The knight / Alan Baker.
Material type:
TextPublication details: New York : Wiley, c2003.Description: 217 p. ; 23 cmISBN: - 0471251356 (cloth : alk. paper)
- 9780471251354 (cloth : alk. paper)
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 940.1088355 B167 | Available | 33111005064155 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
An up-close introduction to the most admired warriors in history
""They mounted their horses, grasped the lances made of fine Bordeaux Steel, closed the visors of their helmets, and made their way to their stations for the first course. Spurring their horses on, they advanced toward each other at full gallop, lowering their lances as they approached. The tip of Clifford's lance caught Boucmel high on his breastplate and was deflected off . . . directly into the young squire's mail hood, piercing his neck clean through.""
This tragic account of an ambitious young Frenchman's senseless death during a ""friendly"" joust with an English knight underscores the ever-present danger that stalked the flower of European youth in the Middle Ages. In The Knight, you'll meet John Boucmel, Nicholas Clifford, and scores of other warriors who risked their lives to fill the medieval lists and battlefields in a relentless quest for fame, glory, and victory.
This vivid, fast-paced narrative whisks you from the blood-soaked fields of Normandy in the Hundred Years' War to the battered walls of Jerusalem in the first Crusade, from a sumptuous feast in an English castle to the pomp and pageantry of a spectacular thirty-day jousting tournament. You'll discover how knights were trained; how they paid for their expensive weapons, armor, and horses; and how the solemn vows they took influenced their behavior both on and off the battlefield. Discover the truth behind the countless legends of the Age of Chivalry in The Knight.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-212) and index.
Introduction -- The mounted warrior -- From blood to laughter -- The knight's equipment -- Love and war -- Castles and siegecraft -- The fall of Jerusalem -- Warriors of Christ -- Mercenaries -- Conclusion : from lance to firearm.
From the thunderous cavalry charge mounted to the firm recital of a solemn vow and the gentle murmurings of courtly love, echoes of the medieval knight live in the modern imagination as enduring symbols of courage, adventure, romance, and honor. But what was the knight's life really like? How was he selected and trained? Did the knight keep his vows? How did he make a living? The Knight plunges you into the glorious world of the Middle Ages and reveals the truth behind the countless legends of knightly valor and chivalry. Punctuated with dramatic recreations of great battles, grim sieges, and one-on-one combat, this fast-paced account of history's most glamorized warrior takes you straight to the throbbing heart of the age of chivalry. You may cringe, you may shout in triumph, you may yearn for days gone by, but you will never forget The Knight.