This is a very valuable new biography of John of Gaunt. As usual with this author, the incredibly complex network of family relationships is successfully navigated.
There is a fair amount of ‘correction of the record’. For example, Duchess Blanche did not die of plague in 1369, but of unknown causes in 1368. Duchess Constanza was not a horrid, smelly, religious fanatic, but a beautiful woman, almost certainly blonde, religiously devout but by no means fanatical or obsessed. Katherine Swynford was probably some years older than was once thought. You will find many more clarifications of this kind.
It is a pity that little of Gaunt‘s personal character shines through, but then this is not a novel but a factual account based on sources. One thing is for sure. He was incredibly wealthy. His brothers were simply not in the same league, financially. It seems he was often thought to be aloof and even arrogant, but he was in fact capable of individual acts of kindness and generosity. Like Mr Darcy, the impression is that he was a ‘good master’ to those who served him and to his tenants.
A very useful part of the book is an almost complete translation of Gaunt’s enormously long and complex will. (However ill he was at the end, if he dictated all its detailed provisions, he must have retained his mental acuity to the day of his death.) His alms to the poor, as intended, were equivalent to millions in modern money. This was only part of the bequests he intended for the welfare of his soul.
This is a book well worth having for anyone interested in Gaunt, his family, or the era in general. Recommended.
The New Murrey and Blue blog 
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