary manuscripts from late medieval England (1350-1500) and argues that most readers looked to scribes in their immediate vicinity to acquire copies of literature. It examines various forms of writing practiced by scribes throughout the late medieval English countryside and shows that the production of documents underscored the wide availability of literary copying. As a result, when a reader acquired a manuscript,they were most often tapping into local networks of document production.

Thanks in part to Shakespeare, Henry V is one of England's best-known monarchs. The image of the king leading his army against the French, and the great victory at Agincourt, are part of English historical tradition. Yet, though indeed a soldier of exceptional skill, Henry V's reputation needs to be seen against a broader background of achievement. This sweepingly majestic book is based on the full range of primary sources and sets the reign in its full European context. Christopher Allmand shows that Henry V not only united the country in war but also provided domestic security, solid government, and a much needed sense of national pride. The book includes an updated foreword which takes stock of more recent publications in the field. "A far more rounded picture of Henry as a ruler than any previous study."--G.L. Harris, The Times

A comparative study of the power and limits of bureaucracy in historical empires from ancient Rome to the twentieth century.