The Greatest Knight

If historical novels are anything to go by, and I expect authors try and paint a truthful portrait of whatever period in question, royal courts must have been extremely inhospitable places.  Cutthroat politics were the name of the game in Elizabeth Chadwick's The Greatest Knight, which begins in 1167 and is set primarily in Henry II's court.  Turbulent doesn't even begin to describe the life and times the people lived then including real-life figure William Marshal, a name I hadn't come across previously, but who Chadwick calls "perhaps the greatest knight of the Middle Ages."  In this case it was a power struggle not between kings of rival countries (where one might hold another ransom by the way), but within one royal family--father against son and brother against brother and a queen who was locked away so she wouldn't cause trouble.  That would be Henry II's court, the first ruler of the House of Plantagenet.

According to the author's note at the end of the book William Marshal is well known amongst academics and enthusiasts of the period.  He was born into a minor aristocratic family but rose from "obscurity to become a champion of the tourneys, the confidant of kings, a great magnate, and eventually regent of England (saving the country from bankruptcy and an invading army at the same time)."  This is all known thanks to a narrative poem written shortly after his death, which was rediscovered in the 1890s.  The Greatest Knight covers the early part of William Marshal's life.  The book is based on known factual events, though Chadwick notes she does fill in a couple of gaps with what she imagines might have happened.  It's obvious William Marshal is a subject she has a great interest in and affection for.  He's represented in a highly complimentary light, which isn't really a criticism, but this is a book with a truly heroic hero.

Since the story spans nearly thirty tumultuous years only the most significant events are covered in great detail.  At first I was a little disappointed that the story seemed to be racing along, but Chadwick still was able to develop the characters and give a sense of what life was like while still telling her story in a way that didn't become too unwieldy.  William begins as an insignificant hearth knight, but it's soon obvious he's a talented one.  It's strange to think of men going into bloody battle (and yes, it does appear they used lances--why did that seem to me like something only from the movies?--you'll forgive me for my ignorance as the Middle Ages isn't my period), yet also being learned in courtly, Chivalric manners.  I've always had this image of men in the Middle Ages as being ill-mannered louts, very bad and incorrect of me I see.  Knights like Marshal would follow the tourneys in Normandy (they seem to have been outlawed or in any case not held in England at the time) for practice and more importantly money.  According to Chadwick tourney champions were like today's popular athletes--well paid and with large followings.  It would have taken serious money for a knight to keep a horse and all the military trappings that were necessary until he could attach himself to a particular household.

Because of his prowess on the battlefield William Marshal was taken in by the Henry II to train his sons.  He found himself championed by Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and became her lifelong friend and confident.  William Marshal is a man serious in his loyalties and when he swears fealty he follows through to the end.  It wasn't unknown at this time for a King to crown his oldest son and rule jointly, which is what Henry II did.  Referred to as Young Henry, William Marshal became one of and perhaps his most important knight.  Young Henry is portrayed as somewhat spoiled and a spendthrift, wanting more power than it seems he could handle.  William Marshal was in a precarious position trying to serve him yet also perhaps rein him in.  There was constant jockeying between Henry II, Young Henry and his two younger brothers, Richard and John.  It is a fine line of diplomacy that William Marshal must walk to stay on the right side of so many large egos.  But William Marshal is true and honest, which makes him a valuable commodity in an environment where most are out to save their own skins or simply profit from the royal coffers.      

Although this is all based on history, which you may already be familiar with, I'm not going to go any further into the plot.  Mostly there's just too much packed into this 500+ page book.  I will say that by the end William Marshal marries, and I believe that Chadwick goes more into the domestic side of his life in The Scarlet Lion, which covers the reigns of Richard and John.  William Marshal is a fascinating study not only because of who he was but the period he lived in and how he managed to rise in power.  It's hard writing about a real person who is also a fictional character, so forgive me if I've switched tenses all over in this post.  I should really only be talking about the book, but I like reading about and learning all the other factual stuff as well.  I'll be starting The Scarlet Lion soon and may even have to dig through my books and see if I have something on the Middle Ages.  I'm sure I have one or two on my shelves.  This is apparently Elizabeth Chadwick's period and I know she's written lots of novels, so I expect I'll be reading more of them.  Hopefully the rest will be as interesting and entertaining as this was!

Comments

[Dorothy W.]

I haven't read many historical novels, but you do make them sound fun! It sounds good that Chadwick could describe the characters with depth and yet tell a good story too and cover a lot of time. That's really a lot to accomplish. As long as I had reason to think the author knew what he/she was writing about in terms of historical detail (and it sounds like Chadwick does know her stuff), I think I would enjoy this.

[Danielle]

Dorothy--I haven't been setting out to read lots of historical fiction, but that just seems to be what I've been picking up lately. This is really easy going reading actually though she seems to have done a lot of research and used primary sources to write about William Marshal. This is sort of escapist fiction, but at least she's tried to be accurate. I should probably try and read more history and not just historical fiction, but you know how it goes.

[BooksPlease]

I don't read as much historical fiction now as I used to do. I used to read practically nothing else, but I haven't read any of Elizabeth Chadwick's books, even though I have The Winter Mantle, set in the time of William the Conqueror, which looks good.

Did you know she has a blog? http://livingthehistoryelizabethchadwick.blogspot.com/

[litlove]

I really enjoyed the Chadwick novel I read and hope to get to more this year - and this one is high on my list. I'm kind of odd about historical fiction as I need the story to bounce along in a jolly, easy way. If it's too difficult or detailed or intense, I lose interest, which I'm sure is bad of me, but there it is! I'd also like to read more Emma Darwin and Phillipa Gregory this year. Both historical authors I've enjoyed in the past.

[Marg]

I am slowly but surely working my way through Elizabeth Chadwick's backlist and loving it! I am trying to do it slowly so that I can stretch them out, but I know it is not going to last too much longer. Thank goodness for a new book in May!

So glad that you enjoyed this and that you are reading more Chadwick.

[Stefanie]

This sounds like fun and you zoomed right through it! I'll have to put it on my TBR list for a time when I feel like an escape.

[Danielle]

BooksPlease--I tend to go in phases. I don't really set out to read historical fiction, but I think I find those settings so interesting that's just what I pick up in the end. Thanks for the link--I didn't realize she had a blog--I'll be curious to read it!
Litlove--I know what you mean and this does move along at a nice pace and doesn't get bogged down by details. I expect her books are similar in this, so I am looking forward to reading more. I've yet to read either Emma Darwin or Philippa Gregory. I have one of Emma's books which looks good and I am sure I must have something by Philippa as well. There's so much historical fiction out there, it's nice to have good authors to fall back on.
Marg--She has quite a few novels so that's quite an accomplishment for having read most of them as they seem like they are pretty chunky reads. I have two others on hand. I didn't realize she had a new one coming out. I will have to check out her blog!
Stefanie--This did go really fast for such a big book (if only I could do the same with Dickens! Ha). She seems like a good escapist author. And the nice thing is this was a library book over 500 pages which means I can count it as two reads for my Winter Reading Program! :) It feels like cheating, but I'm not the fastest reader.

[Jennifer Dee]

I'm glad that you liked this book; it is one of my all time favourites of this period. I love the Middle Ages and so read anything I can get hold of. I also studied this period for awhile. It was the first Elizabeth Chadwick that I have read and was impressed with her research, so the next on my list is 'The Scarlet Lion'. I have to say that I like Chadwick's writing more than I did Hilary Mantel in 'Wolf Hall'.

[Danielle]

Jennifer Dee--This is my first by her as well! I've not read a whole lot about this period, not lately in any case, but she really brought the story and setting alive! I also have The Scarlet Lion on my bedside pile and hope to start it soon. I'll be reading more of her books as well! I've yet to read any Hilary Mantel--I'm curious about Wolf Hall but will wait until paperback I think to give her a try.

[Jodie]

I've been ignoring this one because it's sitting around the 3 for 2 tables and the cover and blurb made it seem a little overblown. But now I think it sounds just right and I'm into familiar with this period at all so it could be a good starting point. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Danielle]

Jodie--I almost hate those three for two deals. I wish they would pick books that were off the beaten path, but they never do, do they? I really enjoyed this. It's not heavy reading, yet she covers a lot of ground. If you like history--this period especially, it might be worth a try. It's great escapist lit.