Posted on 05/26/2025 12:10:44 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Looking for a scandalous queen misinterpreted by history? You won't find her here. Philippa of Hainault in fact embodied the medieval romantic ideal of a queen consort, alongside her husband, King Edward III of England, who was also idolised. As a result of behaving well, much less is known of Philippa than her more infamous mother-in-law, Isabella of France. This video looks at Philippa's many achievements, her successful marriage, and the way in which her kindness and gentle nature helped heal a country tired or royal turmoil...
The Most Well-Behaved Queen of England In History | Philippa of Hainault | 25:10
History's Forgotten People | 63.4K subscribers | 180,311 views | October 1, 2023
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <-- 0:00 · the noble chivalrous King and his 0:03 · beautiful dutiful wife one medieval 0:07 · couple would embody this romantic ideal 0:10 · of the Middle Ages although their path 0:13 · there wasn't straightforward the King 0:16 · was Edward III and his Queen was 0:20 · Philippa of heot Philippa was born in 0:24 · heot an area which today covers part of 0:27 · the border between Belgium and France 0:30 · probably in around 0:32 · 1314 she wasn't an only child either 0:35 · with four sisters Agnes who died young 0:39 · Isabella who was a toddler when philippo 0:42 · was a teen and two older sisters 0:45 · Margaret and Jan as well as two brothers 0:48 · William who was older and Louie who was 0:50 · younger she was Noble by birth as her 0:54 · father was count William I of heot and 0:57 · her mother was Jean noal 1:00 · a cousin of England's Queen Isabella and 1:03 · daughter of the French Prince Charles 1:06 · count of Vala her life was certainly one 1:09 · of luxury and privilege and she was most 1:12 · likely born in Salon her father's 1:15 · property near the river skelt a 12th 1:18 · century Palace Philippa spoke Dutch and 1:21 · French was well versed in the medieval 1:23 · romances her mother loved and her 1:26 · behavior at court was impeccable by 132 1:30 · 5 Philippa was living in valencian at 1:33 · her parents' court and events in England 1:36 · were heating up the Queen of England 1:38 · Isabella of France had irrevocably 1:41 · separated from her husband the King 1:44 · Edward II of England Not only was he 1:47 · running the country into the ground but 1:50 · Isabella had been replaced for the 1:52 · second time by one of Edward II's male 1:56 · favorites this time with Hugh dispenser 2:00 · with whom he seemed 2:02 · infatuated Isabella had managed to leave 2:05 · England for France on a diplomatic visit 2:08 · taking her son Prince Edward the later 2:11 · Edward III of England with her the heir 2:14 · to the throne of England Isabella's main 2:17 · problem as well as that of her lover 2:19 · Roger Mortimer was that they wanted to 2:22 · take an army to England to Dethrone 2:24 · Edward II but they didn't have the funds 2:28 · or people will William Philip's father 2:32 · agreed that he would help provide ships 2:34 · troops and a large cash dowy if Queen 2:38 · Isabella agreed to her son marrying one 2:41 · of his daughters in return Queen 2:44 · Isabella would also ensure Maritime 2:46 · peace between England and heot as well 2:49 · as lucrative trading rights an agreement 2:52 · was made and the bride merely had to be 2:55 · chosen Philip's sister Isabella was 2:58 · still a toddler so she was out in any 3:00 · case but it did leave Philippa herself 3:03 · and her sister Agnes who was around 11 3:06 · years old who would live to only the 3:08 · following year at any rate philipper and 3:11 · Edward hit it off and when it was time 3:14 · for him to depart for England he agreed 3:17 · he would marry her interestingly Prince 3:20 · Edward's father Edward II had just a few 3:23 · years earlier sent Bishop stapledon to 3:26 · take a look at William the first 3:27 · daughters to see if any of them would be 3:30 · suitable as a bride for his son when he 3:32 · was there the bishop wrote a description 3:35 · of one of the count of hao's daughters 3:38 · that has in recent years sparked a 3:40 · discussion over what philipper really 3:42 · looked like just to start we don't know 3:46 · if this description is of Philippa or 3:48 · her Elder Sister Margaret but as they 3:51 · had the same parents probably didn't 3:53 · look to dislike one another Bishop 3:56 · stapled and said the lady whom we saw 3:59 · has not uncomely hair betwix blue black 4:02 · and brown her face Narrows between the 4:05 · eyes and its lower part is more narrow 4:08 · than her forehead her eyes are blackish 4:11 · Brown and deep her nose is fairly smooth 4:15 · and even save that it is somewhat broad 4:18 · at the tip and flattened and yet it is 4:20 · no snub nose her lips are full 4:23 · especially the lower lip her lower teeth 4:25 · project a little beyond the upper yet 4:28 · this is but little scene all her body is 4:30 · well set and uned and not is a miss so 4:34 · far as a man may see moreover she is 4:37 · brown of skin all over much like her 4:39 · father and she will be the age of 9 4:42 · years on St John's day next to come as 4:45 · her mother said the comment that she was 4:48 · brown of skin and had blackish brown 4:50 · eyes has led to a very small minority of 4:53 · historians suggesting philipper may have 4:56 · been black while it's true that in the 4:58 · medieval world no one really cared what 5:01 · you looked like as long as you had good 5:03 · Regal ancestry and were wealthy we also 5:07 · don't really know what these comments 5:09 · mean her father was also described as 5:13 · being dark in Coloring but this could 5:15 · have different meanings in the medieval 5:18 · period to now looking back at Philip's 5:21 · immediate ancestry going back six or 5:24 · seven generations she had mainly 5:27 · Hungarian Norwegian Finnish French and 5:30 · Turkish ancestry knowing this it highly 5:33 · unlikely Philippa was black but it's not 5:36 · impossible she may have had olive skin 5:39 · and dark eyes from her other layers of 5:41 · ancestry which would also have resulted 5:44 · in the description Bishop stapledon gave 5:47 · not all Europeans were blue-eyed with 5:49 · blonde hair in the Middle Ages many 5:53 · people in Europe with darker skin were 5:55 · also often described as being Moorish in 5:58 · looks if not as a mo because she was not 6:01 · a Muslim which stapledon would almost 6:04 · certainly have used for philipper if she 6:06 · was black there is also another 6:09 · description of her that is often 6:10 · overlooked and it's one philipper 6:13 · herself would have likely seen and 6:15 · approved that of her Epitaph on her 6:19 · Epitaph she is described as tall and 6:21 · straight and also being of ros8 hue this 6:25 · suggests a rosecolor hue to her 6:28 · complexion regardless of her looks it 6:31 · was the alliance between England and 6:34 · heol that was the most important aspect 6:36 · of her coming marriage and Philippa 6:39 · would have been aware of this back in 6:41 · England Isabella and mortimer's invasion 6:44 · was successful and Prince Edward was 6:47 · placed on the throne as Edward III while 6:51 · relations with the people of England and 6:53 · with Scotland were temporarily sorted 6:56 · into a truce on the 16th of December 7:00 · 1327 Philippa set sail for England's 7:03 · Shores accompanied by her father and a 7:06 · retinue of hotter Lords ladies and 7:09 · attendants one of her attendants her 7:11 · Usher was a knight named P deoy who was 7:15 · the father of Katherine swinford later 7:19 · to become the lover and wife of John of 7:22 · gaun one of philippa's future children 7:25 · finally on Christmas Eve of that year 7:28 · philipper entered London in state to a 7:31 · rapturous and merry crowd thankful for 7:34 · her embodiment as the treaty between 7:37 · England and hey note on the 23rd of 7:39 · January Philippa came to the city of 7:42 · York meeting once again with her 7:44 · intended groom Edward he apparently 7:48 · kissed her hand and greeted her happily 7:51 · before leading her to York castle where 7:54 · she would stay until their wedding their 7:56 · wedding took place just a day later on 7:58 · the 24th of January in the middle of a 8:01 · blizzard in the imposing York Minster 8:05 · unlike other previous Queens Philippa 8:08 · was Savvy enough to send a large chunk 8:11 · of her Hein alter retinue home despite 8:14 · her love for where she was born and 8:16 · would instead have many English ladies 8:18 · in Waiting in attendance alongside those 8:21 · who stayed from her Homeland it was 8:23 · something that would help the English 8:25 · people warm to her as their Queen 8:28 · however she also ensured there were more 8:31 · ladies present at court than there had 8:33 · ever been previously and this created a 8:36 · civilizing effect on the male courtiers 8:39 · the marriage was to be a happy one a 8:42 · true partnership as the young royal 8:45 · couple adored one another it's likely 8:47 · Edward was overjoyed to have a bride he 8:50 · would love after watching how his father 8:53 · had treated his mother for so many years 8:56 · no doubt made clear by his acquiescence 8:58 · and care towards Isabella for the rest 9:00 · of her life it was something Edward also 9:03 · struggled with however despite being 9:06 · instantly loved by the people and her 9:09 · new husband Philippa would begin her 9:11 · life as Queen a subordinate to her 9:14 · mother-in-law Isabella Isabella had 9:17 · spent much of her adult life as a queen 9:20 · pushed to one side by her husband's male 9:23 · favorites it was Little Wonder then when 9:25 · she was finally able to have some 9:28 · control over it events as well as being 9:30 · her son's main advisor Isabella was 9:34 · reluctant to relinquish any of that 9:36 · control to a mere girl of 14 Philip's 9:40 · coronation was pushed back indefinitely 9:43 · and the da lands normally given to new 9:45 · queens were instead still held by 9:48 · Isabella Philippa was not given an 9:51 · independent household of her own but was 9:54 · expected to share the Kings there was 9:57 · probably also a fair amount of of 9:59 · jealousy towards the new Queen 10:01 · regardless of Isabella's good points and 10:04 · Philippa threatened the influence 10:06 · Isabella had over her son but Philippa 10:10 · wasn't completely without power letters 10:13 · sent soon after her marriage from the 10:15 · pope not only congratulated her on her 10:18 · nuptuals but also reminded her of her 10:21 · position in being able to influence the 10:24 · king in all matters with the church a 10:27 · few months later he gave Philip a 10:29 · permission for a portable altar in her 10:32 · chamber and to enter a nunery with a 10:35 · large retinue as well as a Confessor 10:38 · being able to give her Absolution if she 10:40 · died suddenly but in return the pope 10:44 · urged her to convince Edward of his 10:46 · works with the church and to give some 10:48 · property to the knights hospitalis it 10:51 · wasn't until 1333 years later that 10:55 · Edward's patience ran out philipper was 10:58 · pregn pregnant with their first child 11:01 · and the idea that the possible heir to 11:03 · the English Throne might be born while 11:05 · their mother wasn't even Queen was 11:08 · Unthinkable tired of Roger Mortimer 11:11 · acting like a king and overusing power 11:13 · that wasn't his by right Edward decided 11:16 · to quietly Garner support from the 11:18 · church and Nobles Isabella and Mortimer 11:21 · under increasing pressure gave up some 11:24 · of the da lands to Philippa and her 11:27 · coronation was finally arranged on the 11:30 · 4th of March 11:32 · 1330 Philippa was finally crowned as 11:35 · Queen of England a few months later 11:39 · Philippa went to Woodstock Palace to 11:41 · prepare for the birth of her first child 11:44 · to everyone's Joy she gave birth to a 11:47 · healthy son on the 15th of June named 11:51 · Edward of Woodstock and now the heir to 11:54 · the English crown no expense was spared 11:58 · and Edward III was generous in giving 12:01 · gifts and money to the nursery 12:03 · attendants and women who rocked the 12:06 · infant to sleep but the tolerance for 12:08 · Mortimer and Isabella's control over 12:11 · Royal Affairs was weakening by this 12:13 · point not long after Edward III formed a 12:17 · coup to be rid of mortimer's influence 12:20 · bursting in on him and his mother during 12:23 · a meeting at Nottingham Castle and 12:25 · arresting him on the 19th of October on 12:29 · the 29th of November Mortimer was 12:32 · executed at tyburn and Isabella would be 12:35 · placed under loose house arrest for less 12:38 · than 2 years she was held otherwise 12:41 · innocent of events in an effort for 12:44 · Edward to restore her tarnished 12:46 · reputation and his family's honor it 12:49 · wasn't until philipper gave birth to her 12:52 · second child in March 12:54 · 1332 their eldest daughter that Queen 12:57 · Dowager Isabella was rehabilitated at 13:00 · court The New Daughter was named 13:02 · Isabella after her grandmother a sign 13:06 · that Edward and philippo wanted to pull 13:08 · their family back together but they were 13:11 · also concerned with the show of regality 13:13 · and power that they needed to give off 13:16 · in the medieval period a strict 13:18 · hierarchy was kept between royalty 13:21 · nobility clergy and commoners in order 13:25 · to do this clothing was used as an 13:28 · outward reminder of one's place 13:31 · philipper and Edward both spent lavishly 13:33 · on rich clothes made of cloth of gold 13:36 · velvet Miner cloaks and hoods and robes 13:40 · embroidered with gold animals it would 13:43 · become over the years a source of the 13:46 · debt the couple were often in with her 13:49 · mother-in-law now resigned to the 13:51 · background noise of court philippo was 13:54 · finally able to come forward and shine 13:57 · as Queen now now 18 years old it's clear 14:00 · she began to grow in confidence the 14:03 · successive Wars England had been through 14:06 · over the past few decades had left the 14:08 · country in financial Straits and it was 14:11 · philipper who would concentrate Edward's 14:14 · efforts on Commercial expansion Edward 14:17 · was already busy restoring his kingdom 14:19 · through enlisting the support once more 14:21 · of his Barons and Council ensuring 14:24 · Parliament R regularly and brokering 14:27 · lucrative foreign alliances philipper 14:30 · promoted the idea of coal mining in 14:32 · north umberland and other parts of the 14:34 · northeast of England and she encouraged 14:37 · Flemish Weavers to settle in Norwich 14:40 · kickstarting the textile industry there 14:43 · philipper also fulfilled her role as 14:45 · Peacemaker by interceding with her 14:48 · husband on no less than 76 occasions 14:51 · usually for pardons for criminals 14:54 · awaiting their punishment in the few 14:56 · letters of hers that survive Philippa 14:59 · often wrote on behalf of others and on 15:02 · one occasion wrote to her lawyer asking 15:05 · that the taxes raised in her lands be 15:07 · paus while Her counsel and herself 15:10 · worked out which were to her profit and 15:13 · which could be dropped for the benefit 15:15 · of her tenants she was also a great 15:18 · Patron rebuilding the hospital of St 15:21 · Catherine of the Tower and patronizing 15:24 · several churches and abies including 15:26 · gray fries in London and St Mary's in 15:29 · yor philipper of course had another 15:33 · major role as Queen and that was to 15:35 · provide as many Royal children as 15:37 · possible while she had already given 15:40 · birth to Edward of Woodstock who was the 15:42 · heir to his father's Crown it was always 15:44 · sensible to have a few spares and many 15:47 · children meant more opportunities to 15:50 · create alliances with foreign kingdoms 15:53 · she would go on to give birth altogether 15:55 · to 12 children an amazing in feet at a 15:59 · time when childbirth was often deadly 16:01 · for women and infant mortality was high 16:05 · nine of their children would live beyond 16:07 · infancy with five of their sons reaching 16:10 · adulthood which would cause its own 16:13 · problems later on with their descendants 16:15 · using their lineage back to Edward iiii 16:18 · as a basis for the wars of the Roses but 16:21 · Edward and philipp's Court would become 16:23 · known for its romantic and chalc 16:26 · associations the knights military-minded 16:29 · men at court would enjoy hearing tales 16:32 · and songs about Marshal exploits while 16:35 · the women at court enjoyed romances and 16:37 · poems that leaned into the bardy and 16:40 · erotic the two genres fed into the ideas 16:43 · about courtly romance a medieval idea 16:47 · that made it acceptable desirable even 16:50 · for male courtiers and especially the 16:52 · king to entertain and flirt with ladies 16:55 · of the court but while philippo was the 16:58 · a perfect partner to Edward it was in 17:01 · 1346 she would get her Taste of holding 17:04 · power in her own right in 17:07 · 1338 Edward had formerly made a claim 17:10 · for the French throne using his lineage 17:13 · through his mother Isabella who was 17:15 · daughter of Philip IV of France this 17:18 · would Kickstart the series of conflicts 17:21 · known as the Hundred Years War he used 17:24 · philippa's connections with the low 17:26 · countries through her siblings and other 17:28 · family to start his campaign in Flanders 17:31 · taking his Queen with him the people of 17:35 · Flanders hated their count Louis the who 17:38 · had Allied himself with France through 17:40 · his marriage and so they were happy to 17:43 · receive Edward as the French King there 17:46 · is evidence that Philipa aided her 17:48 · husband behind the scenes paying spies 17:51 · to report on Philip I 6 of France and 17:54 · maintaining a good relationship with 17:57 · Pope Clement II to keep him on side the 18:00 · wars continued on over the years with 18:03 · the royal couple flitting between 18:05 · England and France until 18:07 · 1346 by now Prince Edward of Woodstock 18:10 · was 16 years old a strapping young man 18:14 · ready for a fight and he accompanied his 18:17 · father to France on campaign engaging in 18:20 · one of the most important battles of the 18:22 · conflict the Battle of Cy on the 26th of 18:25 · August Philippa was for the first time 18:28 · appointed Regent in the king's absence 18:31 · while she ably administered the kingdom 18:34 · she would be faced with a far greater 18:36 · challenge when David II of Scotland 18:39 · decided to take advantage of Edward III 18:42 · being in France and invaded England in 18:45 · the Autumn perhaps no one had thought 18:48 · the gentle kind Queen who was known for 18:50 · her acts of Mercy would be good at 18:52 · defending the kingdom but they were 18:55 · about to be proved wrong David II got no 18:59 · further than York as in October philippo 19:02 · raised 12,000 men from the north to 19:05 · fight under the command of Thomas 19:07 · Hatfield the bishop of Durham and two 19:10 · Northern Nobles Henry Percy and Ralph 19:13 · Neville Jean quon's account of events 19:16 · states that Philippa knew that if she 19:18 · was actually seen by the people in the 19:20 · north of England it would help and so 19:23 · she traveled to Newcastle upon time 19:26 · before battle ensued she rode on a white 19:29 · horse from Battalion to Battalion 19:32 · charging them to fight bravely and for 19:34 · the honor of the king of England on the 19:37 · 17th of October the Battle of Neville's 19:40 · cross was fought to the north of Durham 19:43 · and David II was taken prisoner it was a 19:47 · victory for the English but a far 19:50 · greater foe was coming in 19:53 · 1347 this time in the form of the 19:56 · terrifying pandemic that swept across 19:58 · Europe the plague known as the Black 20:02 · Death it would retain a shadow over 20:04 · Europe until around 20:07 · 1351 and being rich or Royal was no 20:10 · defense against it in 20:13 · 1348 philipper and Edward's 15-year-old 20:16 · daughter Janes succumbed to the plague 20:18 · on the 1st of July they were devastated 20:22 · when they heard the news and sources 20:24 · show they were heartbroken at her death 20:27 · just a few months later in early 20:29 · September their 3-month-old son William 20:32 · also died possibly also of the plague 20:36 · the Black Death changed the social 20:38 · landscape of England with commoners for 20:41 · the first time finding their skills in 20:44 · demand as Manpower was lost with 20:47 · countless deaths and those who survived 20:50 · the plague would help sound the death 20:52 · Nowell for feudalism now well into her 20:55 · 40s Philippa would give birth to her 20:58 · final child Thomas on the 7th of January 21:03 · 1355 she now had a fairly good 21:06 · relationship with her mother-in-law 21:08 · Isabella and when her sister-in-law Joan 21:10 · of the tower decided to leave her 21:13 · Unfaithful husband David II for good 21:16 · once he was released and allowed to 21:18 · return to Scotland in 21:20 · 1357 both Philipa and Isabella were 21:23 · frequent visitors to her together 21:26 · Isabella adored her grandson Prince 21:29 · Edward who would later be known from the 21:31 · 16th century onwards as the black prince 21:34 · and she often entertained both him and 21:36 · philipper at her properties until her 21:39 · death on the 22nd of August 21:43 · 1358 in her later years from around 21:47 · 1361 now well into late middle age for 21:50 · the medieval period philipper began to 21:53 · suffer from what was known as dropsy 21:56 · nowadays we would call this edema which 21:59 · can be a symptom of heart or kidney 22:01 · failure thrombosis or liver problems 22:03 · amongst other things by 22:06 · 1365 Philippa all but stopped traveling 22:10 · suffering far too much and her tomb 22:12 · Effigy was created it was the first 22:16 · English Royal Effigy to be created with 22:19 · realism and was likely to have been 22:21 · created from Philip's Living Image on 22:24 · the 14th of August 22:26 · 1369 philipper was given the last 22:30 · Sacrament and asked to see the King 22:33 · Edward III came and held her hand and 22:36 · reportedly wept as she asked him to 22:39 · release her from any engagements with 22:41 · Traders she had made see that gifts she 22:43 · had promised to the church would be made 22:45 · for her and that when it was the king's 22:48 · time to die he would be interred by her 22:51 · side Edward agreed to these terms and 22:54 · Philippa died in her bed the next day on 22:57 · the 15 22:58 · on the 9th of January nearly 6 months 23:01 · after her death and after a magnificent 23:05 · funeral ceremony in London on the 3 23:08 · philipper was buried in Westminster 23:10 · Abbey philipper had been an example of 23:13 · what was expected of a medieval queen a 23:16 · paragon of her peers she and Edward had 23:20 · had a successful marriage of 41 years 23:23 · and she had given birth to 12 children 23:26 · seeing many of them survive into 23:28 · adulthood Philippa had endured her 23:31 · mother-in-law's early jealousy to become 23:34 · good friends with her later in life she 23:37 · had made herself popular amongst the 23:39 · English people not known for their 23:42 · tolerance with foreign queens and yet 23:45 · had kept ties with her Homeland her 23:48 · gentle and kind nature had led her to 23:50 · successfully intercede with her husband 23:53 · to Pardon many and she was renowned for 23:56 · her sweet nature 23:58 · but equally philipper had also proven 24:01 · herself willing to defend her adopted 24:04 · Kingdom rallying defense of the country 24:07 · in her King's absence Philippa was the 24:10 · Romantic ideal of a medieval queen and 24:13 · despite her quiet personality was by no 24:16 · means a weak one she was a feminine yet 24:20 · strong woman who carried out the duties 24:22 · expected of her at the time but also 24:25 · made her presence felt in her own way 24:27 · way it is perhaps due to philipper being 24:30 · so well behaved that she is remembered 24:34 · Less in history especially alongside her 24:37 · more famous mother-in-law but she 24:39 · deserves to be remembered as a woman who 24:42 · brought stability and peace to a country 24:46 · that needed a kind and gentle 24:50 · Queen if you enjoyed this video don't 24:53 · forget to like And subscribe so you 24:55 · don't miss any new documentary 24:59 · [Music] 25:09 · St
Nasty Edward the Longshanks?
No, that was Edward the First.
That was Edward I. He was a grade A POS.
Edward III was famous for overthrowing Mortimer, who had helped depose Edward’s father, ended warfare with France, I believe had to endure the Plague, and was generally a peaceful man.
With peace brought stability and growth.
Edward I was called Longshanks. He struggled with internal uprisings and border wars, while also participating in the Crusades.
The Scottish king Alexander III was his brother in law, but died with a young granddaughter as his only living heir. She died within months, in Orkney, and as was their wont, the Scots produced more than a dozen claimants to the throne, and while the dispute was being decided, had Edward rule.
E1’s grandson was the very successful Edward III, who didn’t start any wars, but defeated his adversaries. The Plague helped out with everything during the 14th c. E3 reigned nearly 50 years.
Death Mask:
https://cdn.britannica.com/74/79374-050-1884C809/Death-mask-Edward-III.jpg
You guys here really know your Royals! It’s good to have a tight perception of world history. My related knowledge is somewhat spotty. I recall in the ‘70’s, PBS or Masterpiece Theater had a long series about King Henry The Eighth.
It was presented during summertime.
I was a fan of TV Soap Dark Shadows during that time, so I was already interested in the scenes, costumes, mannered speech and stories of those times. I got more from that TV series on King Henry than from most of my school studies.
Edward III was Longshank’s grandson, considered by many historians to be England’s greatest king. Reigned for fifty years, beginning at age 15. Father of the Black Prince.
Originally, I had planned to get a Ph.D. in medieval literature. It was important to know not just the works, but the real life events that helped shape them.
The art, history, literature, architecture, even diet impacted both daily life and religion of the people.
Abelard and Heloise, Hildegard von Bingen, Spencer, dang...I’m going back 40 years. Can’t believe some of this stuff is still in my brain.
That cast of characters (and their back stories) will likely always be with you, available at your beck and call.
bump
Is Spenser really medieval?
Paragraphs are your and our, friend .
Point taken. Spencer was definitely post-medieval in life, but his writing style and influences were taken directly from the courtly love poets.
I thought the Faerie Queene was essential reading in most medieval lit classes. My professor didn’t just expect us to read it, she required us to memorize whole parts of it.
Oh, good, the semi-literate guardian of style has arrived.
The International Medieval Conference in Kalamazoo (held every May) includes panels on Shakespeare so they are very generous in how they define the Middle Ages.
Thanks D.S.
Well-behaved women seldom make history. — Margaret Thatcher.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.