Chivalry in Medieval England

Popular views of medieval chivalry—knights in shining armor, fair ladies, banners fluttering from battlements—were inherited from the nineteenth-century Romantics. This is the first book to explore chivalry’s place within a wider history of medieval England, from the Norman Conquest to the aftermath of Henry VII’s triumph at Bosworth in the Wars of the Roses.

Saul invites us to view the world of castles and cathedrals, tournaments and round tables, with fresh eyes. Chivalry in Medieval England charts the introduction of chivalry by the Normans, the rise of the knightly class as a social elite, the fusion of chivalry with kingship in the fourteenth century, and the influence of chivalry on literature, religion, and architecture. Richard the Lionheart and the Crusades, the Black Death and the Battle of Crecy, the Magna Carta and the cult of King Arthur—all emerge from the mists of time and legend in this vivid, authoritative account.

Saul (medieval history, U. of London) has written a history of chivalry in medieval England that demonstrates the pervasive impact of what was effectively a new moral code affecting society. The first half of the book describes the rise of chivalry through the reign of Edward III. The remaining chapters contain extended descriptions of the practical applications of chivalry in connection with topics that include fortification, the crusades, the nobility, women, and memory and fame. A group of color plates are included. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Nigel Saul is Professor of Medieval History, University of London.