Falling from Grace

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Painted on cathedral walls and used as leitmotif by fifteenth century writers, the 'Wheel of Fortune' and the 'Fall of Princes' were fundamental themes through which medieval people understood the mutability of existence. This original new study examines the increasing brutality of politics in later medieval England and highlights the reasons behind it, including the changing nature of the royal right of forfeiture, the groundbreaking legislation of Edward I, and the continued evolution of both feudalism and the medieval polity. Starting with how nobles 'fell', it examines the shift from judgments by God to trial by peers, appeal, and impeachment, and then goes on to unearth the way in which nobles were treated while on this downward swing: imprisonment and exile if they were lucky, mutilation and, increasingly, execution through disemboweling, decapitation and quartering if they were not. For those noble dynasties who managed to survive such downturns, there was usually an attempt to return to position, if not power - though the road was never easy and, this book argues, increasingly involved sustained efforts by wives, mothers and daughters. Based on extensive research in chronicle, archival, artistic and other sources, Falling from Grace spans almost four centuries, from the Earls' Revolt of 1075 to the beginning of the Wars of the Roses, and should be of considerable interest to both academic audiences and a more general readership.