Charles T. Wood (1933–2004)

This book is a collection of loosely linked essays, using two key figures—Joan of Arc and Richard III—as representative of the ways in which approaches to governance could vary and develop differently in medieval Europe. The French Joan represents the tendency towards rule by divine right, with a reverence for kingship based on legitimate dynastic descent and facilitated by the Capetian line's fecundity; the English Richard represents the trend towards more representational, parliamentary-style governance. Coronations and charters provided legitimacy for English monarchs in a way that French kings did not need. Some of the ideas put forward by Charles Wood are interesting—such as his reading of the Wilton Diptych—but not all are persuasive, particularly his somewhat anachronistic psychoanalytical reading of Joan of Arc as suffering from "a series of identity crises." (133)… (altro)