The Real Falstaff: Sir John Fastolf and the Hundred Years War

by Stephen Cooper

Overview

That trunk of humours, that bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swolen parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloak-bag of guts, that roasted Manningtree-ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years... wherein is he good but to taste sack and drink it... wherein worthy but in nothing. Prince Hal on Falstaff (Henry IV Part I, Act II, Scene 4) Sir John Fastolf was one of the most famous English knights and military commanders of the Hundred Years War, and is commonly thought to be a model for Sir John Falstaff, one of Shakespeares greatest characters. This book examines the link in full. Most of Fastolfs life was spent fighting the French, and he lived long enough to witness both the triumphs of Henry V, and the disasters of the 1450s. He was one of the last representatives of generations of brave but often brutal English soldiers who made their careers and their fortunes waging war in France. His story and the story of declining English fortunes during the last phase of the war are the subject of Stephen Coopers fascinating new study. He retraces the entire course of Fastolfs long life, but he concentrates on his many campaigns. A vivid picture of the old soldier emerges and of the French wars in which he played such a prominent part. But the author also explores Fastolfs legacy his connection to the Paston family, which is famous for the Paston letters, and the use Shakespeare made of Fastolfs name, career and character when he created Sir John Falstaff.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781844687749
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Stephen Cooper is an Oxford graduate, lawyer and civil servant who has previously written on life in eighteenth-century England and on English crime and criminals in the nineteenth century. But his main interest has always been in medieval history, and he has made a close study of the Hundred Years’ War and of mercenary warfare in medieval Italy. His most recent book is Sir John Hawkwood: Chivalry and the Art of War. He currently lives in Yorkshire.

Table of Contents

List of Boxed Text vii

List of Maps and Illustrations ix

Glossary xi

Acknowledgements xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Real Falstaff 3

Shakespeare's Fastolf 3

Shakespeare's Falstaff 5

Chapter 2 Early Travels and Campaigns, 1380-1413 9

Jerusalem 9

Ireland 11

Aquitaine 14

Chapter 3 In the King's Name of England, 1413-22 19

Henry V 19

Harfleur and Agincourt, 1415-16 20

The Conquest of Normandy, 1417-19 25

Paris and Meulan 31

Chapter 4 From Triumph to Disaster, 1422-9 37

Grand Master of the Household 37

The Battle of Verneuil 43

The Conquest of Maine 46

The Siege of Orléans and the Battle of the Herrings 50

Chapter 5 Soldiering On, 1429-39 60

Joan of Arc 60

The Battle of Patay 62

Fastolf at Auxerre 69

The Congress of Arras and the Fastolf Memorandum 70

The Changing of the Guard, 1435-9 76

Chapter 6 The Army of Occupation 83

Discipline and Justice 83

Colonialism and Resistance 88

The English Garrisons 94

Masters of the Narrow Sea 100

Chapter 7 The Fall of the Lancastrian Empire, 1439-53 103

The Falstaff Moment 103

The Surrender of Maine 105

The Loss of Normandy 111

Cade's Revolt 118

The Loss of Aquitaine 123

Chapter 8 'The Old Vulture' 129

The Building of Caister Castle 130

The Profits of War 134

Warfare by Litigation 142

Chapter 9 The War of the Dukes, 1447-59 149

The Myth of the Roses 150

Strife in East Anglia 155

Chapter 10 The Legacy 160

Fastolf's Books 161

Peter Basset's Chronicle 165

The Boke of Noblesse 169

Conclusion: Fastolf and the Hundred Years' War 173

Notes 179

Bibliography 196

Index 207