It would be pretty hard to find a better concise history of European knighthood than this book by Frances Gies. Her research is very thorough and she understands the Medieval world well. At the same time, she brings her subjects alive and never lets her erudition intrude to interrupt the flow of the story. In little more than 200 pages of well-written text she traces the whole arc of the knight's history, from Charlemagne to the end of the Hundred Years War -- and beyond into the long twilight of knighthood down to the Victorian era.
After tracing the origins of knighthood she gives a vivid description of the First Crusade. Then she turns to the troubadours and the development of the literature of knighthood, as well as its impact on the knights themselves. Next she takes up the career of a very notable knight of the second half of the 12th century, William Marshal in an account filled with details that reveal his character and that of knighthood in his time. The story of the remaining Crusades is organized around an account of the crusading orders, particularly the Knights Templar. Next comes a vivid mini-bio of one of the most remarkable characters of history, the mid-14th century French knight and commander Bertrand Du Guesclin. Then the story of Sir John Fastolf, a major English commander of the 15th century (only very tenuously related to Shakespeare's Falstaff) nicely illustrates the transition between the world of knightly warfare and that of armies on the modern pattern. A final chapter traces the lingering influence of knighthood in early modern Europe.
There are many well-chosen black-and-white illustrations, extensive source notes, and a good bibliography.
The book addresses the knight's armor and fighting techniques, but only briefly. Combats and battles, too, are treated largely in schematic fashion. The focus is on the knight's character, his views of himself and his world, and his place in his society. There is also a clear summary of the overall development of the patterns of Medieval warfare.
Although there is some mention of knighthood elsewhere, the book concentrates very strongly on England and France; treatments of Southern and Central Europe of comparable quality would be very welcome. Gies does not have an ideological slant or a theory to defend -- she neither "debunks" nor extolls. Since the book's writing, two decades ago, further evidence has been discovered which naturally alters some details, but on the whole the book holds up very well.
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There are 8 books in this series.
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Great Introductory To Knights!!
*NOTE: READ 1990s LIBRARY COPY BOUGHT AS REFERENCE*I found this book to be an excellent short little introductory to the history of the medieval knight. I loved how the author started and ended the book reflecting how these warriors effect the world today and how the knight evolved from basically well-armored cavalrymen to elite soldiers who practiced honor. The only downside is that the author within the middle of this book delves deep into the biographies of 3 various knights. These biographies do in fact manifest the life of the knight through 3 centuries however it’s a bit too detailed and seems to drive away from the main purpose of this book. Other than that great read!!
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2004
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Top reviews from other countries
- john robertsonReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2018
Beautifully written and very well researched
