Customer Reviews

Joan of Arc and Richard III: Sex, Saints, and Government in the Middle Ages

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A study of general trends in government and constitutional theory in France and England over the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries: France under a semi-sacred royal dynasty starts heading towards divine-right-of-kings absolute monarchy, while England develops a more representational parliamentary theory of government. Very much more attention to England than to France. The individual chapters deal with separate issues--many are re-workings of articles previously published separately; particular attention to disputed and minority successions, and looking at issues from the contemporaries' point of view. No particular reason Joan and Richard deserve pride of place, except that they are among the last chapters and so can be read as some kind of culmination of Wood's thesis.

Should note that the book isn't quite as entertaining as the "sex and saints" in the subtitle makes it sound: the saints in question are Louis IX and Joan in their purely political contexts, plus a mention of Richard II's attempts to get Edward II canonized; the sex mostly refers to adulterous queens (Isabella in England, Isabeau in France) possibly complicating the legitimate succession. Interesting to see a somewhat different take on Richard III: neither evil Shakespearean wicked uncle nor wronged Daughter-of-Time noble king, but rather a military man caught way out of his depth in a political situation (but inclined more towards the wicked uncle than the wronged noble). I think he reads much more into the Wilton Diptych than is really there.