North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses
Lay Society, War, and Politics 1450-1500
Published on 22. November 1990
Book
Hardback
464 pages
978-0-19-820087-1 (ISBN)
Description
This is the first modern scholarly study of north-eastern England during the Wars of the Roses. For a fleeting period in the late fifteenth century, the North dominated England: it was both the adopted home and the power base of Richard III. But this is more than simply an account of the rise and fall of the last Plantagenet as the Lord of the North. A. J. Pollard analyses regional politics and the interrelationship between province and centre from the beginning of the Neville-Percy feud in the 1450s to the establishment of Tudor authority by 1500. Themes explored include Anglo-Scottish relations, local government, the structure of landed society, the wealth, power, and the outlook of lords and gentry, and the economy of the region.
Dr Pollard sets political history in the context of the period, and paints a detailed portrait of lay society, based on intensive research among local records. He shows that, contrary to some recent views, the North-East was in certain significant respects more feudal, more conservative and, by the early sixteenth century, poorer than the South-East of England.
Dr Pollard sets political history in the context of the period, and paints a detailed portrait of lay society, based on intensive research among local records. He shows that, contrary to some recent views, the North-East was in certain significant respects more feudal, more conservative and, by the early sixteenth century, poorer than the South-East of England.
Reviews / Votes
`a definitive history of the north east and its inhabitants during the Wars of the Roses ... splendid book ... while displaying a formidable scholarship throughout, he never ceases to be both readable and thought-provoking ... Such a bald and incomplete summary as that provided in these few paragraphs can in no way do justice either to A.J. Pollard's powerful thesis or his magnificent scholarship. 'Keith Dockray, The Ricardian, December 1991 `This is a wide-ranging survey ... the book works well as a regional study - itself a novel concept - and provides a great deal of interesting information, particularly on religious attitudes, the influence of the Border and the impact of agragrian crisis.'
Medium Aevum `With the upsurge of interest in medieval regional history there will be warm welcome for Dr Pollard's massive survey of lay society, war and politics between 1450 and 1500. Dr Pollard's book ... is interesting, readable and important; it cries out for companion volumes on Northumberland and the Borders, not to mention the rest of Yorkshire, and who but Dr Pollard should undertake the task?'
G.C.F. Forster, University of Leeds, History, October 1992 `important regional study ... Dr Pollard makes telling use of the topography and local archives which he knows so well. At last County Durham receives proper treatment! There are good detailed discussions of local agriculture, the patronage of churches, younger sons, the chase, and the northerners' own response to their plantation by Richard III in the south. Local government is treated fully yet succinctly. There are valuabele new perspectives on the formative role of Anglo-Scottish rellations, the start of the Percy-Neville feud ... a major contribution to our historical understanding.'
M.A. Hicks, King Alfred's College, Winchester, Northern History, Vol. XXVIII 'an inspiring enterprise ... Dr Pollard has produced a wide-ranging survey of the society and politics of the north-eastern counties, over a fifty-year period in which, he argues, the area exercised a major influence over national affairs.'
J.L. Watts, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, EHR Jun '94
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Oxford University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
5 maps
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 146 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
694 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-820087-1 (9780198200871)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Content
List of maps; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part 1. Economy, Society and Government: The north-east in the fifteenth century; The regional economy before 1450; Landed society; Service: good lordship and retaining; Local government and administration; Lay piety: religious practice and belief; Gentility: the chase and chivalry; Part 2. War and Politics: Anglo-Scottish relations 1448-1485; Neville against Percy 1450-1455; Feud and civil war 1455-1461; The Neville ascendancy 1461-1471; The hegemony of Richard of Gloucester 1471-1483; The reign of Richard III 1483-1485; The triumph of Henry VII 1485-1502; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index