Skip to main content

IMC 2022: Sessions

Session 1304: The Rhetoric of Authority in Late Medieval England

Wednesday 6 July 2022, 16.30-18.00

Organiser:Claudia Minett, University of Nottingham
Moderator/Chair:Jennifer Caddick, Department of History, University of Nottingham
Paper 1304-aLanguage and the Political Priorities of Henry VII of England, 1485-1509
(Language: English)
Rebecca Wheddon, Department of History, University of Nottingham
Index terms: Political Thought, Politics and Diplomacy, Rhetoric
Paper 1304-bThe Opening of Parliament: The Chancellor and the Language of Unity in the 15th Centruy
(Language: English)
Claudia Minett, University of Nottingham
Index terms: Political Thought, Politics and Diplomacy, Rhetoric
Abstract

The focus of this session is how language was used in contemporary textual sources in both local and national contexts to underscore and define authority in the later medieval period. From the national stage of parliament to civic records, the language employed by communities, servants of the crown, and the crown itself reflected the concerns and priorities of these disparate parties against the backdrop of political turmoil. Paper A will examine the language used by Henry VII to identify the central themes and concepts present in his rhetoric, demonstrating the political priorities and focus of his government. Paper B will explore how the themes of the sermons of 15th-century parliaments fostered unity and underscored the king's will in a period of political turmoil.