author
John Blakman
A little-known 15th-century cleric and writer, he is remembered mainly for a vivid memoir of Henry VI that helped preserve the king’s reputation for piety. His work offers a rare firsthand window into late medieval England.
1 Audiobook
About the author
John Blakman, also spelled Blacman or Blackman, was a medieval English author active in the 15th century. Reliable sources describe him as a fellow of Merton College, Oxford, later connected with Eton College, and a chaplain to King Henry VI. He is best known for writing a memoir of Henry VI, a work that has made his name endure.
That memoir matters because it is one of the most personal surviving accounts of the king. Rather than writing a broad political history, Blakman focused on Henry’s character and religious devotion, which gives modern readers a distinctive portrait of a troubled ruler seen through the eyes of a sympathetic cleric.
Not much is known about Blakman’s life beyond these outlines, and even the spelling of his name varies across sources. Still, his small surviving body of work has lasting value for readers interested in medieval biography, royal history, and the world of late medieval religious writing.