'The Contending Kingdoms': France and England 1420û1700

The kingdoms of France and England were for many centuries military, economic, cultural and colonial rivals. This is particularly true of the early modern period which witnessed the rise of French military hegemony and the expansion of English commerce. Dealing with the period 1450-1700, this collection offers a snapshot of Anglo-French relations across the three centuries form established historians and younger scholars from France, Britain and Luxembourg.The essays are all broadly 'diplomatic' history, but each incorporates a wider perspective of cultural and social or gender history in its discussion. Broadly they show that, as any serious enquiry would expect to find, Anglo-French relations in this period were a great deal more complex than is at first apparent. Competition and hostility between the two kingdoms there certainly was, but it took a surprising variety of forms and was often quite intellectually productive for one side or the other and sometimes for both. The chapters mix treatments of broad themes and particular circumstances or individuals and each makes specific comparisons with French and English experience across the early-modern period. In so doing they elaborate and go beyond the evidence of Anglo-French hostility to explore evidence of political co-operation and cultural influences, highlighting just how close early modern England's connections with France were, even at times of crisis.