Today on our new blog page The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, Dr Simon Payling, Senior Research Fellow for the Commons 1461-1504 project, details the Battle of Ludford Bridge which took place on 12 October 1459… In the autumn of 1459 years of uneasy truce between the factions of York and Lancaster ended in dramatic fashion. The Yorkist lords rose in rebellion, motivated either … Continue reading The battle of Ludford Bridge
With the History of Parliament’s volumes for the reign of Henry VI complete and due for publication shortly, the focus of the History’s medieval team now shifts to the period from the accession of Edward IV in 1461 to that of his grandson Henry VIII in 1509. This exciting new project will cover the Parliaments of no fewer than five English monarchs: those convened by … Continue reading The Commons in the Wars of the Roses
Here’s Dr Hannes Kleineke of our House of Commons 1422-1504 project with September’s medieval MP of month, Henry Langton. THE HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 1422-1461, edited by Linda Clark, is out now. For further details about the volumes, including purchasing information, visit the Cambridge University Press website, here. 23 September 2019 marks the 560th anniversary of the battle of Blore Heath. Following a … Continue reading Medieval MP of the Month September 2019: Henry Langton and the Battle of Blore Heath
In addition to Dr Vivienne Larminie’s blog about averting the prorogation of Parliament in May 1641, here’s Dr Hannes Kleineke of our House of Commons 1422-1504 project on the origins of the practice of prorogation and examples thereof in the later Middle Ages… Until recent days, prorogations of Parliament have generally been regarded as an arcane piece of parliamentary theatre, of limited concern to anyone … Continue reading Rogue Prorogations? Suspending Parliament in the Later Middle Ages
This month’s Medieval MP of the Month is highly esteemed fifteenth century lawyer, Sir Thomas Billing. Here’s Dr Simon Payling of our House of Commons 1422-1461 Section with more… THE HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 1422-1461, edited by Linda Clark, is out now. For further details about the volumes, including purchasing information, visit the Cambridge University Press website, here. It is rare to have … Continue reading Conversations with a medieval MP: Sir Thomas Billing and the Pastons
Today Dr. Hannes Kleineke of our House of Commons 1422-1461 section summarises the History of Parliament Trust’s successful sessions at this year’s International Medieval Congress… To mark the forthcoming publication of the History of Parliament Trust’s volumes for the House of Commons 1422-61, the medieval section organised two sessions at this year’s International Medieval Congress at Leeds. The first of these, chaired by History of … Continue reading The History of Parliament at the International Medieval Congress 2019
Our Medieval MP of the Month series continues with John Howard, one of the only two known soldiers to have been at the Battle of Castillon on this day in 1453. Here’s Dr Charles Moreton of our House of Commons 1422-1504 project with more… THE HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 1422-1461, edited by Linda Clark, is out now. For further details about the volumes, … Continue reading Medieval MP of the Month: John Howard, from the Battle of Castillon to the Battle of Bosworth
Following Dr Hannes Kleineke’s two part piece on the Good, the Bad, the Wonderful and the Merciless Parliaments of the late fourteenth century in June, Dr Simon Payling of our House of Commons 1422-1504 project discusses the ‘Unlearned Parliament’ of 1404… In the modern Parliament lawyers are the best represented of the professions with between about 10% and 15% of MPs qualified as barristers or … Continue reading Too few lawyers? The ‘Unlearned Parliament’ of October 1404
Dr Hannes Kleineke of our House of Commons 1422-1504 project discusses the significance of a new archaeological discovery in Norfolk to medieval parliamentary history… A comment with which the medieval historian is all too frequently confronted is ‘I thought it has all been done.’ This might indeed be so, were it not for the singular wealth of evidence, mainly in unpublished manuscripts, but also in … Continue reading The Knight’s Daughter: a newly discovered child of an old MP
June’s medieval MP of the month is the swashbuckling Robert Wenyngton of Dartmouth. Dr Hannes Kleineke, of our House of Commons 1422-1504 Section, discusses this fifteenth century pirate (and politician) below… THE HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 1422-1461, edited by Linda Clark, is out now. For further details about the volumes, including purchasing information, visit the Cambridge University Press website, here. Long before Queen Elizabeth’s … Continue reading Medieval MP of the Month: The sea hawk – Robert Wenyngton alias Cane
