The Jack Cade Rebellion of 1450

With this book, Alexander Kaufman does great service to the teaching and study of the Jack Cade Rebellion. His collection of thirty-two primary documents, encompassing medieval and early modern chronicles, official documents, personal correspondence, bills of complaint, and popular literature, is an invaluable resource. Acknowledging that the original languages of the documents—Latin and Middle English—are not taught in the numbers they once were, Kaufman offers translations in present-day English. This feat will, doubtless, broaden access to the study of Jack Cade, especially within the disciplines of history, law, and literature. -- John Marshall, University of Bristol
What emerges from Alexander Kaufman’s collection is the image of a socially diverse rebellion which included yeomen, esquires, gentlemen, land labourers, and even constables. For the first time, all the major historiographical, legal, and literary sources relating to Jack Cade’s Rebellion can be found in one easily accessible, extremely well-researched volume. This book, compiled by Kaufman—who is already a well-established expert on the topic—is likely to become and remain the standard work on the events of 1450 in the years to come. It will be indispensable for scholars, students, and even general readers wishing to learn more about that turbulent year in English history. -- Stephen Basdeo, The American University in London at Richmond Hill
Alexander Kaufman has diligently researched his material and selected these extracts carefully. The documents in this scholarly anthology conjure up the lively and turbulent sociopolitical world of mid-fifteenth-century England, providing avenues for further exploration of the revolt and its contexts. With Kaufman’s analysis, these accounts also offer insights into how Jack Cade and his revolt were developed in cultural imagination during the years after the events. -- Lesley Coote, University of Hull

By bringing together—for the first time—translated primary sources on Cade’s rebellion, Kaufman has performed a valuable service for scholars and researchers. The modern English translations, supported by Kaufman’s scholarly commentary and notes, also make the sources available to a wider readership. This volume will be an invaluable source for anyone interested in late-medieval England or medieval social movements.

-- Michael Evans, Delta College