Preface

Summary

As the tenth volume in the series, this publication marks an important milestone for Fourteenth Century England (FCE). It is now eighteen years since the first volume was published in 2000. The editor of that volume, Nigel Saul, stated at the time that the fourteenth century had suffered a degree of scholarly neglect in comparison to the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. This is clearly no longer the case: in the twenty-first century, scholarship on the fourteenth century has blossomed, not least with the publication of two major biographies on Edward II and Edward III, by Professors Seymour Phillips and Mark Ormrod, respectively. In the past eighteen years FCE has made a vital contribution to this burgeoning of scholarly interest in the period. Including the present volume, no fewer than one hundred and four articles, and almost as many authors (some have published more than once), have appeared in FCE since 2000.

Following the lead of volume one, each subsequent volume – including the present one – has published an eclectic mix of essays on all aspects of fourteenth-century history relating to England, her dominions and neighbours. The volumes are not thematic – the editors consider this to be a strength of the series, since it encourages a range of subject-matter and attracts contributors with a great diversity of research methodologies and interests. The positive reviews given to FCE volumes over the years are a testament to the success of this format, and to the quality of the work of the authors who have published in FCE. In this volume, important contributions to the history of the fourteenth-century English parliament are offered in articles by Seymour Phillips and Alison McHardy. Ilana Krug explores the relatively neglected topic of purveyance, offering an overview of this contentious practice across the whole of the fourteenth century. Alan Kissane's discussion is concerned with the difficult and troubling subject of sexual violence towards girls, while Bridget Wells-Furby and Laura Tompkins explore, from very different standpoints, the material and acquisitive nature of marriage arrangement. Finally, Kathryn Warner, Elizabeth Biggs and Anna Duch offer different perspectives on the practice and representation of fourteenth-century kingship.