Archbishop, Chancellor, Kingmaker

Chris Given-Wilson is emeritus professor of history of the University of St Andrews. He is the author of numerous books, including Henry IV and Chronicles, and general editor of The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England.

“Given-Wilson’s account . . . makes a compelling case for the significance of this fascinating man.”—Katherine Harvey, Times (UK)“This fine biography brings Arundel to life with a sureness of touch, an elegance of language and a profound understanding of the times which few others could have matched.”—Jonathan Sumption, Literary Review“This is far more than a biography: it is the story, through the eyes of one of its key protagonists, of how England was governed in one of the most turbulent periods of its history.”—Gwilym Dodd, History Extra“A rich account, and it illuminates so much about the fraught politics of Henry IV’s reign and the explosive tensions that threatened it at every turn.”—Mathew Lyons, Broken Compass“Truly exceptional.”—David Robinson, Country Life“An impressive and authoritative biography.”—Peter Marshall, TLS“Chris Given-Wilson is an exceptional historian, and this is an exceptional book: deeply researched, illuminated by a panoramic knowledge of the medieval world, beautifully written and profoundly humane. Archbishop, Chancellor, Kingmaker is the biography this fascinating man deserves, and for which the rest of us have been waiting.”—Helen Castor, author of The Eagle and the Hart“Impressively researched and compellingly readable, this major new biography, the first full-length study of Arundel’s action-packed life, brings the archbishop vividly to life and offers a fresh evaluation of his role in the tangled politics of Henry IV’s reign. Chris Given-Wilson’s written a fine book and an important one.”—Nigel Saul, author of Richard II“A cracking read, which combines impeccable learning with great enthusiasm.”—Alison McHardy, author of The Reign of Richard II“Only Given-Wilson could connect so lucidly and confidently such an impossibly wide-ranging and complicated life. An aristocrat bishop at twenty, an archbishop, five times the chancellor, and the kingmaker who created the Lancastrian kings, Thomas Arundel was above all the most assiduous of churchmen, who debated with heretics and mystics, inaugurated the burning of Lollards, and purged them from Oxford University.”—Michael Hicks, author of The Wars of the Roses