Fifteenth-Century Attitudes


Book Description

A paperback edition of the successful 1994 collection of essays on society in fifteenth-century England.







Social Attitudes and Political Structures


Book Description

This volume includes papers on political, religious, social and economic history and the history of ideas during the 15th century. The papers challenge existing conceptions and open new avenues of discussion on longstanding debates. Themes covered include parliaments and their relationships with the monarchs of the period, both in Scotland and in England; queens and their role in the 15th century English polity; the ideas that lay behind the English claims to the French throne, and the rituals of peace-making in the Hundred Years War. Debates over the importance of lordship and service are also touched upon, in a paper which examines Lord Hastings' retainers in the defence of Calais, while another chapter discusses the local politics of a small Welsh marcher lordship. The crucial subject of Lancastrian government finances in the 1450s also receives a fresh examination. In religious history, papers examine the activity of monastic propagandists and the religious life of cathedrals through the activity of fraternities based in them. There are also considerations of a noble widow, and of the 15th century rural economy.




The Fortress of Faith


Book Description

This study provides new fascinating testimonies about the development of a new image of Islam in Southern Europe in the fifteenth century and an approach to ways of acculturation in a mixed society.




Social Attitudes and Political Structures in the Fifteenth Century


Book Description

This volume includes papers on political, religious, social and economic history and the history of ideas during the 15th century. The papers challenge existing conceptions and open new avenues of discussion on longstanding debates. Themes covered include parliaments and their relationships with the monarchs of the period, both in Scotland and in England; queens and their role in the 15th century English polity; the ideas that lay behind the English claims to the French throne, and the rituals of peace-making in the Hundred Years War. Debates over the importance of lordship and service are also touched upon, in a paper which examines Lord Hastings' retainers in the defence of Calais, while another chapter discusses the local politics of a small Welsh marcher lordship. The crucial subject of Lancastrian government finances in the 1450s also receives a fresh examination. In religious history, papers examine the activity of monastic propagandists and the religious life of cathedrals through the activity of fraternities based in them. There are also considerations of a noble widow, and of the 15th century rural economy.




Social Attitudes and Political Structures in the Fifteenth Century


Book Description

This volume includes papers on political, religious, social and economic history and the history of ideas during the 15th century. The papers challenge existing conceptions and open new avenues of discussion on longstanding debates. Themes covered include parliaments and their relationships with the monarchs of the period, both in Scotland and in England; queens and their role in the 15th century English polity; the ideas that lay behind the English claims to the French throne, and the rituals of peace-making in the Hundred Years War. Debates over the importance of lordship and service are also touched upon, in a paper which examines Lord Hastings' retainers in the defence of Calais, while another chapter discusses the local politics of a small Welsh marcher lordship. The crucial subject of Lancastrian government finances in the 1450s also receives a fresh examination. In religious history, papers examine the activity of monastic propagandists and the religious life of cathedrals through the activity of fraternities based in them. There are also considerations of a noble widow, and of the 15th century rural economy.




The Fifteenth-Century Book


Book Description

The fifteenth century, one of the most curious and confused periods in recorded history, witnessed amazing developments in the printing industry and in the production of books. The present volume surveys the history of the manufacture of books throughout the fifteenth century, whether written by hand or produced by the press, and points out that both methods faced very similar problems and found almost identical solutions for them. Actually, the fifteenth century itself saw no material difference between manuscripts and incunabula (fifteenth-century printings), and regarded the latter simply as codices produced by "a new method of artificial writing." Curt F. Bühler discusses the impact of the epoch-making invention on the scribes as well as the attitudes that the contemporary book-lovers adopted toward the products of the press. The author also studies the types of men who were attracted to the new industry and the nature of the books that they believed to be readily vendible. In addition, certain familiar beliefs regarding the history of the early presses are challenged, and possible solutions are presented for the problems are still imperfectly understood. To illustrate the text, beautiful reproductions of illuminated manuscript pages, printed pages, colophons, woodcut illustration, and early typefaces have been included. The author's discussion of the decoration in books is not so much a study in the fine arts but, rather, an analysis of the types of volumes which lent themselves to decoration, and the various forms of such work.




Civilians at War


Book Description

Det er en udbredt antagelse, at krig skaber to slags mennesker: soldater og civile. Men har historien ikke vist os, at denne forsimplede antagelse er smertelig uklar? Civilians at War behandler en række spørgsmål, der knytter sig til de måder, hvorpå en krigs sociale grupperinger – og særligt de grupper, som fordrer aktiv deltagelse – tager sig ud i forskellige historiske og geografiske sammenhænge. Ved hjælp af casestudier fra Europa, Afrika og Sydamerika fra det 15. århundrede til nutiden belyser antologiens bidragydere den traditionelle modsætning mellem civil og soldat og tilbyder herigennem nye forståelser af den komplekse mellemposition, civile befinder sig i under krig. Gunner Lind er professor i tidlig moderne historie ved afdeling for Historie på Saxo-Instituttet, Københavns Universitet. Bidragydere: Steffen Jensen er seniorforsker ved DIGNITY – Dansk Institut Mod Tortur Lars Bo Kaspersen er professor ved Institut for Statskundskab, Københavns Universitet Gunner Lind er professor ved Saxo-Instituttet, Københavns Universitet Jeppe Büchert Netterstrøm er lektor ved Institut for Kultur og Samfund, Aarhus Universitet Palle Roslyng-Jensen er lektor ved Saxo-Instituttet, Københavns Universitet Robin May Schott er seniorforsker ved Dansk Institut for Internationale Studier Finn Stepputat er seniorforsker ved Dansk Institut for Internationale Studier We often think of war as creating two different kinds of people: soldiers and civilians. But hasn’t history taught us that this distinction is painfully nebulous? The contributors to this volume, writing from different disciplinary vantages, address a number of important issues connected to the ways in which the social distinctions and divisions surrounding war — especially those that determine participation — play out across different historical and geographical settings. Contextualizing the dichotomy of civilian and combatant against these larger complexities, this book offers a new understanding of the problematic middle ground that civilians occupy during wartime. Gunner Lind is professor of early modern history at the University of Copenhagen. He is the author of many books in Danish and a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. Contributors: Steffen Jensen is Senior Researcher at DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture Lars Bo Kaspersen is Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen Gunner Lind is Professor in the Department of History at the University of Copenhagen Jeppe Büchert Netterstrøm is Associate Professor at the Section of History, Aarhus University Palle Roslyng-Jensen is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Copenhagen Robin May Schott is Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies Finn Stepputat is Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies




A Medieval Family


Book Description

The fascinating story of the fortunes of one medieval family over the course of a century, from bestselling historians Frances and Joseph Gies. The Pastons were members of the English gentry—a tiny group of roughly 1,000 households sandwiched between the ruling nobility and the peasants, and a rough analog for the contemporary “middle class.” Their existence was fairly typical, but for the fact that it was recorded in an extraordinary collection of nearly 1,000 letters which have survived to this day. Through these letters, which cover the years from 1421 to 1484, and the lives of three generations of Pastons, bestselling historians Frances and Joseph Gies provide a rare window into the day-to-day life of this family, and the broader political and social goings-on of medieval England. A Medieval Family first tells the story of Judge William Paston (1378-1444), the patriarch of the family, a lawyer and judge who bought up land in Norfolk and left his son a sizeable estate, which was later forcibly seized by a neighboring baron. We then follow the family through its ups and downs over several generations, learning of their feuds with neighbors, the frequent instability of 15th century England, and significant historical events, such as the Siege of Caister and the Battle of Barnet. There are also many letters of more personal significance, including a series of Valentines sent to John Paston III. The work of acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies has been used by George R.R. Martin in his research for Game of Thrones. In A Medieval Family, they have woven a compelling intergenerational saga that is essential reading for anyone seeking insight into the medieval period. “The Gieses, who specialize in making the Middle Ages accessible to nonspecialists, have done a wonderful job of linking and amplifying the Pastons’ words.” –New Yorker