‘What Werre Amounteth’: The Military Experience of Knights of the Shire, 1369-1389

Abstract

The Commons in parliament played an increasingly influential role in English politics in the last years of the reign of Edward III, and the reign of his grandson, Richard II. War was the central issue which dominated political debate in parliament. But when they debated war, how many of the knights of the shire knew whereof they spoke? This article discusses the collective military experience of the knights of the shire, assessing their military service in relation to their parliamentary careers. It will look at whether knights of the shire were generally men whose military careers were over or whether they were still militarily active and, in particular, how many of them had recent experience of the doleful record of English failure in the wars since 1369. Finally, it will consider what impact the military experience of knights of the shire had on political debate in parliament and to what degree was the Commons' criticism of the crown's conduct of the wars shaped by the personal military experience of the knights of the shires.