James Corbyn | Royal Holloway, University of London (original) (raw)

Papers by James Corbyn

Prior to the work of Peter Jackson, a scholarly consensus had developed arguing that the Battle o... more Prior to the work of Peter Jackson, a scholarly consensus had developed arguing that the Battle of Ayn Jalut represented a truly decisive event in the history of the Near East. It has been argued that the Mongol incursion into Syria was a golden opportunity for the Franks to ally themselves with a powerful entity, seemingly amiable towards those of the Christian faith, against their age old Saracen foe in the Near East. In not doing so, they brought about their own downfall just a few decades later. In other words, this definitively marked the beginning of the end for the Franks in the Holy Land. It has also been suggested that the Mamluk victory at Ayn Jalut signalled the inevitable ascendancy of the Sultanate based in Cairo and that victory over the previously ‘invincible’ Mongol hordes confirmed the Mamluks as unquestionable rulers of the region. As such, it has also been argued that their absolute defeat at the battle brought about an end to their ambitions in the Near East and was critical in undermining the grand imperial ideology which had contributed to their self-assured conquests. However, such arguments, which often fail to consider the battle in its wider context, have been challenged by scholars such as Jackson and Amitai-Press. In this paper, I shall demonstrate the inaccuracy of a number of these theories and consider some more recent studies on the Battle of The Spring of Goliath.

This roll, taken from King’s Bench 27 (KB27) at the National Archives, Kew, records a case of a c... more This roll, taken from King’s Bench 27 (KB27) at the National Archives, Kew, records a case of a counterfeiter of Torrington, Exeter, who, in 1421, turned King’s Approver but failed in this duty of bringing his appellees to justice. The roll is comprised of five main sections. The first of these details Richard Swalwe’s assumption of the status of King’s Approver and his appeal against a certain William Forde of Devon. The scribe relates the specifics of Richard and William’s acclaimed counterfeiting and the crown’s determination that the two men should be held in the custody of William Bradwardyn, the Marshal of the King’s Bench, to await judgement. The second section details how Forde determined to defend the claims made against him ‘by his body…as a faithful man against a traitor should defend by the law of the land’; that is to say, he made clear his preparedness to engage in trial by battle to defend his innocence. The third section states that Swalwe expressed his willingness to partake in such a duel. A location is agreed upon and a date set within the week with both men remaining in the custody of Marshal Bradbardyn until this time. Fourthly, the roll describes the encounter at Tothill and Swalwe’s prompt renege on his commitment to the duel. Finally, Swalwe is led to London, where he is hanged, drawn and quartered, and Ford is acquitted of the charges levelled against him.

This paper will explore the nature of approver’s appeal during the late middle ages as well as the place of trial by battle in this medieval judicial phenomenon, which has survived down to the modern day in the form of Queen’s evidence. Counterfeiting of the King’s coinage during the middle ages, measures taken by the Crown to combat it and its proliferation witnessed during the reign of Henry V will also be discussed. Finally, both a transcription and translation of KB27/648 will be provided.

This paper will briefly discuss the nature of the Mongol armies and some of their successes befor... more This paper will briefly discuss the nature of the Mongol armies and some of their successes before exploring their shortcomings in a select number of regions. For each theatre of war, the obstacles faced by the Mongols will be identified and accounted for in relation to the theses offered by a number of scholars. Consideration will be taken of both internal and external factors. There will be an evaluation of how, if at all, the Mongols overcame these obstacles and were able to obtain success against their opponents. Firstly, the half century period of military activity in Song China and Korea will be considered. Secondly, the comparatively brief period of military involvement in Eastern Europe will be assessed. A decision has made not to consider the Mamluk-Ilkhanid war within this paper, acknowledging the detailed work already carried out on this subject and the relative scarcity of analysis about Mongol shortcomings in military campaigns elsewhere.

Prior to the work of Peter Jackson, a scholarly consensus had developed arguing that the Battle o... more Prior to the work of Peter Jackson, a scholarly consensus had developed arguing that the Battle of Ayn Jalut represented a truly decisive event in the history of the Near East. It has been argued that the Mongol incursion into Syria was a golden opportunity for the Franks to ally themselves with a powerful entity, seemingly amiable towards those of the Christian faith, against their age old Saracen foe in the Near East. In not doing so, they brought about their own downfall just a few decades later. In other words, this definitively marked the beginning of the end for the Franks in the Holy Land. It has also been suggested that the Mamluk victory at Ayn Jalut signalled the inevitable ascendancy of the Sultanate based in Cairo and that victory over the previously ‘invincible’ Mongol hordes confirmed the Mamluks as unquestionable rulers of the region. As such, it has also been argued that their absolute defeat at the battle brought about an end to their ambitions in the Near East and was critical in undermining the grand imperial ideology which had contributed to their self-assured conquests. However, such arguments, which often fail to consider the battle in its wider context, have been challenged by scholars such as Jackson and Amitai-Press. In this paper, I shall demonstrate the inaccuracy of a number of these theories and consider some more recent studies on the Battle of The Spring of Goliath.

This roll, taken from King’s Bench 27 (KB27) at the National Archives, Kew, records a case of a c... more This roll, taken from King’s Bench 27 (KB27) at the National Archives, Kew, records a case of a counterfeiter of Torrington, Exeter, who, in 1421, turned King’s Approver but failed in this duty of bringing his appellees to justice. The roll is comprised of five main sections. The first of these details Richard Swalwe’s assumption of the status of King’s Approver and his appeal against a certain William Forde of Devon. The scribe relates the specifics of Richard and William’s acclaimed counterfeiting and the crown’s determination that the two men should be held in the custody of William Bradwardyn, the Marshal of the King’s Bench, to await judgement. The second section details how Forde determined to defend the claims made against him ‘by his body…as a faithful man against a traitor should defend by the law of the land’; that is to say, he made clear his preparedness to engage in trial by battle to defend his innocence. The third section states that Swalwe expressed his willingness to partake in such a duel. A location is agreed upon and a date set within the week with both men remaining in the custody of Marshal Bradbardyn until this time. Fourthly, the roll describes the encounter at Tothill and Swalwe’s prompt renege on his commitment to the duel. Finally, Swalwe is led to London, where he is hanged, drawn and quartered, and Ford is acquitted of the charges levelled against him.

This paper will explore the nature of approver’s appeal during the late middle ages as well as the place of trial by battle in this medieval judicial phenomenon, which has survived down to the modern day in the form of Queen’s evidence. Counterfeiting of the King’s coinage during the middle ages, measures taken by the Crown to combat it and its proliferation witnessed during the reign of Henry V will also be discussed. Finally, both a transcription and translation of KB27/648 will be provided.

This paper will briefly discuss the nature of the Mongol armies and some of their successes befor... more This paper will briefly discuss the nature of the Mongol armies and some of their successes before exploring their shortcomings in a select number of regions. For each theatre of war, the obstacles faced by the Mongols will be identified and accounted for in relation to the theses offered by a number of scholars. Consideration will be taken of both internal and external factors. There will be an evaluation of how, if at all, the Mongols overcame these obstacles and were able to obtain success against their opponents. Firstly, the half century period of military activity in Song China and Korea will be considered. Secondly, the comparatively brief period of military involvement in Eastern Europe will be assessed. A decision has made not to consider the Mamluk-Ilkhanid war within this paper, acknowledging the detailed work already carried out on this subject and the relative scarcity of analysis about Mongol shortcomings in military campaigns elsewhere.