Stevenson, Joseph, ed., Letters and Papers Illustrative of the Wars of the English in France during the Reign of Henry the Sixth, King of England. Vol. II (in 2 parts) (London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts. Rolls Series, no 22, vol.II.) Read this source online
Text name(s):
Number of pages of primary source text: 824
Author(s):
Dates: 1423 - 1461
Archival Reference:
Original Language(s):
- English - Middle English
- Anglo-Norman
- French - Old French
- Latin
Translation:
Translation Comments: The French texts are translated into English, but not the Latin texts.
Geopolitical Region(s):
- England
- Belgium
- Flanders
- France
- Netherlands
County/Region: Brabant; Normandy; Flanders; Hainault; Anjou; Calais; Rouen; Paris; London
Record Types:
- Chronicle, Annals
- Account Roll
- Letter
- Petition
- Taxes
Subject Headings:
- Nobility / Gentry
- Government
- Economy - Trade
- Diplomacy
- Papacy
- Towns / Cities
- War - Chivalry
- War - Military History
- Women / Gender
Apparatus:
Comments:
Contains a wide variety of sources that illustrate the reign of King Henry VI of England, particularly relations with France and his rival, King Charles VII of France. Each document has an English heading, but is given in the original language; those in French are translated into English. There are two volumes in the series; a chronological list of all the documents in both, along with references to their original sources, is in vol. II, part 2, pp. 521-96 (following the annals of William Worcester; see above for pagination); an Index of names and places in both volumes is on pp. 599-639. The documents in Vol. II are divided into four: letters and papers in French sources (pp. 1-376); supplementary letters and sources from English sources (pp. 377-517); William of Worcester’s ‘Collections concerning the Wars of the English in France and Normandy’ (pp. [521-742]) in Anglo-Norman, with an English translation; and William of Worcester’s ‘Annales Rerum Anglicarum’ (pp. [743-93]) in Latin (see the separate entry in the OMSB on these last two sections). The sources in Vols. I and II vary widely and include: account rolls of expenses incurred in running the king’s household as well as his military efforts abroad; appointments of administrative and military officials; safe-conducts for messengers and diplomats; royal orders to pay salaries of knights, soldiers, and garrisons; petitions from nobles seeking to raise money to pay their ransoms; letters regarding diplomatic efforts; accounts of the Scottish troops serving the French; lists of the nobles and knights at particular battles; correspondence with the pope regarding royal marriages and divorce; accounts of the successes and failures of sieges and military expeditions to Flanders, Brabant, and Normandy; reports of the activities of royal ministers, particularly the dukes of Beford and Gloucester, as well as English allies, such as the duke of Burgundy; minutes from meetings of the Parliament of Paris; revenues from English possessions in France; and many other types of documents.
Introduction Summary:
The Preface to Vol.II, part 1 (34 pp.) discusses English relations with Burgundy which left its alliance with England and joined France and subsequent hostilities (including the siege of Calais and raids into Flanders) after which English lost most of its territories in Normandy and elsewhere in France (including Paris). Also covers the marriage of Henry VI with Margaret of Anjou, her journey to England, and various diplomatic efforts. The Appendix to the Preface (pp. xlv-lxxx) prints several documents from English archives. Vol. II, part 2 (pp. 377-519, followed by two works of William Worcester, paginated as pp. [521] to [793], followed by the Chronological Abstract and Index on pp. 521-639.
Cataloger: MAK
