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This isn't a review, just a small collection of thoughts on the book as a whole followed by a dump of my notes from when I was reading it (which gets long).
"Shaping the Nation: England 1360-1461" Gerald Harriss is part of The New Oxford History of England series, and is I think aimed at actual historians (or at least at undergraduate level). Which is part of why I found it took me a long time to read it (50-ish hours over 9 months) - my last formal education in history was 30 years ago, and I'd dropped the subject before I started my GCSEs. So whilst I have a reasonably good grasp of the story line of English history, I was aware while reading this that I really don't know enough about other aspects of history - like political theory or economic theory. So I read this in "absorb like sponge" mode, rather than with a critical eye as to whether I agreed with it or not.
For a bit of context: This book covers the time from the last years of Edward III through to the early part of the Wars of the Roses. The time of Richard II, the time of Henry V & Agincourt. The Black Death was less than a decade before this book's period of focus, and the mid & long term effects on society are a large part of what's driving the changes in this time period.
Harriss's overall thesis is that while this was once seen as a time of collapse & chaos, it's better seen as a period of transition - from feudalism to capitalism in particular, driven by the new scarcity of labour. But also from war as chivalric seeking for individual glory, to conquest in the service of the nation. In fact the rise of the idea of community with the nation - English-ness becomes important as juxtaposed against the French that are the enemy. And political society continues the evolution from the Magna Carta of the King not being above but being part of the political community. You also see the seeds of the coming Reformation - it may still be half a century away by the end of this book, but the signs of dissatisfaction with the Church are already there.
Read on for my notes section by section as I read, which are of varying quality ;) ( Read more... )
"Shaping the Nation: England 1360-1461" Gerald Harriss is part of The New Oxford History of England series, and is I think aimed at actual historians (or at least at undergraduate level). Which is part of why I found it took me a long time to read it (50-ish hours over 9 months) - my last formal education in history was 30 years ago, and I'd dropped the subject before I started my GCSEs. So whilst I have a reasonably good grasp of the story line of English history, I was aware while reading this that I really don't know enough about other aspects of history - like political theory or economic theory. So I read this in "absorb like sponge" mode, rather than with a critical eye as to whether I agreed with it or not.
For a bit of context: This book covers the time from the last years of Edward III through to the early part of the Wars of the Roses. The time of Richard II, the time of Henry V & Agincourt. The Black Death was less than a decade before this book's period of focus, and the mid & long term effects on society are a large part of what's driving the changes in this time period.
Harriss's overall thesis is that while this was once seen as a time of collapse & chaos, it's better seen as a period of transition - from feudalism to capitalism in particular, driven by the new scarcity of labour. But also from war as chivalric seeking for individual glory, to conquest in the service of the nation. In fact the rise of the idea of community with the nation - English-ness becomes important as juxtaposed against the French that are the enemy. And political society continues the evolution from the Magna Carta of the King not being above but being part of the political community. You also see the seeds of the coming Reformation - it may still be half a century away by the end of this book, but the signs of dissatisfaction with the Church are already there.
Read on for my notes section by section as I read, which are of varying quality ;) ( Read more... )
