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The key question for any book on such a well studied topic as the Medieval Knight is how this volume differs from others you may already have read. For me this book differs in several ways. First is that there is a clear understanding of how the nature and role of the knight changed over time, not something that you always get in books that focus on a particular period or image of the knight. The first chapter does a good job of tracing how the non-noble mounted warriors of earlier periods evolved into the noble ‘closed shop’ of later periods. At the other end the author looks at how that closed shop was opened up again, as the knightly armies of the high middle ages were replaced by the men at arms of the fourteenth century, and the feudal hosts were replaced with paid armies (admittedly often containing the same men, but on different terms).
The sections on knightly combat avoid falling into the trap of seeing cavalry as entirely dominant in one period then falling to the improved power of infantry later, and instead demonstrates that knightly cavalry was always part of a successful army, working alongside infantry of some sort. Defeats and victories could come against the same opponent – English armies won famous victories over the Scots, but also suffered the dramatic defeat at Bannockburn, demonstrating that the key wasn’t just having knightly cavalry, but also how you used it.
Away from the purely military side of things we get a look at how the chivalric code developed, and how realistic it was. There is also a look at how the Knightly Orders developed, combining some aspects of the monkish lifestyle with a military order to create some of the most effective fighting forces of the period.
The text is lavishly illustrated, and the author has done a good job of painting a picture of the work of the medieval Knight, it’s rise and fall, and its military achievements.
Chapters
1- Origins
2 - Chivalric Code
3 - Training And Fighting Techniques
4 - Armour and Weapons
5 - The Charge
6 - Knightly Orders
Epilogue: The End Of The Knight
Author: Phyllis Jestice
Edition: Paperback
Pages:
Publisher: Amber
Year: 2018