Barbara Emerson

Very readable account of the life of this quintessential 14th century character. He is regarded as the epitome of late Medieval chivalry, which he was, though the term "chivalry" is often misunderstood now; the author shows how its expression was clearly confined to fellow members of the elite in England and France and certainly not to the broad mass of ordinary people (and not really in other countries either, esp. Spain). His efforts, and those of his father King Edward III, were certainly the main cause of English success in the early decades of what came to be known (very much later) as the Hundred Years War. His debilitating illness and early death are quite starkly presented here, as is the extent of national mourning thereafter. Recommended for anyone interested in late Medieval English history.… (meer)