Resumen de Carnevale in Norwich, 1443: Gladman’s Parade and its Continental Connections
Evidence for carnival pageantry in late-medieval England is dominated by the celebrated account of events in Norwich in early 1443. Sources agree that John Gladman, wearing a crown, led a spectacular parade through the streets of the city, but while a hostile faction asserted this was an insurrectionary demonstration, the City explained it was a widespread Shrovetide custom marking the end of the Christmas season. Examination of the documents suggests that this exculpatory narrative had only tenuous links to what really happened. Meanwhile the custom invoked is better understood if the perspective is shifted from the literary and pictorial topos of the combat of Carnival and Lent to parades representing the sequence of the months.
