A PROSOPOGRAPHICAL STUDY INTO JOHN OF GAUNT’S ARMIES OF 1373 AND 1378
Michael Philip Warner
In July 2014 Michael graduated from the University of Southampton with a B.A. in History. During his degree Michael was able to further his longstanding interest in Medieval History.
Michael owes his particular interest in the composition of fourteenth-century armies, and the theory underpinning fourteenth and fifteenth-century warfare, to Dr Craig Lambert and Dr Remy Ambuhl. Michael’s undergraduate dissertation focuses on the stability of the armies of 1373 and 1378 by specifically examining the vertical and horizontal rigidity of John of Gaunt’s personal retinue.
The historiography of the late fourteenth-century military has expanded considerably in the last decade with the publication of a number of prosopographical studies. One such study is, The Soldier in Later Medieval England, authored by the Medieval Solider Team.This longitudinal study – which drew its core data from the Medieval Soldier Database – has provided a macro picture of the changing nature and compositions of English armies from 1369-1453.
In an expansion to existing historiography, Michael has been able to use the Medieval Soldier Database to carry out a micro, in-depth investigation into the stability of one particular military retinue over two campaigns.
It is Michael’s hope that his undergraduate dissertation will enhance his applications for M.A and Ph.D. funding. Michael hopes to undertaking further research in the future in order to bring precision to the issue of whether military stability decreased in the latter part of the fourteenth-century.
