Customer Reviews

Knight in Anarchy

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Knight in Anarchy - previously published as "The Knight" is a tale of the life of Humphrey Visdelou a Norman knight during the time following the death of King Henry of England. It deals with Humphrey's struggle to remain loyal to the ideals of fealty and knighthood while surrounded by the treachery and politics of the time. Rather accuratly portrays the historical events and personalities of the time. A must read for those interested in the concept of fealty.

This work was first published in the mid to late 1960s under the title "The Knight." I first read it in 1978 and in digging through shelves and shelves of books in my home, I ran across it a few weeks ago. Relatively speaking, this is a rather short work, but it is one of those novels that simply stick with you throughout the years. I just gave it a reread and it has lost none of its impact over the years.

The time and place is in 12 century England shortly after the death of Henry I. This of course is one of the pivotal points in Western History and a time of complete turmoil and chaos. It was a time of extreme brutality and a time when questions were being asked, serious questions of government, the Church and mans place the grand scheme of things. This is the story of one Knight, a Norman Knight; Humphrey Visdelou. It is the story of one man caught up in the conflict of loyalties. The question this story asks is what are the boundaries of sworn fealty? In an age where intrigue, treachery, politics, religion and the mere act of survival ruled, Sir Visdelou is faced with major and soul destroying (as well as physical) decisions that must be made. Can a man stay true?

This is an extremely gritty work and pulls no punches. Fine points of the etiquette of Knighthood are closely examined and the convoluted and extremely complex reasoning behind actions as related to Knighthood are also addressed. The best example of this would be an early episode in the book... Briefly, our young hero is placed in charge of a keep. The stronghold is attacked by a rival Knight. Humphrey is out numbered and the only way he can possible expect to win the encounter is through the use of the cross bow which at the time was considered a very un-knightly act as the bolt from such a weapon could easily pierce the armor of the attacking foe. Huphrey's duty is to defend so he is forced into using this "cowardly" and un-knightly weapon. In the end he is defeated anyway and taken prisoner. Now the fellow Knight who captures Humphrey knows that he, Humphrey, was only doing his duty, yet he also knows that Humphrey used a weapon that was not acceptable. How to deal out punishment? It was decided castration would be a swell way to make a point, but since Humphrey was after all only doing his duty, it was decided to give him the benefit of a doubt and only one testicle was removed and ripped out, leaving him partially whole. As odd as that sounds, even Humphrey considered the punishment just. He can still sire children, or can he?

Now I personally find this examination of fealty fascinating in lieu of what we have seen in our own politics, industry and commercial houses over the past several years? Did those of the 12th century have it right? Have the questions of ethics, moral fortitude and responsibility changed all that much since those times? Do the standards some held dear during those days of old still apply to us today? Are ethics dead or did they actually ever actually exist or were they ever actually practiced? Can they be practiced in the world of today? Is a code, an unbendable code, ever a good thing?

These questions and others are all neatly and interesting packaged in an action filled novel that is very well written. It is one of those books that will grab you on the first page and then will stick with you years after its reading. This is one of those books that I am a bit surprised was not better known when it was first published and one of those that should be back on the shelves today.

Now reader; do be warned! This book is not for the squeamish. It vividly portrays the realities of war at that time, and the reality of living conditions, including such dreaded diseases as leprosy, plague and the like. You have no shinning Knights in armor here...no Hollywood version of King Arthurs dressed in absurdly crafted costumes. No what you have here is dirt, filth, disease, brutal death and very, very short lives for the most part. Not a nice picture, but those were not nice times despite what our romantic imaginations would like us to believe.

As another reviewer as so well put it, this is a must read for those interested in the concept of fealty and live in the 12th century. This is indeed a "historical novel." a genre I am not overly fond of, but this is one that transcends the fictional part quite well. Being no stranger to the study of this era, I can attest to the fact that this is a very well researched work.

A good read for any interested in this time and place in our most fascinating history. This one deserves more than five stars simply because you get so much more than just a very well told story.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

I cannot add much to the assessments given by the above reviewers. Shipway has a scholar's understanding of life in 12th century England, and indeed, of much of Europe at the time. This period, after the death of Henry I and during the reign of Stephen, was known as the Anarchy. Henry's daughter, Matilda, was a claimant to the throne and her supporters fought Stephen's in a bloody civil war. For a period of some eighteen years the country was racked by warfare and lawlessness. Shipway has a good understanding of the mindset of these people and it was very different to ours, especially their concept of fealty. Life was very harsh anyway but the barbaric cruelty of the war made is much more so. Humphrey Visdelou is a man of his time; a knight who strives to uphold his beliefs but who still commits acts of base savagery. The plight of the native English Saxons who are caught up in this Norman inter tribal conflict is grim. It is an absorbing tale and well worth the read.