The Making of the Neville Family in England, 1166-1400 [Hardcover]

Charles R. Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 1996

The story of the Neville family is a fascinating one. From their inconspicuous beginnings in Lincolnshire after the Norman Conquest, by the fourteenth century the Nevilles of Raby were among the most influential groups in the north of England, virtually ruling the area by means of the royal offices they held, and their political power reached its zenith in the fifteenth century with Richard de Neville, earl of Warwick, the so-called Kingmaker. This new study aims to answer the question of how a family of knightly status but with no special prominence was able to rise to such heights, tracing its growth and development through a careful examination of surviving documents; it also illustrates how the governance of medieval England worked with the cooperation of baronial families in a pragmatic manner, quite apart from any abstract legal or constitutional principles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A highly useful book that brings great clarity to the story of the rise of a family of major significance in late-medieval England. --Speculum

About the Author

CHARLES R. YOUNGis Professor Emeritus of History at Duke University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 186 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (November 14, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851156681
• ISBN-13: 978-0851156682
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,891,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First-rate dynastic study, July 30, 2005

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Making of the Neville Family in England, 1166-1400 (Hardcover)

Though they liked to claim in later centuries that the first Neville in England had been steward to William the Conqueror and had fought at Hastings, Domesday Book shows that Gilbert de Neville was actually a very small landholder in Lincolnshire in 1086. The family began its climb with the career of Alan de Neville, appointed justice of the forest by Henry II, a position in which he became somewhat notorious for his money-raising efforts on behalf of his king. He also sided with Henry against Thomas Beckett. Hugh Neville became chief forester under King John, to whom he was likewise loyal (most of the time) and for whom he likewise raised vast sums of money. Hugh was listed among those supporting the king in the preamble to Magna Carta. By this time, the Nevilles had established themselves in a number of counties and its members weren't always united as a family, but as a group their influence continued to grow. By the 14th century, the Nevilles were second only to the Percys in ruling the north of England, their power and influence culminating in Ralph de Neville, earl of Warwick, known as "the Kingmaker" for his shifting allegiance of one side or the other during the Wars of the Roses. This Ralph was the grandson of Ralph, lord of Raby and earl of Westmoreland, and Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, which gave him a connection to the throne himself. It all came to an end, though, at the Battle of Barnet in 1471, in which both the overmighty earl and his brother were killed and Edward IV was relieved of the Neville influence. Still, Ralph's aunt, Cicely Neville, was even Queen of England a decade later as the wife of Richard III. Young is more interested in the family's collective rise through royal service than in tracing exact lineages, which may frustrate genealogists, but this is a first-rate dynastic study and it includes an excellent bibliography.