Although the gentry played a central role in medieval England, this study is the first sustained exploration of its origins and development between the mid-thirteenth and the mid-fourteenth century. Arguing against views which see the gentry as formed or created earlier, the text investigates as well the relationship between lesser landowners and the Angevin state; the transformation of knighthood; and the role of lesser landowners in society and politics. "Coss, an authority on knighthood and gentry, has produced for the gentry what K.B. McFarlane did for the aristocracy--a well-documented, well-defined, and well-argued history of a blass that played a central role in medieval England... This is a work of great scholarship.... Essential." Choice "This is a thoughtful, thought-provoking, and important contribution to the debate on the origins of the gentry. It will be a profitable read for anyone with any interest in the politics and society of medieval England." Canadian Journal of History/Annales canadiennes d'histoire, Andy King, University of Durham "Coss's meticulous examination becomes the standard guide to [the gentry's] rise and development." Albion, Lorraine Attreed "an interesting and thought-provoking book" - Speculum High Thomas, University of Miami A sustained attempt to explore the 13th–14th century origins of the English gentry. Peter Coss is Professor of Medieval History, School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University.