The Knights of the Cross Or Krzyzacy [Paperback]

Henryk Sienkiewicz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2004

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 668 pages
• Publisher: IndyPublish (February 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414276133
• ISBN-13: 978-1414276137
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A realistic historical romance set in the 14th Century, February 22, 2011

By 

M. Dalton "big-dummy" (New Orleans, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Knights of the Cross (Volume 3); Or, Krzyzacy (Paperback)

I finally finished Krzyzacy today, the volume I read was all in one book hardback, not the same edition listed here. It was a challenging read in parts, I can see why some people get bogged down in it. But for me it was a great book, the biggest problems I think are in the translation, which is pretty bad, and the polemical aspects of the book which were mostly just a little around the margins... it's also too long by at least 20% (and makes for a heavy book, which is probably my biggest relief in finishing it, not having to lug the huge thing around any more)

There are some really excellent elements to this novel, which is set in Poland and Prussia in the early 14th Century, during the events leading up to the epic Battle of Grunwald / Tannenburg in which the Teutonic Order was routed by a coalition of the Polish and Lithuanians. It is extremely well reserarched and contextualized by modern Western standards when it comes to any kind of Medieval setting. It was written by Henryk Seinkiewicz, arguably the top Polish historical novelist and winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, who wrote around the turn of the 19th / 20th Century. He is best known for his 'With Fire and Sword' trilogy about events in Poland in the 17th Century.

The whole thing is built around a well developed and poignant Love-triangle, which goes on a bit long in the book but in it's overall structure is a natural framework around which to build a story like this. The love triangle itself brings out some of the best dialogue in the book, some of which is quite touching.

The two best scenes in Krzyzacy are in the second half of the book, there is a truly masterful set-piece battle, an ambush scene in Samogitia, depicting a running fight between a platoon sized force of Germans and a Company sized force of Poles and Lithuanians; and there is an excellent, brilliantly executed royal hunt scene which goes awry when a crazed aurochs attacks. These were both really well done and cinematic.

Among some of the other good scenes, there is a great description of the mighty Teutonic Order castle at Malbork (and it's entire economy and social context) which still stands today in what is now Poland, a very well done judicial combat scene between Zbysko and one of the Teutonic Knights (the only realistic judicial combat I've ever read in any historical novel), a great feast-scene in the huge Teutonic Order castle (a well executed feast-scene is a must for any good Medieval book), a short but well done bear-hunt scene where Zbysko is rescued by the tomboy Jagienka, his thwarted execution scene in the beginning of the novel where the little maiden Danusia throws her veil over his face thus saving his life due to a legal technicality, and the great final battle depiction of the Battle of Grunwald, which has some well executed, lyrical moments but is a bit too polemical.

There are also some very, very creepy, subtle occult scenes with the rogue Teutonic Knights, done in the third person of people telling stories about them, juxtoposed with their actual goings on... these scenes really had some potential to be further developed, I would call them "Poe-esque".

Thare are three really well developed Characters with good archetypes, Jagienka the Polish 'tomboy' country princess, Sanderus the devious but likable German monk ( a bit similar to Friar Tuck), and Jurand the formidable Mazovian border riever. Also the two principle villains are good, Danveld and Siegfried de Löwe, the sinister Teutonic Knights.

Other well drawn characters include Hlawa the resourceful Czech squire. Danusia the doomed Mazovian princess, Fulko de Lorche the Chivalrous Lorrainer knight, the hero / protagonist Zbysko and his tough old dad Macko.

Generally speaking the authors facts are very good, the only weak points are some elements of historical combat (mainly just that he overestimates effect of swords on armor). The novel actually has quite a few sympathetic German characters and the overall standard of historical accuracy is very high, higher than in any English or American historical novel I've read set in the Medieval period. All in all I see this something kind of like a "Last of the Mohekans" of the Medieval Baltic, it's really a great story.

To give a taste of what the book is like, I include this passage of what appears to be ringen (Meideval grappling) technique, from the middle of the book:

'The Czech did not understand, it is true, what had happened, but because he had been accustomed to all kinds of danger since he was a child, he percieved danger here. He was also surprised that Danveld, while speaking to him, came nearer and nearer, and the others began to move to the side, as if imperceptably to surround him. For these reasons he began to be on his guard, particularly since he had no weapon, having been unable to catch one up in his haste.

Danveld, meanwhile, got close to him and continued:

"I promised your lord a healing balsam, and he repays me with evil. That is usual, however, among the Poles... But since he is grievously hurt, and may soon stand before God, tell him"-

Here he put his left hand on the Czech's arm.

"tell him that- this is my answer!"

In that same moment he flashed his knife at the squire's throat, but before he could thrust, the Czech, who had been following his movements, seized his right hand in his iron hands, bent and twisted it till the joints and bones cracked - and only when he heard a horrid scream of pain did he put spurs to his hose and shoot off like an arrow before the others could block his way."

Sounds just like one of the HEMA knife defense classes I've attended... :)

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tutons on a tear, May 12, 2004

By 

S Trout (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Knights of the Cross Or Krzyzacy (Paperback)

Lengthy romance with small patches of fierce action, as doughty Polish knights contend against a nasty German "holy" order similar to Knights Templar.

Ends unfinished, promising a sequel. I'd like to know if the sequel ever appeared in English, and if so, what the title is.