Letters and Papers Illustrative of the Wars of the English in France 2 Volume Set

This two-volume compilation contains the texts of documents in Latin, Middle French and Middle English concerning the later phases of the Hundred Years' War, focusing on the period 1423–50. Published between 1861 and 1864, it was edited by Joseph Stevenson (1807–95), a Northumbrian archivist and clergyman who had been instrumental in persuading the British government to sponsor the Rolls Series project. He transcribed and translated material from archival sources in France and England, including the Registers of the Grants issued by the English government in France from 1420 to 1433 and the Privy Seal collection. Stevenson's introduction outlines the political instability and shifting alliances that underlay the hostilities, and Volume 2, Part 2 includes a chronological summary of the documents. Topics range from military logistics (procurement of bows and arrows, ships and horses, carpenters and masons) to dynastic and diplomatic matters and lists of those present at key events.