For over a hundred years scholars have written about late medieval kingship, and a vast body of published work now exists on the subject. However, in all this rich coverage, no accessible introduction to the subject exists. The Cambridge Companion to Late Medieval Kingship addresses this need by bringing together, within a single volume, a series of themed chapters which consider key aspects of the workings of the English monarchy between 1200 and 1500. Featuring leading experts in the field, each chapter provides a concise and accessible guide, offering insights, synthesis and explanation to help readers understand not only how kings ruled, but also what made their rule more – or less – effective. By adopting a holistic approach to kingship, the contributors also consider how kingship impacted on the king's subjects, thereby illuminating the complex interplay of cooperation and conflict that shaped both the monarchy and the wider polity in late medieval England.

‘An authoritative guide to medieval English kingship. Pen-portraits of the kings set the scene for new perspectives and insights on royal administration, relations between rulers and ruled, changing styles of princely rule, and contested assertions of sovereignty and the common good.’

Michael Bennett - Emeritus Professor of History, University of Tasmania

‘Kingship was the fulcrum upon which the late medieval state was balanced. This authoritative and insightful volume addresses the ever-changing impact of both personal qualities and institutional practices of kingship on the multiple constituencies that comprised the kingdom.’

Jeff Hamilton - Professor Emeritus, Baylor University

‘Gwilym Dodd’s wide-ranging collection both sums up and provides a convenient guide to the now extensive literature on English late medieval kingship, its conceptualisation and practice, and the ways it was given cultural expression. The work of a distinguished team of scholars, it is a book whose appearance will be welcomed equally by those familiar with the field and those coming to it for the first time.’

Nigel Saul - Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, Royal Holloway, University of London

‘Bringing together the ideas of leading scholars in the field, this brilliant, magisterial new study provides a delightfully well-rounded examination of the image, ideologies, practice and personalities that shaped English kingship (and rulership) between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries.’

Louise Wilkinson - Professor of Medieval Studies, University of Lincoln