Lancaster 1399 – 1471
Leadenhall Market
A trip to the City of London is not complete without a visit to Leadenhall Market. Walking amongst the high rise office buildings in the City of London it is easy to miss the ancient market of Leadenhall. It can be found in the triangle made up of Gracechurch Street, Fenchurch Street and Leadenhall Street…
Read MoreClothworkers Company
The Clothworkers Company, one of the livery companies of London. The grandeur of England is to be attributed to its golden fleece, the wealth of the loom making England a second Peru and the back of the sheep and not the entrails of the earth being its chief mine of riches. The silkworm is no…
Read MoreMedieval Markets and Fairs Gazetteer.
Medieval markets and fairs. Medieval markets and fairs made up the economy of Britain both before and after the Black Death. The world of the market then and now would be strikingly similar to today. The archives have revealed tax records that give some insight into how the market economy of Medieval Britain was directed…
Read MoreKing Henry V
King Henry V of England is portrayed as a a great military ruler, Shakespeare did his best to represent Henry as a ‘golden King’ but was he really a cruel and aloof man whose autocratic leadership, piety and belief he was God’s chosen put him at odds with those he ruled?
Read MoreThe Haberdasher’s Company
The Haberdasher’s Company is one of the Great City of London Companies and was founded in the 15th century and was granted it’s first charter in 1448. But what did the haberdashers actually sell and what legacy has this great company left?
Read MoreCult of the Virgin Mary
The Cult of the Virgin Mary is seen by many as having its origins in the Medieval period but the mythologizing of Mary began with Pope Gregory I. It grew as the Crusaders returned to the west and shrines and icons to the Virgin Mary appeared in churches, on the wayside and in people’s homes.
Read MoreJohn Gower 14th Century Poet
John Gower was one of the great Medieval poets and a friend and contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer. He was poet laureate to King Richard II and then Henry IV.
Read MoreWho was Catherine of Valois?
Who was Catherine of Valois whose short life included being the daughter of a King, married to one, the mother of one and the grandmother of another? One of history’s most interesting characters from the 15th century.
Read MoreTreaty of Troyes 1420
Treaties for peace, to resolve conflict, seal a marriage, create trade opportunities or simply to fuel naked ambition of a king? Treaty of Troyes a wedding and a truce for England or does it seal the fate of the House of Lancaster, see the sun set on York and an early dawn for a new dynasty the Tudors? Sounds far-fetched? Read-on since when did a Treaty actually create the conditions for lasting peace? Part 1 of a series of posts on Treaties and the Trouble that lies ahead.
Read MoreWhy the French lost the Battle of Agincourt
Why did the French lose the Battle of Agincourt when they so vastly out numbered the English troops?
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