New investigations into a pivotal era of the thirteenth century.The years between 1258 and 67 comprise one of the most influential periods in the Middle Ages in England. This turbulent decade witnessed a bitter power struggle between King Henry III and his barons over who should control the government of the realm. Before England eventually descended into civil war, a significant proportion of the baronage had attempted to transform its governance by imposing on the crown a programme of legislative and administrative reform far more radical and wide-ranging than Magna Carta in 1215. Constituting a critical stage in the development of parliament, the reformist movement would remain unsurpassed in its radicalism until the upheavals of the seventeenth century. Simon de Montfort, the baronial champion, became the first leader of a political movement to seize power and govern in the king's name. The essays collected here offer the most recent research into and ideas onthis pivotal period. Several contributions focus upon the roles played in the political struggle by particular sections of thirteenth-century society, including the Midland knights and their political allegiances, aristocratic women, and the merchant elite in London. The events themselves constitute the second major theme of this volume, with subjects such as the secret revolution of 1258, Henry III's recovery of power in 1261, and the little studied maritime theatre during the civil wars of 1263-7 being considered. Adrian Jobson is an Associate Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University. Contributors: Sophie Ambler, Nick Barratt, David Carpenter, PeterCoss, Mario Fernandes, Andrew H. Hershey, Adrian Jobson, Lars Kjær, John A. McEwan, Tony Moore, Fergus Oakes, H.W. Ridgeway, Christopher David Tilley, Benjamin L. Wild, Louise J. Wilkinson.

Introduction - Adrian L JobsonModern Historians and the Period of Reform and Rebellion, 1258-1265 - Christopher David TilleyThe Secret Revolution of 1258 - David CarpenterBaronial Reform, the Justiciar's Court and Commercial Legislation: The Case of Grimsby - Andrew H. HersheyCrisis Management: Baronial Reform at the Exchequer' - Nick BarrattLocal Administration during the Period of Reform and Rebellion - Tony K. MooreWhat Happened in 1261? - H W RidgewayWriting Reform and Rebellion' - Lars KjaerCivic Government in Troubled Times: London c.1263-1270 - John McEwanThe Montfortian Bishops' - Sophie AmblerReformers and Royalists: Aristocratic Women in Politics, 1258-1267 - Louise J. WilkinsonThe Midland Knights and the Barons' War: The Warwickshire Evidence - Mario FernandesRetinues, Agents and Garrisons during the Barons' Wars - Peter CossThe Barons' War in the North of England, 1264-1265 - Fergus OakesThe Maritime Theatre, 1258-1267 - Adrian L JobsonReasserting Medieval Kingship: King Henry III and the Dictum of Kenilworth - Benjamin L. Wild