The New Solomon - Robert of Naples 1309 - 1343 and Fourteenth-Century Kingship
The first full-length study of Robert of Naples' reign in over seventy years, this volume analyzes Robert's policies and image in the context of larger shifts in rulership from the Middle Ages to the early modern period.Treating kingship as a joint enterprise of king and court, it draws on an interdisciplinary range of sources from chronicles, sermons, popular poetry, and works of art to diplomatic and archival records, to reassess the major issues of his reign and underscore the importance of image-making and negotiation to his rule.
The importance of Henry VII is the subject of heated debate. Did his reign mark the start of a new era, or was its prevailing characteristic continunity with the past? The pamphlet: · emphasizes the lasting political stability established during the reign · demonstrates the difference between Henry's policies and those of the Yorkists · shows how successors built on Henry's legacy · argues that victory at Bosworth in 1485 can be seen as initiating a genunine 'Tudor revolution in government'.
From the battle of Maldon in 991 during the reign of Æethelred (the Unready), England was invaded by Scandinavian armies of increasing size and ferocity. Swein Forkbeard, king of Denmark, played a significant part in these invasions, which culminated in the domination of England and the long reign of his son, Cnut. This analysis of the invasions demonstrates beyond doubt that Æthelred was no indolent and worthless king who bribed invading Vikings to go away: his relationship with the Scandinavian armies was more complex and more interesting than has been supposed.
Nero's personality and crimes have always intrigued historians and writers of fiction. However, his reign also illuminates the nature of the Julio-Claudian Principate. Nero's suicide brought to an end the dynasty Augustus had founded, and placed in jeopardy the political system he had devised.
Thomas Starkey and the Commonwealth: Humanist Politics and Religion in the Reign of Henry VIII
Thomas Starkey (c. 1495-1538) was the most Italianate Englishman of his generation. This book places Starkey into new and more appropriate contexts, both biographical and intellectual, taking him out of others in which he does not belong, from displaced Roundhead to follower of Marsilio of Padua.
