This year’s special lecture of the Henley Archaeological and Historical Group (joined by members of the Henley Society) was given on 10th September by the historian Helen Carr on Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century. She retold the history of the dramatic and transformative century, focusing on the characters and psychologies of the personalities involved, including peripheral voices.
In the fourteenth century, people’s lives were controlled by the power of God and the power of kings. King Edward I was a towering figure – a lawmaker, conqueror and crusader, who left a prosperous country with a strong central government. In contrast, his successor in 1307, Edward II, was insecure and easily manipulated. Edward was deposed in 1327 and shortly after ‘died due to a fatal happening’ in Berkeley Castle.
His son, Edward III, grew up under the shadow of his father’s humiliation and came to the throne by staging a coup. He was a romantic, chivalric king, but also a shrewd politician and military leader. He laid claim to France and initiated the Hundred Years’ War. His early successes were followed by the tragedy of the Black Death in 1348, which halved the population. This event led to the end of serfdom and, surprisingly, an increase in individual prosperity. People moved to the cities to work as traders or skilled craftsmen, establishing the system of apprenticeship.
The very poor did not share in this prosperity, resulting in the Peasants’ Revolt against a system which seemed unjust and oppressive. This uprising was punitively suppressed by Richard II, who gradually became more confident in his power, believing that he was divinely chosen. Richard ushered in the Renaissance to England and commissioned a remarkable portrait of himself in the coronation chair (pictured). He was deposed and imprisoned by his rival for the throne, Henry IV.