Fifteenth Century XVII

<p>The essays collected here cast light on the factors that made or defined an individual and the ways in which the men and women concerned gave expression to their individuality. Facets of the characters of English kings emerge from the varying contents of their wills and the use of propaganda in their personal letters. By contrast Margaret of Anjou's early years are explored for the roots of her conduct as queen consort and how she matched up to contemporary expectations following Henry VI's mental collapse. The law courts and the legal profession provide the stage and cast for several papers: individual lawyers of dubious integrity and adept at manipulating legal processes in their own interests provoked the violence that led to their own deaths while a member of the same profession is shown to have orchestrated civic riots in which he and his neighbours sought to give expression to their own status as they perceived it. Finally in their frustrated search for justice strong-minded women asserted their individual rights by taking their grievances to Henry VII's star chamber.<br /><br />Contributors: Linda Clark Chris Given-Wilson Anthony Gross David Grummitt Samuel Lane Simon Payling Alice Raw Anne F. Sutton Deborah Youngs.</p>