10/27/2014
Respected medievalist Asbridge (The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land) investigates the life of William Marshal (1147–1219), thought by many to have been the model for the perfect chivalrous knight. Most of William’s life comes from a highly colored biography commissioned by his family shortly after his death; Asbridge uses contemporary sources to flesh out the story and correct the panegyric. The strength of this work is the depiction of the early formation of the concept of knighthood and the unromantic life of a professional warrior. Asbridge also explains the political context of the time in a clear narrative. William, the younger son of a minor lord, grew wealthy and powerful through his military skill, but even more through his loyalty to the members of the family of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine—a rare feat, considering the Plantagenets’ internecine battles. The story of William’s maturation from a freelance fighter to a statesman who managed his property and became the guardian for the young Henry III includes daily life, as well as politics. It is not always clear, however, which anecdotes are drawn from the biography and which are better substantiated; the maddening absence of footnotes spoils an otherwise excellent book. (Dec.)
The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones
Narrated by Derek Perkins
Thomas AsbridgeUnabridged — 14 hours, 29 minutes
The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones
Narrated by Derek Perkins
Thomas AsbridgeUnabridged — 14 hours, 29 minutes
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Overview
Marshal was the true Lancelot of his era-a peerless warrior and paragon of chivalry. As a five-year-old boy, William was sentenced to execution and led to the gallows, yet this landless younger son survived his brush with death, and went on to train as a medieval knight. Against all odds, Marshal rose through the ranks-serving at the right hand of five English monarchs-to become a celebrated tournament champion, a baron and politician, and, ultimately, regent of the realm.
This knight's tale lays bare the brutish realities of medieval warfare and the machinations of royal court, and draws us into the heart of a formative period of our history. It is the story of one remarkable man, the birth of the knightly class to which he belonged, and the forging of the English nation.
Editorial Reviews
Mr. Asbridge has written a rip-roaring new life of Marshal, which will leave readers hungry… a generally splendid account of a great medieval life.” — Wall Street Journal
“The Greatest Knight gives us a moving portrait of one man’s struggle, ascent and final (peaceful) demise.” — The Sunday Times (UK)
“Big, readable, and enlightening… a rousing history.” — The Dispatch
“Asbridge has fashioned a rare and fascinating tale: a biography of a medieval knight told with all the rich detail, dialogue, and action that is usually possible only for figures from later periods. Asbridge is a wonderful guide to the complex politics and history of medieval England.” — Christian Science Monitor
“The term ‘medieval biography’ doesn’t necessarily conjure up a lot of excitement among the general book-loving population. But . . . it really should. This blood, guts, gore and gallantry romp through medieval history, following the great knight William Marshall . . . is way more fun than it should be.” — New York Post
“A rich and elaborate tapestry… a story about how medieval knighthood worked; the interlocking web of obligation and fealty, friendship and loyalty... [The Greatest Knight] will appeal to history buffs as well as fans of fiction set in the medieval period.” — Library Journal, starred review
“A valuable biography of an important figure in a distant, violent, barely comprehensible era.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A rare kind of history book ... There are enough epic journeys here to satisfy Tolkien lovers, enough backhanded politics to engage fans looking for the next Game of Thrones book, and enough excitement for any reader to believe that true history is the greatest story of all.” — Portland Book Review
“This is medieval history at its very best - a compelling story told by a historian whose knowledge is both thorough and extensive, and whose enthusiasm for the subject rings out on every page.” — Ian Mortimer, author of Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England
“Captivatingly written and eye-openingly informative, The Greatest Knight is ... a first-rate history told by a master of the craft. Read this book, and you’ll never forget the name William Marshal-nor will you ever think of the Middle Ages in the same way again.”- — Toby Lester, author of The Fourth Part of the World and Da Vinci's Ghost
“History doesn’t come more exciting than this. Thomas Asbridge has written a page turner about William Marshal, the Zelig of English history, a man who was indispensable to five kings, and had a hand in practically every important event during those turbulent and eventful reigns.”- — Danny Danziger, author of 1215
“England’s greatest knight puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to shame… A riveting new biography… Asbridge takes the reader through an eye-opening account… His account is an entertaining reminder that sometimes, the truth really is better than fiction.” — Daily Beast
Big, readable, and enlightening… a rousing history.
Asbridge has fashioned a rare and fascinating tale: a biography of a medieval knight told with all the rich detail, dialogue, and action that is usually possible only for figures from later periods. Asbridge is a wonderful guide to the complex politics and history of medieval England.
The Greatest Knight gives us a moving portrait of one man’s struggle, ascent and final (peaceful) demise.
Captivatingly written and eye-openingly informative, The Greatest Knight is ... a first-rate history told by a master of the craft. Read this book, and you’ll never forget the name William Marshal-nor will you ever think of the Middle Ages in the same way again.”-
A rare kind of history book ... There are enough epic journeys here to satisfy Tolkien lovers, enough backhanded politics to engage fans looking for the next Game of Thrones book, and enough excitement for any reader to believe that true history is the greatest story of all.
The term ‘medieval biography’ doesn’t necessarily conjure up a lot of excitement among the general book-loving population. But . . . it really should. This blood, guts, gore and gallantry romp through medieval history, following the great knight William Marshall . . . is way more fun than it should be.
This is medieval history at its very best - a compelling story told by a historian whose knowledge is both thorough and extensive, and whose enthusiasm for the subject rings out on every page.
Mr. Asbridge has written a rip-roaring new life of Marshal, which will leave readers hungry… a generally splendid account of a great medieval life.
History doesn’t come more exciting than this. Thomas Asbridge has written a page turner about William Marshal, the Zelig of English history, a man who was indispensable to five kings, and had a hand in practically every important event during those turbulent and eventful reigns.”-
England’s greatest knight puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to shame… A riveting new biography… Asbridge takes the reader through an eye-opening account… His account is an entertaining reminder that sometimes, the truth really is better than fiction.
The term ‘medieval biography’ doesn’t necessarily conjure up a lot of excitement among the general book-loving population. But . . . it really should. This blood, guts, gore and gallantry romp through medieval history, following the great knight William Marshall . . . is way more fun than it should be.
Mr. Asbridge has written a rip-roaring new life of Marshal, which will leave readers hungry… a generally splendid account of a great medieval life.
"Readers seeking a deeper understanding of early tournaments and the origins of chivalry will be pleased." —Library Journal Starred Review
England’s greatest knight puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to shame… A riveting new biography… Asbridge takes the reader through an eye-opening account… His account is an entertaining reminder that sometimes, the truth really is better than fiction.
Thomas Asbridge achieves vivid characterization and gripping storytelling without sacrifice of scholarship. [He interweaves] analysis, narrative, evocative description and occasional wry humor.
★ 11/15/2014
William Marshal (1147–1219), the subject of this title, will be unknown to most readers. However, the men he served are familiar: Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, and King John. The primary source material for this work is a 13th-century biography commissioned by Marshal's son; however, Asbridge (The Crusades) does not rely solely on this biased document and instead weaves a rich and elaborate tapestry from several contemporary accounts. It helps that Marshal knew and served no fewer than five anointed kings and that his movements can be traced through royal chronicles and official documents, including the Magna Carta. On one level, this is the story of how a second son with few prospects rose to the pinnacle of chivalry, later becoming the most powerful man in England. It is also a story about how medieval knighthood worked; the interlocking web of obligation and fealty, friendship and loyalty that created the fairy-tale world of Arthur and Lancelot. Readers seeking a deeper understanding of early tournaments and the origins of chivalry will be pleased. VERDICT This modern biography of Marshal will appeal to history buffs as well as fans of fiction set in the medieval period. [See Prepub Alert, 6/8/14.]—Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston
Derek Perkins skillfully narrates Asbridge’s history of the exemplary twelfth-century knight William Marshall, whose story survives in a single, long-lost chronicle. Marshall rode and fought with Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and their sons—Henry, Richard the Lionheart, and John—and his career paralleled the emerging codes of valor and chivalry. Perkins’s voice has something of the medieval in it, and he easily fills the contours of a narrative that ranges from the manufacture of knight’s armor to its bloody use on the field of battle. Here is Arthurian legend at its core—and one of the year’s true sleepers. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
2014-10-08
Biography of William Marshal (1146-1219), Earl of Pembroke, the epitome of medieval chivalry, who battled for great kings (Henry II, Richard the Lionheart) and the not-so-great (Henry III).Marshal's reputation stems from a fulsome epic poem commissioned after his death ("In its pages William almost became the living embodiment of the mythical Arthurian knight, Lancelot"), which thrilled scholars when it turned up in 1861. Acknowledging its value as well as its bias—it presented its hero "as the perfect knight"—Asbridge (Medieval History/Univ. of London; The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land, 2010) delivers an intensively researched but lucid portrait of a knight who triumphed in an age much nastier than that of Arthur's mythical kingdom. Son of a minor noble, Marshal matured in a time when England still ruled much of France. After training in the household of a great Norman magnate, he distinguished himself in tournaments, which were exceedingly popular during the day. These were not the formal jousts that proliferated in later centuries but rather brutal battles between groups of knights whose winners ransomed surviving losers. After serving Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marshal joined the court of her estranged husband, Henry II, where he prospered, fought for but occasionally betrayed Henry and his successors, and ended life as England's most powerful royal retainer ("guardian of the realm"). Henry II passed much of his reign fighting the French, when he wasn't fighting one of three ambitious sons anxious to unseat him. Matters did not improve after Henry's death, so Marshal's career comes across as a relentless series of intrigues, battles, atrocities, truces quickly broken, internal revolts and treason that often included Marshal for reasons the author must guess because historical evidence is lacking. A valuable biography of an important figure in a distant, violent, barely comprehensible era.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170748099 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
| Publication date: | 03/10/2015 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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