The 14th-century Mafia? Folville, Coterel & Co

In August 1328, a priest in Derbyshire was beaten up and his church robbed by a gang of armed thugs. Perhaps that sounds unsurprising;  it fits well into the popular view of medieval lawlessness, vigilante justice and endemic violence. However, this particular incident wasn't random violence perpetrated by drunken idiots, but a calculated act carried …

Continue reading The 14th-century Mafia? Folville, Coterel & Co