The Knight In Medieval England 1000-1400

by Peter R. Coss

Bypassing the chivalric and romantic ideals of knighthood, Cross (history, U. of Northumbria, England) examines the actual practice of knights and their role in society. He traces the origin of knighthood in the late Saxon and early Anglo-Norman period, how it changed over the course of the centuries, and how it related to lordship, gentility, and military service. Well illustrated. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Medieval History, British Literature

191 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1993

Reviews

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is true to its title: The Knight in Medieval England, 1000-1400. It is a fairly brief survey of this subject at only 170 pages of narrative. Despite its brevity, this book is fairly dense with information and is more academic than popular in tone.

The strength of this book is its geographic focus. By restricting itself solely to England, the author can afford to be more specific and dive into greater detail than he otherwise might. Another advantage of this focus is that, to my understanding, there is still a relatively great amount of extant documentation and evidence from the Middle Ages in England compared to Continental Europe. Additionally, the book is written chronologically which means it is easy for the reader to follow the development of English knighthood without any outside distractions.

On the other hand, I found the first half of this book extremely boring and almost gave up on reading the rest. Fortunately, I did find the last few chapters much more readable and informative than the initial chapters. In particular, the brief discussion about knighthood and chivalry was informative and approached the topic using more historical evidence as opposed to literature (in contrast to the topic’s treatment in Richard Barber’s The Knight and Chivalry). I should add that I am biased in that I find the Later Middle Ages to be more interesting than the earlier periods, which might explain why I found the first half of the book lacking.

Overall, this was a decent book in terms of the information it presents but I cannot call it a compelling book to read. The writing is rather forgettable and the content was not as well structured as I think it should be in such a short book. But, to the book's credit, I now have a better understanding of the nuances of knighthood and social status in general in Medieval England.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A survey across the centuries. Starting with the forgeries of the Paston family to claim long knightly descent, and point out the elements that would develop until then.

Beginning with the lowly starting status. A cniht was more a servant than a soldier in pre-Conquest England; the very word derives from "boy." And in Normandy, miles were attached to manors just as serfs were in deeds.

Discussion of the great or noble knights, versus the lowly and rustic ones. The use of knights in matters of law, such as it having to be four knights who checked whether someone was bedsick or housesick and then set the time when he did have to come to court. The evolution of heraldry. The decline of knighthood -- apparently from the cost -- in the 13th century. The attitudes toward knighthood as shown in literature.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well illustrated work follows the development of knighthood in England from its origins until the beginning of the fifteenth century. Some of the main themes addressed include the terminology used for the miles angolorum (English knight), heraldic usage and change, and the role of knights in english society.

Much of the book revolves around the change in social status and function of knights. The author's main focus is to trace the changes from mounted warrior to nobility as well as the ensuing changes in duties from fighting to administering justice.

The writing style is very dry and academic, due in great part to the heavy use of economic and familial relationships cited in building his arguments. But there are also a number of interesting stories used to illustrate his points. One example being "The chroniclers tell the story how, in response to Edward I's demands that those who exercise franchises (that is, rights of jurisdiction) should show by what warrant they held them, either the earl of Warenne or the earl of Gloucester (according to the chronicler one reads) presented the royal justices not with a charter but with a rusty sword, declaring: 'Look, my lords, here is my warrant. My ancestors came with William the Bastard, and conquered their lands with the sword, and I will defend them with the sword against anyone wishing to seize them.'"

Anyone interested in the history of knighthood in England during the eleventh to fourteenth centuries will find this book to be of great value.

[Gerard de Bruin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slecht geschreven met een te grote nadruk op 'bewijs' waardoor elk argument minimaal wordt verdubbeld en daardoor en door detaillering aan kracht verliest. Wel aardig zijn de beschrijvingen van de doorwerking van het ridderschap - niet alleen de romantische 'ridderlijkheid' - in de huidige tijd (vooral) in Groot Brittannië. Irritant is het ontbreken van een overzicht van de bronnen, die zijn hier verwerkt in de noten.

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very academic. Like ready a thesis.

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is an academic specialist in English medieval social history, with a special interest in knighthood and the gentry, and these two volumes are best read as a pair. While few knights in the medieval period became aristocrats, all noblemen were knights, at least in theory. Beginning with the Conquest and the introduction of the feudal system, they were the ruling class by virtue of arms, though Coss also examines the Saxon roots of some aspects of knighthood. He also considers in some detail the relationship of the knight first to gentility and then to lordship, showing how the characteristics of knighthood were changed in the process. The book’s only fault, in fact, is the lack of subject headings in the index.

A knight must have a lady, but while many books have been written about medieval women, few have focused on the knight’s female counterpart in society. Again, emphasis is on the aristocracy, since that’s where the records are, though Coss depends heavily on surviving letters and contemporary literature as well as household accounts, and he even employs such sources as monumental effigies and brasses. Both books are stimulating studies with many examples drawn from noble families of the period.