The Land of the Prince Bishops: The Palatinate of Durham, 1345-1437

Durham was different in the late Middle Ages the palatinate of Durham was the major English liberty, an administrative and juridical unit which was exempt from direct royal control. This new study of the palatinate of Durham examines the meaning of 'devolution' in a medieval context, the extent to which the palatinate operated as a state within a State, and the degree to which the palatinate served as the focus of identity and attachment among the Durham gentry.