English Society in the Later Middle Ages, 1348-1500

by Maurice Keen

A presentation of the social history of Britain, from 1348-1500, describing medieval society, with its rigid stratifications of nobility and peasant, and the transition to the beginning of the early modern period.

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, British Literature, Medieval History

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

Maurice Hugh Keen OBE (30 October 1933 – 11 September 2012) was a British historian specializing in the Middle Ages. His father had been the Oxford University head of finance ('Keeper of the University Chest') and a Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, and after schooling at Winchester College, Maurice became an undergraduate there in 1954. He was a contemporary and lifelong friend of Tom Bingham, later the Senior Law Lord, as well as of the military historian, Sir John Keegan, whose sister Mary he married.

Keen's first success came with the writing of The Outlaws of Medieval Legend while still a Junior Research Fellow at The Queen's College, Oxford, 1957–1961. He was elected a tutorial Fellow of Balliol in 1961, retaining his fellowship until his retirement in 2000, when he was elected a Fellow Emeritus. He also served as Junior Dean (1963–68), Tutor for Admissions (1974–1978), and Vice-Master (1980–83).

In 1984, Keen won the Wolfson History Prize for his book Chivalry. The book redefined in several ways the concept of chivalry, underlining the military aspect of it.

Keen was elected a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Also known as M.H. Keen

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading scholarly historical work concurrently with literature of the time and this one I coupled with Piers Plowman. This is the third book I read by Keen and the third I've read that acted as a small scale introduction to Medieval society. This book is by far one I would recommend reading first before reading any literature written in the 14th or 15th century. I wish I would have had this one while reading Malory or Chaucer, it really does a superb job of getting to the heart of the matter and identifying the biggest issues of the day. While I wouldn't say it gave me much background for Malory, (Keen's book entitled "Chivalry" would be best for that)it did give me an understanding of the society Chivalry was operating in during the 14th century. It covers societal implications of The Black Death and how that tied in to the Peasants Revolt, also covered the reading audiences of the 14th century which gave great background for Chaucer and Langland. Finally, the absolute best introduction to the inception and fate of the Lollards as well as how this heretical group disseminated the seeds that grew into the Reformation.