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One of the most important manuscripts surviving from thirteenth-century England, the corpus of documents known as the Hundred Rolls for Cambridge have been incomplete until the recent discovery of an additional roll. This invaluable volume replaces the previous inaccurate transcription by the record commission of 1818 and provides new translations and additional appendices. Shedding new light on important facets of business activity in thirteenth-century Cambridge, this volume makes a signific...

The history of the Normans began a long time before 1066. Originating from the 'Norsemen' they were one of the most successful warrior tribes of the Dark Ages that came to dominate Europe from the Baltic Sea to the island of Sicily and the borders of Eastern Europe. Beginning as Viking raiders in the eighth century, the Normans not only changed the landscape of Europe but were changed by their new conquests. As a military force they became unstoppable. As Conquerors, they established their own k...

A pocketbook reproduction of the Declaration of Arbroath with historical analysis by Tom Turpie to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration. The document is a declaration of Scottish independence as a sovereign state in 1320, rather than a feudal land controlled by England's Norman kings, and to lift the excommunication of Robert the Bruce.

In Paul Doherty's brilliant new novel, will Hugh Corbett find the deadly assassin stalking London's streets? February 1304, and London is in crisis. A succession of brutal murders shocks the city as it comes to terms with the fall from power of Walter Evesham, Chief Justice in the Court of the King's Bench. Accused of bribery and corruption, Evesham has sought sanctuary to atone for his sins. When Evesham is discovered dead in his cell at the Abbey of Sion though, it appears that the Mysterium,...

‘Impossible to summarise and delightfully absorbing, Hadley’s book is comfortably the most unexpected history book of the year’ Sunday Times A luminous journey through a thousand years of folklore and English history. Hollow Places begins with a Hertfordshire dragon-slayer named Piers Shonks but soon draws us into the company of outlaws and stonemasons, antiquaries and champions. Full of wonder and always surprising, the story t...

From at least the mid-thirteenth century, the Earl of Cornwall, the wealthiest and most politically powerful lord in the county, employed a special official - called the havener - to supervise the administration of his maritime profits in the county. When the Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337, the havener's duties were expanded, and he was made a permanent salaried official. The office of havener, for which there was no parallel in medieval Britain, allowed the duchy to manage and exploit it...

The essays presented here draw on a number of different approaches and perspectives to address and illuminate key aspects and issues of the period. Longitudinal studies of king's confessors and corrodies of the crown provide insights into the intersection of political, religious and demographic currents over the longue durée, and are complemented by studies of documentary sources of various kinds - newsletters, chronicles, and municipal archives - to challenge current understandings of important...

1066 in Perspective is a landmark publication offering an interdisciplinary assessment of the impact of the Norman Conquest in the 950 years since 1066. Drawing upon papers presented at the Tower of London on the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, contributors, all of whom are internationally renowned, examine 1066 from a wide range of perspectives: military, social, political, architectural, ecclesiastical, gender and art history.

'Most contemporaries would have argued that it was a king's job to put in peril his soul for the good of his Church and of his people. But Henry was too determined to live a life of a saint'Henry III, the son of King John, was catapulted onto the throne aged just nine and reigned for fifty-six years, during which time his self-conscious piety often put him at odds with those around him. Yet as this sparkling account makes clear, he deserves to be better known: for the birth of Parliament,...

Ready-made high quality KS3 history lessons on the late Medieval period – topic booklet perfect for a half term’s work. Give every student access to high quality KS3 History textbook content with this topic booklet on late Medieval England. Chapter 1: The Black DeathChapter 2: The Peasants’ RevoltChapter 3: The Wars of the RosesChapter 4: Yorkist RuleChapter 5: The Battle of Bosworth Field Fits into the school timetable with ease with 5 high quality lessons, perfect...

In the summer of 1302 the famous Robin of Locksley, popularly known as Robin Hood, has gone back to his outlaw ways in Sherwood Forest where he battles against royal authority, culminating in the barborous massacre of royal tax collectors and the mysterious murder of Sir Eustace Vechey, one of the sheriffs of Nottingham.Corbett and his two faithful servants Ranulf and Maltote are sent to Nottingham where they find fresh mysteries: why are three arrows shot into the air above Nottingham Castle on...

Chaucer's pilgrims, quarrelling amongst themselves, are now in open countryside enjoying the fresh spring weather as they progress slowly towards Canterbury. A motley collection of travellers, they each have their dark secrets, hidden passions and complex lives. As they shelter in a tavern from a sudden April shower they choose the Man of Law to narrate the next tale of fear and sinister dealings.In August 1358, the Dowager Queen Isabella, mother of King Edward III, the 'She Wolf of France', who...

England, 1455: a kingdom on the brink of civil war.The Red Rose: King Henry of Lancaster's days are numbered. Deemed unfit for rule, even by his own mother, he surely cannot last on the throne for long. Simon Roseblood - London lord, taverner and alderman - is one of few loyal servants left to fight his cause. The White Rose: Ruthless Richard of York has his eye firmly set on the crown - and plenty of powerful allies who will do anything to help him win it. Henchman Amadeus Sevigny makes no bone...

Ready-made high quality KS3 history lessons on Medieval life – topic booklet perfect for a half term’s work. Give every student access to high quality KS3 History textbook content with this topic booklet on Medieval life. Chapter 1: The Medieval VillageChapter 2: The Medieval CastleChapter 3: The Medieval KnightChapter 4: The Medieval ChurchChapter 5: Crime and Punishment • Fits into the school timetable with ease with 5 high quality lessons, perfect for a half term...

The Normans were a relatively short-lived cultural and political phenomenon. The emerged early in the tenth century and had disappeared off the map by the mid-thirteenth century. Yet in that time they had conquered England, southern Italy and Sicily, and had established outposts in North Africa and in Levant. Having traced the formation of the Duchy of Normandy, Trevor Rowley draws on the latest archaeological and historical evidence to examine how the Normans were able to conquer and dominate s...

THE REAL GAME OF THRONES... The Wars of the Roses were a prolonged brawl over an inheritance by a deeply dysfunctional extended family. The inheritance in question was the throne of England; the story is one of unbridled ambition and murderous treachery. From the 1450s, when the mentally unstable Henry VI struggled to control the violent feuding of his magnates, through the rise and fall of Richard of York, to the chaos and bloodshed of the 1470s which followed Edward IV's accession and his se...

Edward III lived through bloody and turbulent times. His father was deposed by his mother and her lover when he was still a teenager; a third of England's population was killed by the Black Death midway through his reign; and the intractable Hundred Years War with France began under his leadership. Yet Edward managed to rule England for fifty years, and was viewed as a paragon of kingship in the eyes of both his contemporaries and later generations. Venerated as the victor of Sluys and Crécy and...

A bold new history of the rise and expansion of the Norman Dynasty across Europe from Byzantium to England In the eleventh century the climate was improving, population was growing, and people were on the move. The Norman dynasty ranged across Europe, led by men who achieved lasting fame like William the Conqueror and Robert Guiscard. These figures cultivated an image of unstoppable Norman success and their victories make for a great story, but how much of it is true? In this insightful hi...