A Medieval Family: The Pastons of Fifteenth-Century England

Description

The Paston family of Norfolk, England, has long been known to medieval scholars for its large collection of personal correspondence, which has survived five centuries. Until now, however, they have remained virtually unknown to the general reading public. Revealing a wealth of information about the manners, morals, lifestyles, and attitudes of the late Middle Ages, the letters also tell a story of three generations of the fifteenth-century Paston family that reads like a historical novel full of memorable characters: • Margaret Paston, the indomitable wife and mother who fought the family’s battles; • her husband, John Paston I, tough, hardheaded, and thrice confined to Fleet Prison but never yielding to his enemies; • daughter Margery, who scandalized family and friends by falling in love with the Paston bailiff, Richard Calle; • lighthearted, chivalric Sir John; and • cheerful, sensible John III, who against all odds succeeded in marrying for love. A Medieval Family traces the family history from 1420, through the stormy Wars of the Roses, to the early 1500s. The family’s story, extracted from their letters and papers and told largely in their own words, shows a side of history rarely revealed: the lives and fortunes not of kings and queens but of ordinary people with problems, tragedies, and moments of happiness. Acknowledgments xv 1 The Letters 1 2 The Family 23 3 Judge William and His Children (1421-1444) 32 4 Land Disputes and the Siege of Gresham (1444-1450) 49 5 Sir John Fastolf, a Soldier in Retirement (1450-1452) 74 6 Sir John Fastolf and John Paston (1453-1459) 99 7 The Fastolf Will Contested (1459-1465) 130 8 The Sack of Hellesdon and the Death of John Paston (1465-1466) 162 9 Royal Marriages and Misalliances (1466-1469) 187 10 The Siege of Caister (1469) 214 11 The Battle of Barnet (1470-1471) 230 12 Family Discord, Foreign War, and Other Disturbances (1471-1475) 257 13 Caister Regained, a Marriage Negotiated (1475-1478) 284 14 Deaths (1479-1484) 311 15 The Last of the Medieval Pastons 330 Notes 344 Bibliography 363 Cast of Characters 368 Calendar of Events, Paston and Political, 1415-1504 371 Glossary 376 Index 379