John Lydgate's Fall of Princes

E944474

John Lydgate's *Fall of Princes* is a lengthy 15th-century Middle English poem that recounts the tragic downfalls of famous historical and legendary figures as moral exempla of the instability of worldly fortune.

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John Lydgate's Fall of Princes canonical 1

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Middle English poem ⓘ
didactic poem ⓘ
mirror for princes ⓘ
alternateTitle The Fall of Princes ⓘ
The Fall of Princes and Princesses ⓘ
linked to: The Fall of Princes
author John Lydgate ⓘ
basedOn Laurent de Premierfait's French translation of Boccaccio's De casibus virorum illustrium ⓘ
century 15th century ⓘ
circulation widely circulated in manuscript in 15th century England ⓘ
commissionedBy Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester ⓘ
contains accounts of biblical figures ⓘ
accounts of classical figures ⓘ
accounts of medieval rulers ⓘ
countryOfOrigin England ⓘ
criticalReception considered one of Lydgate's major works ⓘ
dateWritten c. 1430s ⓘ
c. 1431–1439 ⓘ
didacticPurpose to illustrate the workings of Fortune ⓘ
to warn rulers against pride and vice ⓘ
function mirror of princes handbook ⓘ
genre historical and legendary narrative ⓘ
moral exemplum literature ⓘ
influence later Tudor moral and historical writing ⓘ
influencedBy Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy ⓘ
Giovanni Boccaccio ⓘ
Laurent de Premierfait ⓘ
intendedAudience nobility and princes ⓘ
language Middle English ⓘ
length over 36,000 lines ⓘ
literaryForm poem ⓘ
literaryMovement late medieval English literature ⓘ
literaryTradition de casibus tragedy tradition ⓘ
medieval moral and didactic literature ⓘ
meter iambic pentameter ⓘ
moralStance didactic and admonitory ⓘ
narrativeFrame narrator instructed by Boccaccio ⓘ
preservation survives in multiple medieval manuscripts ⓘ
setting various historical and legendary courts ⓘ
sourceWork Giovanni Boccaccio's De casibus virorum illustrium ⓘ
structure organized into books ⓘ
subject falls of famous princes and great persons ⓘ
theme divine providence and judgment ⓘ
instability of worldly fortune ⓘ
moral instruction through exempla ⓘ
mutability of earthly power ⓘ
vanity of worldly glory ⓘ
verseForm rhymed couplets ⓘ

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The Troy Book → relatedWork → John Lydgate's Fall of Princes ⓘ