Sir John Tiptoft – 'Butcher of England'

Earl of Worcester, Edward IV's Enforcer and Humanist Scholar

Nonfiction, History, Military, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Sir John Tiptoft – 'Butcher of England' by Peter Spring, Pen and Sword
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Peter Spring ISBN: 9781473890114
Publisher: Pen and Sword Publication: April 30, 2018
Imprint: Pen and Sword Military Language: English
Author: Peter Spring
ISBN: 9781473890114
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication: April 30, 2018
Imprint: Pen and Sword Military
Language: English

John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, is arguably the most intriguing, controversial and possibly misunderstood figure of the Wars of the Roses period. Politically adept, he occupied a string of important offices, first under the Lancastrian Henry VI and then the Yorkist Edward IV.

A man of action, he held commands on both and sea, in England, Ireland and Wales.

As Constable of England he acted as Edward’s enforcer and earned the sobriquet ‘Butcher of England’ for his beheadings and impalements. Yet he was also an outstanding Renaissance scholar who studied at Oxford, Padua and Ferrara, a collector of books and patron. This, in conjunction with his political actions, makes him a proto-Machiavellian Prince.

Peter Spring also looks beyond the Earl’s public life to glean insights into the man himself, concluding that the available information generally reveals an attractive personality. He presents a balanced reappraisal, seeing him, as did many contemporary Europeans and some fellow countrymen, as a man of great intellect and capability who did not shirk the hard tasks imposed by a merciless age.

Worcester’s execution for the application of Roman law, lampooned as the ‘laws of Padua’, demonstrated the danger of indentification with continental influences in an England increasingly defining itself—through common law, Parliament, and soon religion—against Europe. The contemporary denigration of his character by little Englander chroniclers reflected a deepening antipathy towards the cosmopolitan — a recurring trait in the English character — perhaps re-emerging with Brexit.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, is arguably the most intriguing, controversial and possibly misunderstood figure of the Wars of the Roses period. Politically adept, he occupied a string of important offices, first under the Lancastrian Henry VI and then the Yorkist Edward IV.

A man of action, he held commands on both and sea, in England, Ireland and Wales.

As Constable of England he acted as Edward’s enforcer and earned the sobriquet ‘Butcher of England’ for his beheadings and impalements. Yet he was also an outstanding Renaissance scholar who studied at Oxford, Padua and Ferrara, a collector of books and patron. This, in conjunction with his political actions, makes him a proto-Machiavellian Prince.

Peter Spring also looks beyond the Earl’s public life to glean insights into the man himself, concluding that the available information generally reveals an attractive personality. He presents a balanced reappraisal, seeing him, as did many contemporary Europeans and some fellow countrymen, as a man of great intellect and capability who did not shirk the hard tasks imposed by a merciless age.

Worcester’s execution for the application of Roman law, lampooned as the ‘laws of Padua’, demonstrated the danger of indentification with continental influences in an England increasingly defining itself—through common law, Parliament, and soon religion—against Europe. The contemporary denigration of his character by little Englander chroniclers reflected a deepening antipathy towards the cosmopolitan — a recurring trait in the English character — perhaps re-emerging with Brexit.

More books from Pen and Sword

Cover of the book Letters from the Light Brigade by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Tracing History Through Title Deeds by Peter Spring
Cover of the book The Road to Kalamata by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Life of Sir John Moore by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Building for Battle: U-Boat Pens of the Atlantic Battle by Peter Spring
Cover of the book The Trafalgar Chronicle by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Bill Lancaster: The Final Verdict by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Battle for the Escaut 1940 by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Tracing Your Ancestors Through Family Photographs by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Lancaster in the Great War by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Navies in the 21st Century by Peter Spring
Cover of the book The South Notts Hussars The Western Desert, 1940-1942 by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Wellington’s Spies by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Disaster in the Far East 1940- 1942 by Peter Spring
Cover of the book Being British by Peter Spring
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy