The Last Knight by Norman Cantor is one
that seeks to show the life that was led by John of Gaunt. This is an
individual who, despite never having worn the crown of England, played an
important part in its history. His influence was based mainly on the
considerable wealth that he controlled based on his marriage to Blanche of
Lancaster. His lifestyle can be compared to that of modern billionaires, and
this is a critical aspect of the book, because Cantor seeks to show that John
was an individual that not only had considerable wealth, but was also an
individual that had a lifestyle to fit his status in society (Cantor 12).
Like a considerable number of his contemporaries, and in a similar way to the
billionaires of the modern world, John is an individual who did not show any
interest in bringing about change in society, because the established economic
and social system favored him greatly. This paper seeks to show that the
lifestyle of the aristocrats in the Middle Ages was similar to that of
billionaires in the modern world.
John
of Gaunt was the wealthiest individual in the whole of England during his time,
controlling a lot of land in the country. Most of this wealth came from his
wife, Blanche of Lancaster, the daughter of the first Duke of Lancaster. This,
in addition to his status as a prince, ensured that John had both the wealth
and status to go with it and he used both of these to further his ambitions on
the continent. The rents that he collected from his landholdings made it
possible for his to have a lifestyle that far surpassed his contemporaries,
because he also had control over a considerable number of peasants who worked
the land. John, like the billionaires of the modern world, was extremely close
to power, and this was by virtue of his being both the son and an uncle to a
king. A result of this situation was that he ended up in a situation where he was
able to influence the events taking place in England, especially during the
minority of his nephew, Richard II, often acting as a moderating influence in
the turbulent political system (Cantor 195).
John had three marriages, and the first two were strategically placed in such a
way that ensured that placed him in alliances with powerful and wealthy
families. This is similar to modern billionaires, who tend to marry among
themselves or to powerful individuals in society as a means of maintaining
their wealth and status. John of Gaunt also controlled a substantial part of
the wealth, which was based on land ownership, in England, and this can be
compared to the way that modern billionaires control a majority of the wealth
in the world today.
It
is also essential to consider that John of Gaunt is depicted as an individual
that is willing to make use of his considerable wealth for personal gain. He
failed to enhance the lives of the peasants who lived in his lands and were a
major source of his income. Instead, he undertook the task of pursuing his
personal ambitions on the continent, as seen in his seeking to gain the
Castilian crown through his wife, Constance, the daughter of Peter of Castile,
following the latter’s death. Cantor presents an image of John that is
considerably complicated, because it shows that he was an individual that was
extremely chivalrous, yet also had tendencies towards arrogance, and the
promotion of social stratification through the lack of consideration for the
poor. This is a lifestyle and character that is reminiscent with modern
billionaires; who often seek to make sure that they undertake a diversity of extravagant
activities, and lack consideration for the poor around them. Even though the
billionaires in the modern world have the ability to change society for the
better, they do not undertake the action, and this can be considered to be a
means through which they can be able to maintain the status quo, where they
remain at the top of the social hierarchy (Cantor 199).
Like John of Gaunt, the billionaires in the modern world tend to promote the
continued oppression of the poor through the provision of low wages, while at
the same time employing thousands of people. The aristocracy of the Middle
Ages, exemplified by John, can be considered the precursors of the billionaires
of the modern world, because they had similar lifestyles and attitudes.
Norman
Cantor successfully shows that there is not much difference between the
aristocrats of the Middle Ages and modern billionaires. He shows the despite
being the richest people of their time and earning considerable revenues, they
did not care about the poor in their society. Instead, they sought to promote
the status quo, in such a way that there is little difference between the poor
in the Middle Ages and the modern world, with the latter being in a worse off
situation than their counterparts.