The Knight: A Portrait of Europe's Warrior Elite

"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.