IMC 2016: Sessions
Session 828: The Troublesome Twenties: England in Crisis, 1320-1330
Tuesday 5 July 2016, 16.30-18.00
| Sponsor: | The National Archives, Kew / University of Cambridge |
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| Organiser: | Paul R. Dryburgh, The National Archives, London |
| Moderator/Chair: | W. Mark Ormrod, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York |
| Respondent: | W. Mark Ormrod, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York |
| Paper 828-a | England in Crisis?: The 1320s - An Overview (Language: English) Index terms: Administration, Law, Politics and Diplomacy |
| Paper 828-b | The Chamber Accounts of Edward II (Language: English) Index terms: Administration, Archives and Sources, Politics and Diplomacy |
| Abstract | Rarely in English medieval history can a ten-year span have seen as many seismic shifts as the decade from 1320. A prolonged and often bloody struggle over the rights and prerogatives of the crown and the person of the king, fought against a backdrop of economic dislocation and international conflict, culminated in the forced abdication (and probable murder) of King Edward II, engineered by his own queen. This was followed by a three-year regency again marked by oppressive government and civil strife, which was only ended by the last in a decade-long series of ritualistic executions. The decade has long been viewed by historians as a blot on the reputation of crown and people. This session will explore the personal kingship of Edward II and Edward III and the strategies employed by crown and community to dictate the political and legal agenda. It will also, however, assess the extent to which this decade was innovative and formative in terms of fiscal, legal, and administrative reform, and in forging new approaches to kingship and queenly power. |