The Trials of Alice Perrers and William Langland’s Judgment of Mede the Mayde

This article explores one of the most famous trials in the history of English medieval literature: the case of Mede the Mayde that allegorically represents bribery and corruption in William Langland’s poem Piers Plowman. Mede who is not married and is described as “a relative of the king” represents her own interests in the court of the Parliament while being accused of various vices and crimes, including in the judicial sphere. Langland invented his character before the first scandal involving Edward III’s lover Alice Perrers, but both his contemporaries and later scholars saw an undeniable resemblance between the former and the latter. This resemblance was above all linked with the standard Christian notion of female vices and weaknesses, combined with the negative perception of the corruption of powerholders. The real trials of Alice Perrers, which were discussed not only in London but across the whole of England, clearly influenced the later versions of the poem. This article offers a comparison between a literary character and a real person who can be considered one of the most cunning women in the history of medieval England.