Brendan’s Alternate Tagline:
Oh look, an actual knight.
Quick synopsis:
A complete biography of William Marshal of England.
Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:
William Marshal served five separate kings: Henry II, the “Young King” Henry, Richard I the Lionheart, John (yes, THAT King John), and Henry III.
Fun Fact for History Nerds:
Marshal almost killed Richard the Lionheart. Richard was in rebellion and faced Marshal on the battlefield. Marshal unseated Richard from his horse but chose not to kill him.
My Take:
Fiction gives us a ton of examples of knights who are brave in battle but also master politics and chivalry when not at war. The vast majority of knights were noblemen who you would not want to emulate in the least. They often shirked their warrior responsibilities or were focused only on war and nothing else. Also, there was a fair number of rapists and murderers. Looking for honor among them can be difficult.
Marshal was as close to the beacon of the perfect knight. Of course, he was not a saint, but he was much closer to the prototype. His upbringing didn’t necessarily make it seem like he’d be the loyal type.
As a child, Marshal was taken hostage by a warring faction of King Stephen. Stephen threatened to kill the child if Marshal’s father didn’t surrender. He said no, rather emphatically (and a little sexually, too).
Nevertheless, Marshal would remain loyal to whoever was on the throne through 5 different reigns and would win on the battlefield consistently. This is amazing because he nearly killed one (Richard) and one is probably the worst king in English history (John). To say Marshal had to be extremely patient and loyal is an understatement. Go read about him. He doesn’t disappoint.
Verdict:
Great book about the type of knight you usually only read about in fiction. Buy it here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.