Edward III and the English Peerage: Royal Patronage, Social Mobility and Political Control in Fourteenth-Century England [Hardcover]

J.S. Bothwell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1843830477 | ISBN-13: 978-1843830474 | Publication Date: April 2004

Patronage was central to medieval kingship, and a crucial facet of royal power. This book, the first in-depth examination of this crucial facet of royal power, offers a detailed analysis of how Edward III, one of the most successful and, to use a modern term, charismatic of medieval English monarchs, used royal favour to create a 'new nobility' and to reward and control the established peerage. Dr Bothwell shows how judicious use of largesse helped to produce domestic stability and encouraged the successful prosecution of foreign wars. Further, the study demonstrates how the nature of royal patronage came to reflect changes in feudalism, land law, finance, and the Church and the consequences of these changes for the more general history of medieval patronage, the evolution of the Lords and Commons, and the state of royal power both at the centre and in the localities. Overall, it is a clear, concise study of how Edward III used patronage to reposition the monarchy after the vicissitudes of his father's reign and a problematic minority. J.S. BOTHWELL is Lecturer in Later Medieval English History, University of Leicester.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Breaks new ground. (...) Indispensable for scholars of Edward III's reign or of English royal patronage more generally. SPECULUMIndispensable and should lead to further profitable discussion of patronage as one of the key mechanisms of late-medieval English kingship. SPECULUMAn important contribution to our understanding of Edward III's domestic politics which deserves to be read by anyone interested in the subject of late medieval patronage. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEWA well-researched and thoughtout study, which offers new ways to consider Edward III's relations with his nobles. THE MEDIEVAL REVIEWAn important reassessment of one of the most successful medieval English monarchs. MEDIUM AEVUM

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843830477
• ISBN-13: 978-1843830474
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,981,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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