Over the last thirty years, Edward III has claimed his rightful place amongst the most successful kings of medieval England. A significant aspect of Edward’s reign that has as of yet been largely overlooked, however, is the place of the royal household knights within it. This is a significant omission for the household knights permeated many aspects of Edward’s reign and were integral to the way in which he conducted his wars and governed his kingdom. In order to provide a comprehensive investigation of Edward’s household knights, this thesis consists of four principal sections. The first concerns the composition of the knightly household under Edward III. It considers, in turn, the mechanisms by which the household knights were bound to the king and his household, and who Edward III’s household knights were and why they were retained. The second section focusses on the military duties of the household knights, examining their role in military organisation and financial administration, the conduct of foreign warfare, international diplomacy and defensive warfare. The third section investigates their place in national and local politics and government, and how this changed over Edward’s reign. Finally, the fourth section addresses the rewards on offer to the household knights in return for time in service. By providing a study of Edward’s reign through the prism of this group of knights, this thesis allows for a number of important revisions to be offered concerning late-medieval kingship, politics and warfare.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:748452 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Hefferan, Matthew |
| Publisher | University of Nottingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/51579/ |
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