This account of the political, economic and social history of Britain covers the period from the dethronement of Richard II in 1399 to the defeat of Richard III at Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor in 1485. The failure of the Lancastrian dynasty, after its early struggles and its apparent consolidation, is in this study attributed, in large measure, to improvident commitments abroad, and financial and administrative technique inadequate for its responsibilities. The contest, at least in its earlier stage, between Lancaster and York is viewed not so much as a unique struggle between defined parties, but as typical of the efforts of noble houses to maintain and improve their position by the exercise of patronage and influence in a society that was rapidly undergoing change. At the centre of the story are chapters on the order of men, upon economic life and governmental administration. There are revised portraits of Henry V and Edward IV, the latter regarded as a more practical administrator than his royal predecessors. A special feature is the sections devoted to Anglo-French relations, with the damnosa hereditas of the Treaty of Troyes particularly emphasized. The last chapter, a pacific epilogue to the tale of violence preceding it, deals with notable English achievements in the life of the spirit.