About this ebook
John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, is arguably the most intriguing, controversial and possibly misunderstood figure of the Wars of the Roses period. Politically adept, he occupied a string of important offices, first under the Lancastrian Henry VI and then the Yorkist Edward IV.A man of action, he held commands on both and sea, in England, Ireland and Wales.As Constable of England he acted as Edwards enforcer and earned the sobriquet Butcher of England for his beheadings and impalements. Yet he was also an outstanding Renaissance scholar who studied at Oxford, Padua and Ferrara, a collector of books and patron. This, in conjunction with his political actions, makes him a proto-Machiavellian Prince.Peter Spring also looks beyond the Earls public life to glean insights into the man himself, concluding that the available information generally reveals an attractive personality. He presents a balanced reappraisal, seeing him, as did many contemporary Europeans and some fellow countrymen, as a man of great intellect and capability who did not shirk the hard tasks imposed by a merciless age.Worcesters execution for the application of Roman law, lampooned as the laws of Padua, demonstrated the danger of indentification with continental influences in an England increasingly defining itselfthrough common law, Parliament, and soon religionagainst Europe. The contemporary denigration of his character by little Englander chroniclers reflected a deepening antipathy towards the cosmopolitan a recurring trait in the English character perhaps re-emerging with Brexit.
About the author
PETER SPRING is a financial consultant by training. He has a BA in Modern History from Royal Holloway College and an MA in Medieval Art History from the Courtauld Institute. He lives in southwest London. His first book, Great Walls and Linear Barriers, was published by Pen & Sword in 2015.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
