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A magisterial history of the origins, reality, and legend of the knight
“A carefully researched, concise, readable, and entertaining account of an institution that remains a part of the Western imagination.” —Los Angeles Times
Born out of the chaos of the early Middle Ages, the armored and highly mobile knight revolutionized warfare and quickly became a mythic figure in history. From the Knights Templars and English knighthood to the crusades and chivalry, The Knight in History, by acclaimed medievalist Frances Gies, bestselling coauthor of Life in a Medieval Castle, paints a remarkable true picture of knighthood—exploring the knight’s earliest appearance as an agent of lawless violence, his reemergence as a dynamic social entity, his eventual disappearance from the European stage, and his transformation into Western culture’s most iconic hero.
One of the most enduring images associated with the Middle Ages is that of a knight in armor. Thanks in part to the popular legends associated with King Arthur and his Round Table, many myths and misconceptions about knighthood have been passed down through the ages. Frances Gies separates fact from fiction and reveals the true history of medieval knighthood in The Knight in History.
Gies examines the institution of knighthood in Europe, from its beginnings in France during the ninth or tenth century to its decay in the face of new social forces as the Middle Ages began to give way to the Renaissance. From the Crusades to the Knights Templar, from the concept of chivalry to the role of knights in maintaining a feudal society, The Knight in History is a comprehensive look at an iconic figure whose influence on society can still be felt today. Frances Gies and her husband Joseph have been writing books about medieval history for thirty years. Together and separately, they are the authors of more than twenty books, including Life in a Medieval City, Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval Village, The Knight in History, and Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel. They live near Ann Arbor, Michigan. “A carefully researched, concise, readable, and entertaining account of an institution that remains a part of the Western imagination.” — Los Angeles Times
