Dodd, Gwilym, 'Was Thomas Favent a political pamphleteer? Factions and politics in later fourteenth-century London', Journal of Medieval History 37 (2011), 397-418

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Quick Summary

Thomas Favent’s account of the Merciless Parliament was not a piece of propaganda intended for wide circulation as previously supposed

  • The little known author Thomas Favent wrote a short history for the rich merchants of London
  • The civil service was divided in its support for the rebellion of the Lords Appelant
  • Favent wanted to exonerate London’s involvement in the Merciless Parliament of 1388
Key Conclusion

Dodd explores a political tract known as Favent’s Historia, which provides an enigmatic and unofficial account of the Merciless Parliament of 1388 and events surrounding the rebellion of the Lords Appellant against Richard II in 1386-88. Little is known about the text’s author, Thomas Favent, except that he was a cleric (churchman) and a civil servant who worked in London. Dodd concludes that Favent was not a propagandist for the Lords Appellant as previously supposed. Instead, it is likely that Favent wrote for ‘a readership comprising specifically members of London’s mercantile elite’ (p. 418), and sought to preserve the good name of the city by justifying actions taken by Londoners in 1388.

Content Overview

The first half of the article critiques Clementine Oliver’s work on Favent’s Historia, leading to several conclusions: first, the Historia is best characterized as a short history or chronicle rather than a political pamphlet; second, the ‘civil service’ was sharply divided in its support for the Lords Appellant and was not Favent’s main intended audience; third, it is unlikely that the Historia was ever circulated widely; and finally, Favent had no particular admiration for the importance of parliament as an institution. The second half of the article goes on to develop Dodd’s own interpretation that Favent was writing for a London audience.

Further Findings

In his attempt to exonerate London’s participation in the Merciless Parliament, Favent’s underlying aim was to ‘control and manipulate collective memory to suit a particular political agenda’ (i.e. the agenda of a particular faction of London merchants). In doing so, Favent tapped into a ‘medieval mentality which tended to equate the written word with historical accuracy and authenticity’ (p. 418). Dodd also argues that the text was not ‘conceived as an act of subversion’ (p. 411). Rather, Favent may have written the Historia so that he could present it to a rich patron in London and enhance his career prospects.

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