The essays collected here present the fruits of the most recent research on aspects of the politics and culture of fourteenth-century England. Among the topics considered are the size and structure of magnates’ households and retinues, Edward II’s relationship with Piers Gaveston, court venues and the image presented by royal justice, the pattern of clergy ordinations, and the Despensers’ patronage of Tewkesbury Abbey. Three essays deal with aspects of Richard II’s reign, two reassessing the so-called `tyranny’, and a third looking at the inter-relation of English and Irish politics. The final essays look at general but related themes, the administration of royal justice and the role of morality in the exercise of public office.
