Publicity as the Marker of Political Processes in English Society in the Middle of the 15th Century

A dichotomy of government and society in the exploration of the State’s transition from Medieval to Ētat modern opens new opportunities to understand the Kingdom of England’s history on the eve of the early modern period. On the one hand, gentry remained its importance under unstable political authority, arbitrariness and lawlessness from country’s nobility. On the other hand, political evolution of power was determined by growing role of king’s prerogative. The development of ideas about the function of serving the authority was reflected in a number of anonymous tractates of that time and isolated events. Government used a figure of wise and righteous monarch against the background of serious political-military failures of the 30s in Hundred Years' War. One of the tractate states that the King and his Council assumed the burden of service and responsibility in difficult time for the kingdom with minimal focus on commons. The other one of that time has the phenomenon of publicity filled with nostalgia, represented through discourses of historic memory. An anonymous author from the king’s inner circle describes an alternative of country’s political course of Anglo-French opposition. The author calls for the restoration of kingdom’s past glory as strong military Power, above all, at sea, rather than the war on the mainland. He brings back the reader images of famous monarchs, where sea power guaranteed prosperity of the realm and its subjects. An understanding of a new place and the role of England in the last phase of Hundred Years' War, somehow, that favoured public interests and expectations, is formed. An understanding of monarch’s duty and responsibility underwent significant changes in anonymous tractate of the late 40s. The ruler must promote well-being and prosperity of his nationals, know their needs and requirements, listen for their opinion, which is the wisdom and justice of the monarch. Dialogue between government and society developed by participants’ demands of Jack Cade rebellion. King cannot be above the law and commons are always ready to support him. England’s socio-political processes of that time are characterized by the increase of publicity, strengthening of authority’s representation. Nevertheless, keeping faith with the figure of wise and righteous monarch, the patron and protector of his subjects could not stop impending socio-political crisis of the second part of the century.

Keywords

publicity, government/society, gentry, commons, image of power, tractates, historic memory

Received

18.01.2021

Publication date

15.02.2022

Number of characters

36460

Cite

GOST	Zolotov V. Publicity as the Marker of Political Processes in English Society in the Middle of the 15th Century // ISTORIYA – 2022. – V. 13. – Issue 1 (111) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840018690-8-1 (circulation date: 18.03.2025). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840018690-8
MLA	Zolotov, Vsevolod "Publicity as the Marker of Political Processes in English Society in the Middle of the 15th Century." ISTORIYA 13.1 (111) (2022) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840018690-8
APA	Zolotov V. (2022). Publicity as the Marker of Political Processes in English Society in the Middle of the 15th Century. ISTORIYA 13(1 (111)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840018690-8

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