“Some of the troops had been conscripted, the last occasion when compulsion played a significant part in the recruitment of Edward’s armies. But most of them were volunteers serving for adventure, honour and money. This remarkable reversal of the English nobility’s traditional objection to foreign military service was arguably Edward III’s most significant achievement.”
“Hong Kong, once a vibrant and politically diverse community is slowly becoming a totalitarian state. The rule of law is profoundly compromised in any area about which the government feels strongly... ...”
Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption
“Success is admirable in a king, but failure is compelling and usually better recorded.”
Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption
“England, however, was endowed with a precociously advanced system of government which made its kings powerful beyond anything warranted by its comparatively modest resources. Unlike France, which had ...”
Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption
“It is one of the paradoxes of England’s medieval history that in spite of its strong central institutions it was known mainly for its chronic political instability.”
Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption
“The Tuscan poet Dante Alighieri had a simple explanation for England’s problematic status in fourteenth-century Europe. The difficulty, he thought, lay in their national character. The English were a ...”
Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption
