The history of English literature might have looked very different if a middle-aged merchant named William Caxton had not been invited to a wedding in 1468. It was a lavish affair. The bride was Edward IV’s sister Margaret of York, who dazzled all as she was carried into the city of Bruges in a golden litter drawn by white horses. Forming a powerful Anglo-Burgundian alliance, she became the third wife of Duke Charles the Bold. Caxton had been involved in the marriage negotiations and, as an English merchant based in Bruges, he had a front row seat to the wedding of the century.
A few years later, Caxton ventured into his second career as a printer and began publishing the first ever books printed in English. Several people he met in connection to the marriage - not least Margaret herself - would become his most valuable supporters.
The first book printed in English was a milestone, but its story is not very wellknown today. Its upcoming 550-year anniversary is the perfect moment to reassess its importance. Curiously, the book was not a Bible, nor was it a text by a famous English author like Geoffrey Chaucer. a translation of a French medieval romance. It was printed around 1473-74 - and not in England. Caxton’s continental connections were crucial to the success of his venture, and they impacted his choice of text.
