John Capgrave

Karen Winstead (Ohio State University)

Ed. by Rory Critten, Université de Lausanne
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

Born 21 Apr 1393
Died 12 Aug 1464
Activity 1413-1464

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Historian / Chronicler
Religious writer

Resources

Capgrave's Works

Save to Bookshelf

The Augustinian friar John Capgrave was among the most prolific authors of fifteenth-century England. His œuvre in Latin and English includes commentaries on the Bible, saints’ lives, history, biography, and a pilgrim’s guide to Rome. Though he wrote in conventional genres, he experimented with form and content. An avid reader and scholar, he promoted an informed Christianity among women and men, laity and clergy, at a time when many in the church were suspicious of “vernacular theologizing”.

Biography

Biography

Capgrave hailed from the prosperous port city of King’s Lynn, Norfolk. When he was about seventeen years old, he entered the Augustinian friary at Lynn, and he was ordained a priest some ten years later. Capgrave studied theology at Cambridge University, earning the

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

2857 words

Citation: Winstead, Karen. "John Capgrave". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 January 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=730, accessed 21 November 2024.]