Great Britain history, Lancaster and York

This is one of the Oxford History of England series, which aimed to provide a complete history from Roman Times up to 1945 in 15 volumes. This 700 page tome packs in much information, but is not always the easiest of reads.

The narrative starts with Henry Bolinbroke's usurpation of Richard II's throne and the setting up of the Lancaster dynasty. Henry IV's reign was marked by his constant struggle to hold onto and consolidate his kingship. England was at war with France (100 years war) and there were incursions from Wales and Scotland, plots by supporters of Richard II also had to be dealt with. He was successful because at his death his able son Henry V was crowned king. Henry V was the medieval; warrior king "par excellence". His success in France made him a hero in England where opposition was largely dampened down. After Agincourt and the Treaty of Troyes he came within a whisker of securing the French crown as well, but one siege too many saw him off and he left his son a minor under the protection of his brothers. A battle for control of the kingdom between Gloucester and Bedford was the result with the young Henry VI king in name only. English commanders suffered reverses in France leading to the congress at Arras and opposition to heavy taxation in England led to more unrest.

It is at this point that E F Jacob leaves his narrative to fill in the social, economic and political history of England. There is a sort of 200 page hiatus while he explores the church and its government, Trade and finance, political development and life in the towns and the countryside. This is done for the whole period of the book and so there are characters that appear that have not yet been caught up in the narrative drive. Back to narrative history and Henry VI struggles to gain control. The Duke of York becomes a power in the land and after campaigning in France returns to England at the head of large army marching towards London. He defeats the Kings supporters at St Albans but swears allegiance to Henry VI. England is in ferment now with Henry VI wife Margaret of Anjou becoming a major player. Finally after a series of battles and changing allegiances Edward son of the Duke of York is acclaimed King. The Yorkists are now running the country, however there are still plots to restore Henry VI and he regains his crown in 1470. Edward lives to fight another day and with a vengeance, as he forces his way back onto the throne, eliminating as many of Henry's supporters as possible. He hangs onto power until his death in 1483, but leaves his son Edward a minor under the protection of his brother Richard. Edward never gets to be crowned as he and his brother (the two princes of the Tower) disappear and Richard seizes the throne as Richard III. There is no stability to Richard's kingship and warring factions back Henry Tudor who arrives from France with a new army to defeat Richard at Market Bosworth. The narrative ends with Henry Tudor about to be crowned as Henry VII.

E F Jacobs excellent preface to his history, highlights themes that he finds present throughout the period. The 15th century morally and intellectually was not a time of stagnation, but one of ferment, it saw the rise of the knight of the Shire as a player on the political stage, the firming up of financial systems of credit to finance war and bids for power, the legacy of Henry V's struggle to become king of France and the further breakdown of law and order brought about by groupings/factions of powerful magnates who would not hesitate to use force. Jacobs does not lose sight of these themes as his history unrolls.

Pluses and minuses - I think that on the plus side, Jacob is able to impart a wealth of information, with an excellent index and extensive bibliography. Some concentration is needed at times to pick up the narrative thread, but it is never lost and the other histories present a fuller picture of the period than would otherwise have been the case. There is even a final chapter on artistic development at a time when the art of war was so dominant.

On the minus side Jacob's style can be challenging for the general reader who is not familiar with the workings of the medieval systems of government. He does expect some knowledge, but nothing that cannot be explained by using wiki or a good dictionary. What is a little more problematical is the use of titles when referring to the magnates and their followers; it is difficult at times to discern who is doing what to whom as titles changed hands when a new leader came to power. It is sometimes disconcerting to come across someone who had been beheaded, just a few pages previously. Not all of the information here will be of interest for example if you are not concerned with the pricing systems in use in the textile industry then there will be some longueurs. The book was published in 1961 and has only been corrected since for errors and so it feels a little dated.

If you want more than an overview of the period and want to get stuck into a history that feels solid and well researched, with very little speculation then I would recommend the Oxford History series. In trying to be a complete history it can feel a little like information overload, but there is much here to stimulate further reading on issues that become of interest. I love this series of books, but I do not always love reading them and so I rate this one at four stars..
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