The First English Hero: The Life of Ranulf de Blondeville

Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, was, by his own declaration, a Norman. Possessing, at one time or another, a Dukedom, numerous Earldoms and Viscounties on both sides of the Channel, he owned and controlled about a third of both England and Normandy. Skilled in siegecraft, Ranulf spent a lifetime at war alongside first the impetuous King Richard the Lionheart and then his reviled brother King John. He ably commanded their armies and earned a reputation for both his offensive spir...