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Step into the medieval world, where the echoes of history come to life. Manchester Medieval Sources Online offers a captivating array of first-hand accounts, vividly illustrating the realities of life in this bygone era. Many of these accounts are presented in English for the very first time. From the harrowing tales of the Black Death to the gripping drama of the Norman invasion, our collection immerses you in the heart of medieval experiences.
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In this chapter, the events, precedents and significance of a relatively small conflict in France; the context of the conflict was the question of homage for English territories within France and local disputes relating to these territories in Aquitaine. The wider political importance for the reign resides chiefly in Edward sending his wife and son to the French court in order to help settle disputes and offer homage; instead, an opposition against Edward and his supporters coalesced there and helped set in train his eventual overthrow. Correspondence involving various parties to the initial dispute and homage owed to the French crown are important strands to this particular theme and are presented in the chapter.
In this introductory chapter, the editors present a brief chronology of the reign of Edward II; they also offer a review of the range of available sources for study of the reign and reflect upon the ways in which historians have discussed the reign over the last 150 years.
In this chapter the editors first set out some of the broad themes and key developments in terms of royal finance. Following a general discussion of the wider economic context of the reign, royal finances and opportunities for the raising of revenue are considered. The management of royal finance, including reform of the exchequer is also discussed. Documents of relevance to historical understanding of the early fourteenth-century economy, including price and export data and contemporary reflection on dearth and famine are presented; sources relating to the raising of royal revenue, attempts to constrain the king’s authority in this area, and reform of the exchequer are also included in this chapter.
In a return to the general chronology of the reign, this chapter offers sources relating to the period from the death of Gaveston in 1312 until the eve of civil war in 1321; this was a period characterised by the king’s relative weakness and vacillating relations with leading earls, notably the earl of Lancaster. Despite attempts to establish purposeful relations between the crown and Lancaster, including the Treaty of Leake (1318), these efforts foundered and, as Edward sought support, provided opportunities for new men, not the least of whom was Hugh Despenser the Younger. Lancaster and other earls, in opposition to these parvenus, organised their own resistance and helped prepare the ground for civil war.
In this chapter, sources relevant to the early-fourteenth century parliament are reviewed and presented; a general view of the changing nature of parliament in this period is offered as is contemporary reflection on the administration of parliament and its significance, including important tracts on parliament and its officers.
This book presents key texts relating to the political as well as to the broader socio-economic history of the reign of Edward II. Drawing on a wide range of narrative sources, especially the extensive chronicle accounts of the reign, the editors also introduce other important material, including parliamentary rolls, charters, court records and accounts. Together this gathering of sources allows the reader to navigate this troubled and eventful period in English medieval history. The volume is organised chronologically, guiding the reader from the moment of Edward II’s accession in 1307 until his removal from office in 1327 and his supposed death in the same year. The editors also introduce more thematic chapters throughout, addressing such key themes as royal finances and the state of the early fourteenth-century economy, the role of parliament, and political and military engagement with Scotland. In an introductory essay, the editors discuss previous historical work directed at the reign of Edward II and also outline the range of source types available to the historian of the reign. Each section of primary source is also introduced by the editors, who offer a contextual analysis in each instance.
In this chapter, the editors discuss and offer sources related to the history of Anglo-Scottish relations during the reign, with some reflection on the immediately preceding and following years. A general chronology of military campaigns both by Edward II as well as by the Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, is set out and contemporary accounts of key events are presented. Scottish claims for independence through the Declaration of Arbroath (1320) and in subsequent negotiation of treaties is also set out.
In this chapter, the editors present and discuss documents relating to and the events of the period of so-called tyranny after the civil war of 1322. They also examine the events and contemporary comment upon the overthrow of Edward II, the process of deposition or of forced abdication. The reprisals following the civil war are discussed and narrative accounts of these given; following this period of tyranny the subsequent articles of accusation levelled at the Despensers and Edward, as set out in the chapter, help us to understand the context in which the overthrow of Edward could take place and be justified to contemporaries, as it was in January 1327.
The first book of the Epitaphium covers the period from Wala’s youth at Charlemagne’s court until the years 822–5 when the great man, by then known as ‘Arsenius’, served as deputy to Louis’ son Lothar, who was king of Italy and was crowned emperor in Rome in 823. In 814 Wala, banished from Louis’ court, had retreated to Corbie, yet in 821 he and his half-brother Adalhard, abbot of Corbie, had been reconciled with the Emperor Louis. About all this, the first book is almost entirely silent. The main theme of a lively dialogue among three monks, with some additional interlocutors, is the deep grief about Wala’s recent death. We get brief hints to all this political trouble, but most of this is obfuscated by deft literary tactics, in which citations from Terence play a central part. The first book is a masterpiece of allusion, and also gives an indication of the intended audience: not just the monks of Corbie, but also a literate Carolingian leadership impressed by Radbert’s brilliance, and perhaps persuaded to look differently at Wala/Arsenius, who had died in 836 in Italy. Shortly thereafter Radbert embarked on this first book.
The second book runs from the political crisis of the winter of 828/9 to Wala’s death in August 836, but was written with emphatic hindsight. The general drift of the narrative is backward-looking: if the rulers had heeded Wala’s advice in the early 830s, the empire would not lie in ruins in the 850s. Radbert had been abbot of Corbie since 843/4. About seven years later he was forced to retire from this illustrious office. The ex-abbot added a polemical second book to his funeral oration to Wala, in which he attacked Wala’s main enemies: the Empress Judith (Justina), the chamberlain Bernard (Naso) and, to a lesser extent, Emperor Louis the Pious (Justinian). The second book is set in an imaginary late antique Christian empire, and reflects deeply on the lost unity of the Carolingian polity. It is a treasure trove of political terminology, which was derived from classical and patristic writing but imbued with new meaning in the turbulent mid-ninth century.