Church Reformers' Ideas of Warfare and Peace in Fourteenth Century England: William Langland.
- Author/Editor
- Lee, Dongchoon.
- Title
- Church Reformers' Ideas of Warfare and Peace in Fourteenth Century England: William Langland.
- Published
- Medieval and Early Modern English Studies 14.1 (Feb. 2006): 115-37.
- Review
- Though this article ostensibly focuses primarily on William Langland, the fact that Lee's analysis of Langland's relationship to the concept of war relies on comparison to John Gower's position on war makes this article at least marginally relevant to Gower studies. There is a companion article that lays out his position on Gower more thoroughly, as well, from the same year in the Korean "Journal of English Language and Literature." Noting the ubiquity of war in the fourteenth century, Lee particularly focuses on the potential discord between the violence of war, and Christian ethics. He argues that Gower and Langland were not entirely pacifists, but that they did justify some warfare for "the protection of state and church and the settlement of order" (116). He largely focuses here on Langland's limited justification of crusade through the notion of "salvation for the heathens." (116). He argues that, like Gower, Langland argues for some military action as part of the responsibilities of an ideal king. He cites Gower's criticism of the Norwich Crusade of 1383 in the "Vox Clamantis," comparing to passages in the B-text that seem similarly critical of a crusading impulse. He sees Langland's position as more opposed to clerical support of war than Gower's. Noting the extent of Piers Plowman's description of Trajan's salvation and the broader question of salvation for non-Christians, Lee sees room in Langland's broader anti-war position for some crusading impulse. He also points out that knights in the poem have a role in law and order, and protecting the church (123). He contrasts Langland's position on war to Gower's: "however, unlike Gower's aggressive and active attitude in applying the just cause to regaining the rights and restoring peace, Langland's notion of justice, it seems, lies only in the least defense for the preservation of life and property, not in the plundering of other territories and properties" (127). Lee goes on to examine the Meed sequence and its critique of the war in Normandy, thus critiquing the association of war and profit in the late fourteenth century. He concludes, "war, in both Langland's and Gower's view, was not wrong when used for legitimate ends, for example, for the defense of men's rights and for the maintenance of men's truth and common good, nor when it was initiated and controlled by a king who is equipped with Christian values" (132). Overall he provides a reasonable reading of "Piers Plowman," with some attention to the distinctions between versions. Unfortunately this article suffers somewhat from being separated from its other half--publishing an extended comparison of two authors in articles in different journals makes it hard for a reader to digest the full ramifications of the comparison. [RAL. Copyright. The John Gower Society. eJGN 40.2.]
- Date
- 2006
- Gower Subjects
- Vox Clamantis