
Although King John is remembered for his political and military failures, he also resided over a magnificent court. Power and Pleasure reconstructs life at the court of King John and explores how his court produced both pleasure and soft power. Much work exists on courts of the late medieval and early modern periods, but the jump in record keeping under John allows a detailed reconstruction of court life for an earlier period. Power and Pleasure: Court Life under King John, 1199-1216 examines the many facets of John's court, exploring hunting, feasting, castles, landscapes, material luxury, chivalry, sexual coercion, and religious activities. It explains how John mishandled his use of soft power, just as he failed to exploit his financial and military advantages, and why he received so little political benefit from his magnificent court. John's court is viewed in comparison to other courts of the time, and in previous and subsequent centuries.
This work investigates how King John utilized his court as a mechanism for soft power and pleasure, and why these efforts ultimately failed to secure his political standing. Hugh M. Thomas, a specialist in medieval history, utilizes the significant increase in administrative record-keeping during John's reign to reconstruct the daily operations and cultural atmosphere of the royal court. The author argues that while the court was a site of material luxury and sophisticated social activity, John's inability to leverage these assets effectively mirrored his broader political and military shortcomings.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Historians recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of medieval court culture due to its reliance on the expanded administrative records of the early thirteenth century. Scholars frequently note that the book provides a necessary corrective to the traditional focus on John's military failures by highlighting the complexities of his domestic and social administration.
Page Count:
283
Publication Date:
2020-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0192523414
ISBN-13:
9780192523419
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