Archbishop, Chancellor, Kingmaker
A Life of Thomas Arundel
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Yale University Press
Published:24th Feb '26
Should be back in stock very soon

An authoritative biography of Thomas Arundel, the English archbishop who overthrew a king
Thomas Arundel was a pivotal figure in English politics at the turn of the fifteenth century. His career began in 1373 when, at the age of just twenty, he was ordained as bishop of Ely. By 1396, he had become archbishop of Canterbury, but after being exiled for his opposition to Richard II he orchestrated a revolution in which he and Henry Bolingbroke overthrew the king. By the end of his life, he had begun the task of suppressing Lollardy and served as Chancellor of England on five separate occasions.
In this definitive biography, renowned historian Chris Given-Wilson traces Arundel’s life and career from his exile in 1397 to his death in 1414. Given-Wilson reveals Arundel’s immense contribution to political life—particularly during the reign of Henry IV—and the dilemmas he faced in balancing his duties to the king and to the church.
“Given-Wilson’s account . . . makes a compelling case for the significance of this fascinating man.”—Katherine Harvey, Times (UK)
“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
“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
ISBN: 9780300286403
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
384 pages