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

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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

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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 25 April 2024.]

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