The Knight in Medieval England 1000-1400 [Hardcover]

Peter R. Coss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1993

The author draws on fresh research for a new interpretation of the actual role of the knight in England during the middle ages. The knight underwent a process of evolution from a mounted warrior of modest means to an important member of the medieval hierarchy, with important local administrative functions in addition to military duties.

There was an underlying sense of danger about the knight, with the monarchy, the church, and the poet all trying to fix his place in society. The monarchy wanted each knight to be part of a higher noble's retinue, the church wanted to orient him to crusades and disciplined crusading orders, while the poet emphasised adherence to lofty ideals.

For those interested in the visual splendor of knighthood, the book is extensively illustrated with medieval seals, sculptures and manuscripts, including over 100 coats of arms in full color.
-- Fascinating account of the knight's actual role in medieval society.
-- Explanation of the relationship of the historical knight to the fictional knight of Piers Plowman, Canterbury Tales, and other literary works.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Pub Ltd; 1St Edition edition (May 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750900598
• ISBN-13: 978-0750900591
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,322,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knighthood in Medieval England, August 30, 2006

By 

Arly Allen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Knight in Medieval England 1000-1400 (Hardcover)

The most important idea that I found in this excellent study was how few knights there actually were in England. Normal histories suggest that the knight was the most powerful and important figure in medieval England after the king. But Coss reviews the data and suggests that there were only 4,000 to 5,000 knights between 1066 and 1181.The following century the number of knights dropped to about 2000. By 1308 there were perhaps only 1,100 knights in England and by 1430 there were less than 200.

This decline in the numbers of knights was the reverse of the population. Cicra 1066 there were about 1,500,000 people in Wales and England. By 1300 the population had increased to 3,750,000, but the number of knights had dropped from 5,000 to 1,000. While population dropped after the Black Death by about one third to 2,500,000 in 1400, the number of knights dropped by four fifths to 200.

This decline in the number of knigts reveals the crisis of knighthood in England. With rising prosperity, the middle class came to usurp the powers of the knights, while at the same time, they refused to take up the arms of the knights. Between 1000 and 1400, knighthood dwindled away in England. For a detailed description of this change, read Coss' book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the real institution of knighthood, July 30, 2005

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Knight in Medieval England, 1000-1400 (Paperback)

The author is an academic specialist in English medieval social history, with a special interest in knighthood and the gentry, and this volume is best read as a pair with his subsequent _The Lady in Medieval England_ (1998). While few knights in the medieval period became aristocrats, all noblemen were knights, at least in theory. Beginning with the Conquest and the introduction of the feudal system, they were the ruling class by virtue of arms, though Coss also examines the Saxon roots of some aspects of knighthood. He also considers in some detail the relationship of the knight first to gentility and then to lordship, showing how the characteristics of knighthood were changed in the process. The book's only fault, in fact, is the lack of subject headings in the index.