English Historical Literature in the Fourteenth Century

In England, the fourteenth-century was the last great century of monastic chronicle writing and medieval letters, yet it was also a time that witnessed a new genre of political poetry and produced some of the best descriptions of medieval parliaments known to survive. Taylor here examines the writings of the period as well as the background of chroniclers and poets, the problems they encountered, and the audience for whom they wrote. As England and France were heavily bound by military and cultural affairs, he includes the works of French writers as an important source for English history. Offering a more personal perspective on events than those recorded in governmental documents, this work is a valuable addition to the historiography of the period.