John of Gaunt [Paperback]

Anthony Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0582098130 | ISBN-13: 978-0582098138

John of Gaunt (1340 -99), Duke of Lancaster and pretender to the throne of Castile, was son to Edward III, uncle to the ill-starred Richard III and father to Henry IV and the Lancastrian line. The richest and most powerful subject in England, a key actor on the international stage, patron of Wycliffe and Chaucer, he was deeply involved in the Peasant's revolt and the Hundred Years War. He is also one of the most hated men of his time. This splendid study, the first since 1904, vividly portrays the political life of the age, with the controversial figure of Gaunt at the heart of it.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Goodman thoroughly examines the various aspects of the career of John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster, son and father of kings, claimant to the Spanish throne). Not really a straightforward biography like Sidney Armitage-Smith's John of Gaunt (1904. 1964. reprint. o.p.), this book instead focuses on the nuts and bolts of 14th-century princely power. In the chapter on warfare, for example, Goodman details how Gaunt raised his retinue, how much common soldiers were paid, and how the pay was sometimes in arrears for years. Other sections deal with Gaunt in Iberia, Gaunt and the church, and Gaunt and the secular peerage. Also touched upon are the duke's relations with Wycliffe and Chaucer. Goodman generally has a more positive view of Gaunt than many historians have had in recent years. Recommended for large public and academic libraries.
-Bruce R. Schueneman, Texas A&I Univ. Lib., Kingsville
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'This new biography of John of Gaunt fills a huge gap in our understanding of medieval England. xxx;The many facets of Gaunt's complex personality mesh convincingly. Southern History

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Pearson (August 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582098130
• ISBN-13: 978-0582098138
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,453,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now the classic work on John of Gaunt, August 1, 2001

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: John of Gaunt: The Exercise of Princely Power in Fourteenth-Century Europe (Hardcover)

John, Duke of Lancaster, was the son of Edward III, father of Edward IV, uncle of Richard II, and himself the pretender to the throne of Castile. He was also the richest and most powerful subject in England for most of his life -- and probably the most deeply and widely hated. He was certainly the principal target of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. A key player in the Hundred Years War, he was also on close terms with John Wycliffe and Geoffrey Chaucer. John's controversial career is thus at the very heart of English society and European politics during one of the nation's most turbulent periods, and this semi-scholarly and authoritative examination of the duke's mental processes, institutional goals, and dynastic ambitions is very useful to the understanding of England on the brink of a three-generation civil war.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative but boring, May 14, 2003

By 

Talia (Santa Fe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John of Gaunt (Paperback)

If you are desperately seeking information about John of Gaunt, then this is one of the few sources for it. The book does have a lot of information, but it is incredibly boring to read. Not really surprising, since most of the info seems to have been gotten from account books and inventories. The majority of the book reads along the lines of "On December 6th, 1373, he was at Pontefract castle with his wife. He wore a red shirt with silver buttons. Two months later he was back at the Savoy, apparently without his wife. He wore green hose and a black tunic." (It should be noted that I just made up that passage, but by my truth, that is how it sounds.) If you have a deep interest in John of Gaunt, then I recommend this book for you.