Fifteenth Century England A Comprehensive Chronology

This is the first volume (of what will likely be four volumes) of a comprehensive chronological history of fifteenth century England. It begins in 1397, a necessary prelude to the rise of Henry IV, and carries through to 1509 and the death of Henry VII. The series includes inter-related chronologies of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Burgundy and Brittany. Volume I covers from 1397 and the last few years of the reign of Richard II, through the entire reigns of Henry IV and Henry V, and ends a few months into the reign of Henry VI (1422). In the process, it covers wars, usurpations, land and naval battles, parliaments and great council meetings, and the lives and deaths of many hundreds of prominent English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, French, Burgundian and Breton persons.

In this authoritative history of 15th-century England, William Denton provides a comprehensive overview of the political, social, and cultural developments of the era. From the Wars of the Roses to the rise of the Tudor monarchy, Denton's meticulous research and engaging prose make this book an essential resource for anyone interested in British history or the medieval period. With insightful analysis and detailed accounts of key events and figures, England in the Fifteenth Century is a masterpiece of historical writing. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

"A Timeline of Fifteenth Century England" covers the broad stretch between the Edwards of the fourteenth century, and the Tudors of the sixteenth. It begins with the Lancastrian usurpation,and ends with the death of the first Tudor King. Packed in between, the throne of England was usurpted six times, England was invaded seven times by Englishmen, several times by the French, and some dozen times by the Scots. The fifteenth century saw the last phase of the Hundred Years War -- a heroic and frustrating thirty-five year struggle -- and the entire Wars of the Roses -- another thirty-five years of internecine bloodshed, including the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Three different dynasties ruled England, by seven different kings, including the shortest reign of an English king since the Norman invasion. Meanwhile, English kings began to use English as the preferred written language, and the first book was printed in England. Parliament grew particularly strong, the King became a Constitutional Monarch, and England transformed from late medievalism into a reformation that led to the Renaissance. All this occurred during periods of corruption and chaos, murder and mayhem, treachery and betrayal, and war and rebellion, interspersed with occassional periods of peace and properity. It has been said that no King can rule the English for long without fighting a war, and the fifteenth century proves the point. Within these pages lies a timeline documenting all the key events and contrasting personalities of this turbulent period, from beginning to end.

The failure of the Lancastrian dynasty, after its early struggles and its apparent consolidation, tends here to be attributed, in large measure, to improvident commitments abroad and a financial and administrative technique inadequate for its responsibilities; and the contest--at least in its earlier stages--between Lancaster and York is viewed not so much as a unique struggle between defined parties, as typical of the efforts of noble houses to maintain and improve their position by the exercise of patronage and influence in a society that was rapidly undergoing change. At the center of, and integral to, the story are chapters on the orders of men, upon economic life and governmental administration. There are revised portraits of Henry V and Edward IV, the latter regarded as a more practical administrator than his royal predecessors. A special feature is the sections devoted to Anglo-French relations, with the damnosa hereditas of the Treaty of Troyes particularly emphasized. The last chapter, a pacific epilogue to the tale of violence preceding it, deals with notable English achievements in the life of the spirit.

What was life really like in England in the later Middle Ages? This comprehensive introduction explores the full breadth of English life and society in the period 1200-1500. Opening with a survey of historiographical and demographic debates, the book then explores the central themes of later medieval society, including the social hierarchy, life in towns and the countryside, religious belief, and forms of individual and collective identity. Clustered around these themes a series of authoritative essays develop our understanding of other important social and cultural features of the period, including the experience of war, work, law and order, youth and old age, ritual, travel and transport, and the development of writing and reading. Written in an accessible and engaging manner by an international team of leading scholars, this book is indispensable both as an introduction for students and as a resource for specialists.

Through forty-five creative and concise essays by an international team of authors, this Cambridge History brings the fifteenth century to life for both specialists and general readers. Combining the best qualities of survey texts and scholarly literature, the book offers authoritative overviews of central composers, genres, and musical institutions as well as new and provocative reassessments of the work concept, the boundaries between improvisation and composition, the practice of listening, humanism, musical borrowing, and other topics. Multidisciplinary studies of music and architecture, feasting, poetry, politics, liturgy, and religious devotion rub shoulders with studies of compositional techniques, musical notation, music manuscripts, and reception history. Generously illustrated with figures and examples, this volume paints a vibrant picture of musical life in a period characterized by extraordinary innovation and artistic achievement.