Reading The Greatest Knight

[Zilpha]

This is a splendidly researched history not only of William Marshal, but of English aristocracy. Reading quickly is recommended to move smoothly from battle to battle.
A sticker is the inclusion of so many people many of whom have complex names as well as titles. The author refers to them sometimes with first or last names, sometimes using their titles. This slows down reading so don't get caught up in the minutiae of reference.

[Deborah]

I have to say I really disagree about the splendidly researched statement; Asbridge reads the 'Histoire de Guillaume Marshal' only in translation and thus makes the assumption that Marshal won a 2 1/2 foot pike (weapon; very useful in battle that would be - I don't think)when it was, in fact, a fish. He states Marshal wasn't musically inclined when the 'Histoire' describes the opposite (in translation too). He appears to think Marshal had jet propulsion on his horse in the matter of going on crusade; he leaves out details that would make sense of actions (see in particular the account of Wherwell and John Marshal) on which subject he seems to have missed the point altogether.

It reads easily is the best I will give Mr Asbridge; it is, though, a misleading account of Marshal's life as history.

[Zilpha]

My opinion about the "splendidly researched" bio of William Marshal is based on the addition of 30 pages of END NOTES that refer to many works other than the original biography. The Preface notes that "for the first time, this account places Marshal's life into a far broader context" than previous authors had achieved. There are perhaps minor details that may distract the reader, but the picture of the Middle Ages is indeed powerful.