RICHARD OF CORNWALL By N. Denholm-Young Publ. by Basil Blackwell: Oxford, 1947 A short review by Adam Yamey Richard, (1st) Earl of Cornwall ('Richard') lived from 1209 until 1272. He was a son of King John of Magna Carta fame and brother of King Henry III of England, and also nephew of Richard Coeur-de-Lion. Richard and his elder brother King Henry III were heavily involved in dealing with the English barons in the wake of Magna Carta. Richard, who proved to be a first-class mediator rather than a warrior, not only handled brilliantly the balancing act between the barons and the Crown but also many negotiations between the English and a French at a time when England had substantial areas of France under its rule. Throughout his adult life, Richard gave his regal brother much support and advice. Richard was immensely skilful in financial affairs. Very soon after becoming Earl of Cornwall his wealth grew and grew. Some of his prosperity was derived from the tin mined in Cornwall and some from his handling of the reform of the English currency system between about 1247 and 1259. The issuing of new coinage generated huge profits for Richard. Richard was one of the very few English aristocrats who could speak English fluently at the time; most spoke French or Latin only. Because English was considered to be reasonably close to German, this made Richard a good candidate for the ruler of the Germans. Other reasons for his candidacy included his wealth and trade connections between him and merchants (especially wool traders) along the Rhine. He was elected to be 'King of the Romans' in 1257 by four of the 8 German Electors. The other 4 German Electors chose Alfonso of Spain. Richard was keen that the Pope made him rather than Alfonso Emperor. However, the amazingly complex interrelationships and conflicts between the Pope and the various rulers of western Europe ensured that he remained 'King' rather than become 'Emperor'. This tightly written concise biography is full of detail, all of which is backed by source material quoted in numerous - often interesting - footnotes. I was amazed by how much material the author was able to condense into his short text and also by his ability to marshal so many different strands of his subject's life so well. This book is, however, difficult to read because of its economical style of writing. I would have preferred it to have been a little less brief in order to allow explanations of ideas and events whose significance may not be obvious to an amateur reader of history such as I am. For anyone with interests in this fascinating 13th century character, whose influence extended far beyond the bounds of his native land, Denholm Young’s book is a first-class place to begin researching.