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IMC 2013: Sessions

Session 1531: 14th-Century Studies, III: Treason and Civil Discord in the Reign of Edward II

Thursday 4 July 2013, 09.00-10.30

Sponsor:Society for 14th-Century Studies
Organiser:Gwilym Dodd, Department of History, University of Nottingham
Moderator/Chair:Jeffrey S. Hamilton, Department of History, Baylor University, Texas
Paper 1531-aWar, Rebellion, or 'Disturbance'?: Contemporary Perceptions of the Conflict in England, 1321-2
(Language: English)
Andy King, Department of History, University of Southampton
Index terms: Military History, Political Thought, Politics and Diplomacy
Paper 1531-bRemembering Treason and Discord: Edward II's Reputation and Its Uses in the 15th Century
(Language: English)
Elizabeth Biggs, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York
Index terms: Archives and Sources, Historiography - Medieval, Politics and Diplomacy
Abstract

Most medieval kings of England faced domestic difficulties during their reigns. Edward I narrowly avoided civil war in 1297; Edward III faced serious questions about his war policies in 1340 and 1376; even Henry V faced the threat of Lollardy and the Southampton Plot early in his reign. However, few kings faced such continuous civil discord as Edward II. This session focuses on events in the reign itself, considering such themes as opposition factions and perceptions of the civil conflict, as well as the long term representations of the reign as recorded in fifteenth century texts.