The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era

Fourteenth century Europe was a time of great contradictions: artistic achievements and chivalrous behavior flourished amidst the Hundred Years War and the Black Death. It was a world in transition, on the verge of the Renaissance and Age of Exploration -- and John of Gaunt was its central figure. Best-selling author and historian Norman F. Cantor brings John brilliantly to life in The Last Knight.

The head of the Lancastrian branch of the Plantagenet family, John of Gaunt was one of the richest men in Europe. He survived war and the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, while maintaining a lavish court and sponsoring thinkers like Geoffrey Chaucer. His death in 1399 marked the end of an era, as the intellectual brilliance of the Renaissance replaced the cherished ideals of medieval life.

Norman F. Cantor (1929 -- 2004) was professor emeritus of history, sociology, and comparative literature at New York University. His many books include the New York Times best-seller In the Wake of the Plague, Antiquity, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, Medieval Lives, and Inventing the Middle Ages, which was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award.