The Fifteenth Century, 1399-1485 (The Oxford History of England)

xvi, 775 pp. Maps follow text. E. F. Jacob examines the impact of the Hundred Years' War and inadequate financial and administrative machinery on the failure of the Lancastrians, and shows that the War of the Roses were less a unique struggle between defined parties than a typical effort by a noble house to maintain and improve its position by the exercise of patronage and influence in a society that was rapidly undergoing change. He also provides detailed portraits of key figures of the age, and chapters on economic growth, Anglo-French relations, the Church, and the peaceful arts.