Ralph de Stafford, the first earl of Stafford, was one of the most powerful men in fourteenth century England. He was a veteran of the Hundred Years War, a respected military commander and an advisor to two Kings.What is less well known is that his early life was rather more colourful than might have been expected of a young nobleman at the time. It was a life with more than its fair share of troublemaking, violence, kidnapping, and even included an audacious escape from the Tower of London that briefly made him into an outlaw.'Outlaw, Warrior, Leader: The Early Life of Ralph Stafford' is a work of Academic Storytelling that explores this early part of his life for the first time and shows the humanity of an Englishman who would one day attain great importance.