William de la Pole: Merchant and King's Banker

This book is a study of William de la Pole, the first English royal banker. E. B. Fryde discusses Pole's role as a merchant and financier, his political influence and the social preeminence he gained for himself and his family. The book addresses the growing significance of England's merchant class in financial and governmental affairs and examines the origins of one of the country's great families of the late medieval period.