The Knight: An Introduction to the Most Admired Warriors in History

by Alan Baker

A fascinating look at the everyday life of knights, history's most famous warriors When we think of knights as a historical figures, we think of courage, loyalty, courtesy, honor, and the violent glories of battle.

Genres: History, Historical, Nonfiction

217 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2003

Reviews

[Terezi Pyrope]

Alan Baker's "The Knight" proves to be a quaint, short, and informative book about the noble mounted warriors who dominated the battlefield during the Middle Ages. Baker provides fascinating information about the various aspects of knighthood and the society around them, from medieval feudalism to the ancient Romans with their dabbles in castles and siegecraft to the rise of mercenaries and the subsequent dissipation of devout piety in a militaristic regard during the eighteenth century.
However, a majority of the information given in the book could be considered worthless or inconsequential, with stress on unimportant or non-beneficial names and events, and the subject often derailing into an irrelevant topic or story. I personally did not mind the brief deviations of the topic at hand, and enjoyed the small tastes of assorted teachings about early Europe, but depending on the reader's preference of such inconsistencies it can come to pose a significant problem. Also, the lack of substantial citations combined with a relatively small bibliography, especially from such an acclaimed non-fiction historical author, is surprising and even slightly dubious.
By any means, if you're simply interested in discovering the barebone basics of knighthood and war during the Middle Ages and aren't adamant about perfectly citable information, this book should be of definite consideration. Baker also includes a section that lists books for potential further reading if the subject catches the reader's fancy.

[Luke Rodas]

I liked this book. It gives a lot of information about the 14th century.

[Agata]

I wouldn't have read it if it wasn't for research for my book set in that time period. At times it could be interesting and educating but mostly it was just very boring. Now don't get me wrong, I've read historical non-fiction before and I know that there are ways to not make it boring. I was expecting for it to be a lot about the knights, their lives, habits etc. but there were also too long passages about crusades and orders and stuff like that and that wasn't what I exactly signed up for? Like more than half of the book was like that and I found myself not paying attention a lot and having to reread a part.

[Christopher]

An informative and approachable history book. Sometimes the author blends colourful speculation with historical evidence in a somewhat unprofessional way. The book also seems a bit directionless. But I would honestly recommend this to anyone interested in medieval knights and culture without diving into anything too dense.

[Samantha]

Excellent overview of Knights and their world. The book gives great summaries of jousting, armor, social, and political life. Facts are then described with primary sources to give the reader better ideas and accounts. An overall great look into the world of the medieval knight!

[M]

Just okay.

[Kamil Kornatowski]

#add correct polish edition

[Bekah]

Anyone who enjoys history will find this to be a very interesting and informative read. This book basically covers the origin, history, and weapons of the knights, and does a remarkable job of covering a good deal of history while still keeping it alive and fascinating. Understandably, it doesn't deliver in depth insights into the vast subjects, but rather offers a captivating overview.

[Jack]

Parts of this book I found great, and parts were really slow.