This collection, published 1861–3 in the Rolls Series, contains documents from the period 1483 to 1509, when the House of York was replaced by the Tudor dynasty. It was one of many selections of source material on the period 1450–1550 compiled by James Gairdner (1828–1912), a long-serving archivist at the Public Record Office, whose work laid the foundations for much subsequent scholarship in British history. Volume 2 contains over 100 letters and records, some from European libraries, including extensive material on James IV of Scotland and his foreign diplomacy. The correspondents include rulers, dignitaries and prelates from all over Europe, writing in Latin, French and English. Prominent among them are Pope Julius II and the Archdukes of Austria. They cover a wide range of topics including the economy, trade, taxation, knighthoods, dynastic alliances, and indulgences. The volume opens with an introductory essay and a chronological summary of its contents.
