The Knight in History [Paperback]

Frances Gies (Author)

Book Description

A magisterial history of the origins, reality, and legend of the knight

Born out of the chaos of the early Middle Ages, the armored and highly mobile knight revolutionized warfare and quickly became a mythic figure in history. From the Knights Templars and English knighthood to the crusades and chivalry, The Knight in History, by acclaimed medievalist Frances Gies, bestselling coauthor of Life in a Medieval Castle, paints a remarkable true picture of knighthood—exploring the knight’s earliest appearance as an agent of lawless violence, his reemergence as a dynamic social entity, his eventual disappearance from the European stage, and his transformation into Western culture’s most iconic hero.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A carefully researched, concise, readable, and entertaining account of an institution that remains a part of the Western imagination.” (Los Angeles Times )

“Illuminates the evolution of knighthood” (New York Times Book Review )

“Gies’s writing is fresh and direct, her scholarship is exact, and she approaches her subject with excitement.” (The New Yorker )

“Splendid … This detailed look, focusing as it often does on individual men, shows the knight in a new and more interesting light, whether Roland or Galahad.” (Washington Post )

About the Author

Frances and Joseph Gies have been writing books about medieval history for thirty years. Together and separately, they are the authors of more than twenty books, including Life in a Medieval City, Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval Village, The Knight in History, and Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel. They live near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (July 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060914130
• ISBN-13: 978-0060914134
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable, thoroughly researched, August 1, 2004

By 

W. D ONEIL "Will O'Neil" (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Knight in History (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The concept, the ideal, and reality of Knighthood., January 26, 2007

By 

ThorBjorn "Norseman" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Knight in History (Paperback)

Another gem of Medieval studies by Professor Gies!
Within you will find an account of Western European Knighthood from the perspective of the Anglo-French tradition.
The Knight is described and defined in terms of the mounted warrior-elite he was, his training, his role in society, in the Chivalric ideal presented by Troubadors,...and the grim reality in warfare.
Professor Gies uses three notable knights in history as a sample of how they varied in character, in deed, and in living up to the Code of Chivalry: William Marshall and John Fastolf of England, and Bertrand du Guesclin of France.

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic analysis of the everyday life of a Knight, December 27, 1999

By 

historyone (Republic of Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Knight in History (Paperback)

Since I have an interest in the Middle Ages (900AD-1500AD) I was recommended this book by a history professor, and I wasn't dissapointed. This is an interesting analysis of the Knights in Medieval Society not only of England and France, but Europe in general. Easy to read, analytical and comprehensive this explains the initiation, rituals, valor and hardship that the Knight had to endour everyday. The author(s) have written many outstanding books of the middle ages and this is a welcome addition to the series they have written. A MUST have book for anyone studying the middle ages or the casual reader who picks it up in a store or library.