From the Publisher
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
Portland Book Review
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.”
Christian Science Monitor
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.”
Sunday Times (London)
The Greatest Knight gives us a moving portrait of one man’s struggle, ascent and final (peaceful) demise.”
Wall Street Journal
A generally splendid account of a great medieval life.”
The Dispatch
Big, readable, and enlightening… a rousing history.
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Greatest Knight gives us a moving portrait of one man’s struggle, ascent and final (peaceful) demise.
Toby Lester
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.”-
Ian Mortimer
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.
New York Post
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.
Danny Danziger
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.”-
Daily Beast
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.
New York Post
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.
Wall Street Journal
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.
From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY
"Readers seeking a deeper understanding of early tournaments and the origins of chivalry will be pleased." —Library Journal Starred Review
The Daily Beast
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.
Professor Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
Thomas Asbridge achieves vivid characterization and gripping storytelling without sacrifice of scholarship. [He interweaves] analysis, narrative, evocative description and occasional wry humor.
Kirkus Reviews
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.
