Jonty Claypole

And the first is, as we mentioned, England is at war with France almost constantly throughout this period.

I mean, on and off.

But the animosity is always there.

And that's leading to an increased sense of isolationism.

And so that sense that we need our own national identity, our identity cannot be tied to the continent as it once was in the same way.

I think that's fueling it.

I think also, as we talked about, the absolute ravages of the Black Death has shaken things up so much.

And there are jobs to be done which no longer have enough Latin or French speakers to do them.

There's a very pragmatic sense that, you know, it's all hands to the pump.

Half the population is gone.

So that sudden need for people to come from different classes and backgrounds to come into jobs of responsibility, whether or not they can speak the language they're meant to be communicating in.

So the common tongue, the common tongue of English needs to be accommodated.

I think to an extent there's not much choice.

If you're not going to allow English in the legal system, that means a lot of people can't really work.

Another thing going on, Sophie, not that I want to steal your thunder, but I imagine you'll have more to say about this, are the changes in the church.

And there are two major rifts going on in the Catholic Church, which are affecting England at this time.

The first is the Western Schism between Avignon and Rome.

So the papacy itself has broken in two.

Earlier in the 1300s, the Pope moved to Avignon and there's been an effort to move the papacy back to Rome.

And Avignon and Rome are at complete loggerheads about this.