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Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Utah

The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era

There may not be a more fascinating a historical period than the late fourteenth century in Europe. The Hundred Years' War ravaged the continent, yet gallantry, chivalry, and literary brilliance flourished in the courts of England and elsewhere. It was a world in transition, soon to be replaced by the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration -- and John of Gaunt was its central figure.

In today's terms, John of Gaunt was a multibillionaire with a brand name equal to Rockefeller. He fought in the Hundred Years' War, sponsored Chaucer and proto-Protestant religious thinkers, and survived the dramatic Peasants' Revolt, during which his sumptuous London residence was burned to the ground. As head of the Lancastrian branch of the Plantagenet family, Gaunt was the unknowing father of the War of the Roses; after his death, his son usurped the crown from his nephew, Richard II. Gaunt's adventures represent the culture and mores of the Middle Ages as those of few others do, and his death is portrayed in The Last Knight as the end of that enthralling period.

The Last Knight

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Norman F. Cantor

There may be no more fascinating historical period than the late fourteenth century in Europe. The Hundred Years' War ravaged the continent, yet gallantry, chivalry, and literary brilliance flourished in the courts of England and elsewhere. Chaucer wrote brilliant satire, lords and ladies invented courtly rituals of love and romance, yet the vast bulk of Europe's population struggled with plague, economic uncertainty, and violence. It was a world in transition, soon to be replaced by the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration -- and John of Gaunt was its central figure. Norman F. Cantor, the best known and most popular historian of the Middle Ages, brings Gaunt to life brilliantly in his newest work, The Last Knight.


John of Gaunt was the richest man in Europe, apart from its monarchs, and he epitomized and surpassed the ideals of the late Middle Ages. From chivalry -- he was taught at a young age to fight on horseback like the knights of old -- to courtly love -- his three marriages included two romantic love-matches -- he was an ideal leader. He created lavish courts, sponsoring Chaucer and proto-Protestant religious thinkers, and he survived the dramatic Peasants' Revolt, during which his sumptuous London residence was burned to the ground. As the head of the Lancastrian Branch of the Plantagenet family, he was the unknowing father of the War of the Roses, for his son Henry Bolingbroke usurped the crown from Gaunt's nephew, Richard II, after Gaunt had died. He passed away just as one great era gave way to the next: His grandson Henry the Navigator launched the Age of Exploration. Gaunt's adventures represent the culture and mores of the Middle Ages as few others' do, and his death is portrayed by Cantor as the end of that fascinating period.

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Texas

A portrait of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, is set in the context of the pre-Renaissance era and identifies him as a patron of Chaucer, a last leader of the Plantagenet family, and a founder of the Lancastrian dynasty.

Category - Non Fiction / History

Format - Paperback

Condition - Excellent

Listed - A year ago

Views - 14

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Ships From - Utah

Est. Publication Date - May 2005

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The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era

ISBN: 9780060754037

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Category - Non Fiction / History

Format - Paperback

Condition - Excellent

Listed - A year ago

Views - 14

Wishes - 3

Ships From - Utah

Est. Publication Date - May 2005

Seller Description

Additional Information

The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era

ISBN: 9780060754037

Publisher Description

Tags

The Last Knight

By:

$4.00

Meet the seller

Discover more

The Last Knight

By: Norman F. Cantor

More from this seller

Additional titles by Norman F. Cantor

'The Last Knight' readers also enjoyed:

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