On Saturday 25 August 2012 – five hundred years after King Richard III was buried in Leicester – the historic archaeological project will begin with the aim of discovering whether Britain’s last Plantagenet King lies buried in Leicester City Centre.
John Hardyng’s Chronicle: a study of the two versions and a critical edition of both for the period 1327-1464
August 23, 2012 By
Part II of the thesis is an edition of the two versions for the years 1327-1464, selected for their relevance to the public and political affairs of late medieval England, and because it is in this section that Hardyng draws together his conclusions about the reigns of previous monarchs in relation to the present governance of England; the edition is supported by full critical apparatus and a commentary for each version, containing background contextual and historical information, and comparative allusions to other contemporary historical and literary texts. The thesis concludes with six appendices, a selective glossary and a bibliography.
Fatal Colours: Towton 1461 – England’s Most Brutal Battle
August 22, 2012 By
The battle of Towton in 1461 was unique in its ferocity and brutality, as the armies of two kings of England engaged with murderous weaponry and in appalling conditions to conclude the first War of the Roses
Dynasty and Division: The Depiction of King and Kingdom in John Hardyng’s Chronicle
June 3, 2012 By
Throughout his life, John Hardyng (1378-c.1465), had many guises: soldier, esquire, spy, forger, chronicler, cartographer.
‘He contents the people wherever he goes’ Richard III: His Parliament and Government
April 29, 2012 By
In recent years new biographies of great figures such as Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy have shed great light on key issues of English-European relations, while studies of Margaret Beaufort have redefined the political role of the women of this era.
Neville, Percy, and York, 1461-1485 : a study in the subordination of the North
January 1, 2012 By
It is my intention, therefore, to re-examine the standard interpretation of northern history by focusing on the important achievement of the Yorkists in the North.
Killing Time: Challenging the Common Perceptions of Three Medieval Conflicts—Ferrybridge, Dintingdale and Towton—”The Largest Battle on British Soil”
December 13, 2011 By
How the three conflicts have been perceived since 29 March 1461 is crucial to our understanding of, quite literally, how times have changed
The Civil War of 1459 to 1461 in the Welsh Marches – Part I
September 11, 2011 By
The Civil War of 1459 to 1461 in the Welsh Marches – Part I Hodges, Geoffrey The Ricardian (1984) Abstract The civil war which brought the house of York to the throne in 1461 included two dramatic events in the middle March of Wales, which for various reasons have been somewhat ignored. The first of these, […]
The Civil War of 1459 to 1461 in the Welsh Marches – Part Part II
September 11, 2011 By
The Civil War of 1459 to 1461 in the Welsh Marches – Part II Hodges, Geoffrey The Ricardian (1984) Abstract Recounting the bloodless battle of Ludford is relatively simple, as it is well documented. A large royal army was involved, with a fair amount of material resulting for official records and for the London chroniclers. The […]
Re-enactment to mark the 526th anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth
June 22, 2011 By
Bosworth Battlefield in Leicestershire will bring the drama and excitement of a medieval battle to life in a spectacular re-enactment to mark the 526th anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August 2011. Hundreds of medieval re-enactors will bring history to life as Kings, knights, archers and soldiers come face […]
The Rebellion of 1483: A Study of Sources and Opinions
April 10, 2011 By
Genre as Context in the Alliterative Morte Arthure
March 15, 2011 By
Genre as Context in the Alliterative Morte Arthure Whetter, K.S. Arthuriana 20.2 (2010) Abstract Genre remains an important context for teaching and understanding literature. The genre of the Alliterative Morte is epic-heroic. This genre is dominated by a focus on heroes and their concern with honor, glory and martial achievement. Such values and heroes have potentially […]
Friendly Fire: The Disastrous Politics of Friendship in the Alliterative Morte Arthure
March 15, 2011 By
Friendly Fire: The Disastrous Politics of Friendship in the Alliterative Morte Arthure Chism, Christine Arthuriana 20.2 (2010) Abstract This article counterposes the Alliterative Morte Arthure with the late fourteenth-century court of Richard II to explore the politics of royal friendship, patronage, and chivalric noriture, arguing that the poem responds to the contemporaneous politicization of the king’s […]
Three Views of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
February 27, 2011 By
Three Views of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster Rocke, Sean Published Online ~ Course: British Studies (ID 382), Harlaxton College, Spring (2011) Abstract John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, was a rich, powerful, and influential nobleman in the 14th century. As the son, uncle, and father of kings, Gaunt was never far from central authority. For […]
Lambert Simnel and the King from Dublin
February 11, 2011 By
Lambert Simnel and the King from Dublin By Gordon Smith The Ricardian, Vol. 10 No.135 (1996) Introduction: Throughout his reign (1485-1509) Richard III’s supplanter Henry VII was troubled by pretenders to his throne, the most important of whom were Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck. Both are popularly remembered perhaps because their names have a pantomime […]
The Yorkshire Rebellions of 1469
February 6, 2011 By
The Yorkshire Rebellions of 1469 By Keith R. Dockray The Ricardian, Vol.6 (1983) Introduction: The history of fifteenth-century Yorkshire in general, and the Yorkshire rebellions of 1469 in particular, illustrates exceptionally well the compressed, contradictory nature of so much surviving later medieval primary source material. Such chronicle accounts as there are tend to be notably […]
Espionage and Intelligence from the Wars of the Roses to the Reformation
January 11, 2011 By
Espionage and Intelligence from the Wars of the Roses to the Reformation By Ian Arthurson Nottingham Medieval Studies, Vol.35 (1991) Introduction: In the period between the Wars of the Roses and the Reformation spies were used in foreign and military affairs and for reasons of domestic security. Contrary to expectations spies are not difficult to […]
Analysis of Crowland’s Section on the Usurpation of Richard III
December 26, 2010 By
Analysis of Crowland’s Section on the Usurpation of Richard III By Edgar de Blieck Published Online (2003) Introduction: Lord Hastings, who seemed to serve these dukes in every way and to have deserved favour of them, bursting with joy over this new world, was asserting that nothing had so far been done except to transfer the […]
Richard, Duke of Gloucester and the North
December 16, 2010 By
Richard, Duke of Gloucester and the North By Michael Hicks Richard III and the North, edited by Rosemary Horrox (University of Hull: Studies in Regional and Local History v.6, 1986) Introduction: Richard III is the only northerner among our late medieval kings. It was because he was a northerner that he became king in the first […]
King Richard’s Grave in Leicester
December 12, 2010 By
King Richard’s Grave in Leicester By David Baldwin Transactions of Leicester Archaeological and Historical Society, Vol. 60 (1986) Introduction: Unlike his brother and predecessor, King Edward IV, and his immediate successor, King Henry VII, whose magnificent sepulchres may still be seen in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and Westminster Abbey respectively, King Richard III is unique […]
“Alasse, Whatte Truste ys in this Worlde?” Lancastrian and Yorkist History Writing in an English Chronicle
December 12, 2010 By
“Alasse, Whatte Truste ys in this Worlde?” Lancastrian and Yorkist History Writing in an English Chronicle By Ilknur Güzel Master’s Thesis, Bilkent University, 2005 Abstract: At the National Library of Wales a manuscript (MS 21608) has been found recently which contains a text that is identical with what John S. Davies published in 1856 under […]
Handguns from the Battle of Towton discovered
November 22, 2010 By
Two men have discovered what are believed to be the earliest known fragments of battlefield handguns, which are thought to have been used at the Battle of Towton, fought in northern England in 1461.
The Battle of Wakefield Revisited
November 15, 2010 By
The Battle of Wakefield Revisited: A Fresh Perspective on Richard of York’s Final Battle, December 1460 By Helen Cox YPD Books, 2010 ISBN: 978-0-9565768-0-4 On 30th December 1460, a battle took place which changed the course of English history. Richard, Duke of York, had recently been named heir-apparent to King Henry VI by the Act […]
The Big Dig: Discovering Bosworth
November 8, 2010 By
The Big Dig: Discovering Bosworth By Glenn Foard British Archaeology, Issue 112 (2010) Introduction: On August 22 1485 the last English king of the House of York, Richard III, was killed on the battlefield of Redemore in Leicestershire, defending his throne against the pretender Henry Tudor. Within hours the crown, supposedly found in a thornbush, was […]
Anthea Boylston – The Towton Mass Grave Project
October 25, 2010 By
Anthea Boylston of the University of Bradford discusses the Towton Mass Grave Project – in 1996 a mass burial pit was discovered at the site of the Battle of Towton, a major battle fought in 1461 during England’s War of the Roses.
How you can Follow Us!