THE GREATEST KNIGHT by Thomas Asbridge | Kirkus HomeMagazineNewsletterEmail Newsletter Your AccountReviews / AssignmentsAuthor DashboardEditorial DashboardIndie Author DashboardYour Pro Page Pro InboxYour Book ListManage SubscriptionsChange PasswordLog outLog inSearch termSearch scopeAllReviewsInterviewsAuthorsListsPublishersPro Connect
LATEST ISSUE OFKirkus ReviewsFeaturing the best 100 nonfiction and best 50 teen books of 2014.Book Reviews Just Awarded the KIRKUS STAR 
CATEGORIESBiography & MemoirBusiness & EconomicsChildren's and TeenCurrent AffairsEntertainment & SportsEssays & AnthologiesFiction & LiteratureFood & CookingGraphic Novels & Comic BooksHealth & MedicineHistoryIndieiPad Book AppsMystery & CrimeNature & TravelPsychologyReligionRomanceScience & TechnologyScience Fiction & FantasySocial SciencesThrillersTrue CrimeBEST BOOKSKirkus Stars & RecommendationsBEST OF 2014FictionNonfictionChildren'sTeenIndieBook AppsFEATURED REVIEWSHot ListsVintage ReviewsBest of 2014
FICTIONBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsCHILDREN'SBy CategoryFull ListFeatured Authors & IllustratorsNONFICTIONBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsTEENBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsINDIEBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsBOOK APPSFull ListBestsellersAuthors Featured Author 
CATEGORIESChildren's Authors & IllustratorsFiction Authors Nonfiction Authors Young Adult Authors Bestselling Author Success StoriesTOP AUTHORSLatest InterviewsBestselling AuthorsKirkus Reviews Cover StoriesAre you an author?Get Your Book ReviewedGet Your Book EditedPromote Your ReviewKirkus TV Coming Soon 
Beth Macyauthor of FACTORY MANDecember 9, 2014AUTHOR INTERVIEWSShow ScheduleRecent InterviewsBROWSE VIDEOSAllFictionNonfictionLatest InterviewAndrew Smithauthor of GRASSHOPPER JUNGLEBlogs Latest From THE BOOK SMUGGLERS 
GENERAL INFORMATIONRules & Selection Process2014 Judges2014 Awards CeremonyFAQPress Room2014 WINNERS & FINALISTSFictionNonfictionYoung Readers' Literature2015 NOMINEESFictionNonfictionYoung Readers' LiteratureABOUT THE KIRKUS PRIZEThe Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.
Pro Connect This Week's AUTHOR TO WATCH 
T. MULLENFiction & Literature
History
Nature & Travel AUTHOR CATEGORIESBiography & MemoirBusiness & EconomicsChildren's & TeenCurrent AffairsEntertainment & SportsEssays & AnthologiesFiction & LiteratureHealth & MedicineHistorical FictionHistoryMystery & CrimeNature & TravelReligion & InspirationRomanceScience & TechnologyScience Fiction & FantasySelf-HelpThrillersTrue CrimeCRITICS' CHOICEAuthors to WatchBooks to DiscoverINDUSTRY INSIGHTWord on the StreetTOOLSSubscribe to Email AlertsReport a DealGet a Pro Connect PageContact UsServicesServices for AuthorsWhat Authors Say
"Kirkus' review of The Mill River Recluse played an important role in encouraging readers to take a chance on a first novel by an unknown author."
? Darcie Chan, independent author of The Mill River Recluse, which sold more than 500,000 copies
GET YOUR BOOK REVIEWEDHow to Get Your Book ReviewedAbout Kirkus ReviewsFAQContact UsOrder FormHIRE A BOOK EDITORHow to Get Your Book EditedAbout Our EditorsServicesContact UsOrder FormPROMOTE YOUR REVIEWHow to Promote Your ReviewAbout Pro ConnectAbout Kirkus Campaigns MoreAuthorsBlogsKirkus TVContests & GiveawaysThe Kirkus PrizePro ConnectServices for AuthorsMagazineEmail Newsletter (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));
THE GREATEST KNIGHTThe Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones by Thomas AsbridgeBUY NOW FROM AMAZON BARNES?&?NOBLE
LOCAL?BOOKSELLER
GET WEEKLY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:Email Address ? Thank you! You’ll get the first email of recommendations from our critics within a week! Bummer. There was a problem adding your email address. Tweet!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');
Biography of WilliamMarshal (1146-1219), Earl of Pembroke, the epitome of medieval chivalry, whobattled for great kings (Henry II, Richard the Lionheart) and the not-so-great(Henry III).
Marshal’s reputationstems from a fulsome epic poem commissioned after his death (“In its pagesWilliam almost became the living embodiment of the mythical Arthurian knight,Lancelot”), which thrilled scholars when it turned up in 1861. Acknowledgingits value as well as its bias?it presented its hero “as the perfectknight”?Asbridge (Medieval History/Univ. of London;?The Crusades: TheAuthoritative History of the War for the Holy Land, 2010) delivers anintensively researched but lucid portrait of a knight who triumphed in an agemuch nastier than that of Arthur’s mythical kingdom. Son of a minor noble,Marshal matured in a time when England still ruled much of France. Aftertraining in the household of a great Norman magnate, he distinguished himselfin tournaments, which were exceedingly popular during the day. These were notthe formal jousts that proliferated in later centuries but rather brutalbattles between groups of knights whose winners ransomed surviving losers.After serving Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marshal joined the court of her estrangedhusband, Henry II, where he prospered, fought for but occasionally betrayedHenry and his successors, and ended life as England’s most powerful royalretainer (“guardian of the realm”). Henry II passed much of his reign fightingthe French, when he wasn’t fighting one of three ambitious sons anxious tounseat him. Matters did not improve after Henry’s death, so Marshal’s careercomes across as a relentless series of intrigues, battles, atrocities, trucesquickly broken, internal revolts and treason that often included Marshal forreasons the author must guess because historical evidence is lacking.
A valuable biography ofan important figure in a distant, violent, barely comprehensible era.
Pub Date:?Dec. 2nd, 2014ISBN:?978-0062262059Page count:?416ppPublisher:?Ecco/HarperCollinsReview Posted Online: Oct.?8th,?2014Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct.?15th,?2014More Biography & Memoir?>More History?> FOLLOW US ? KIRKUS CHANNELSWebsitePrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsWeekly Email NewsletterSubscribe to Email NewsletterSubscribe to Pro ConnectManage Your AccountMagazineSubscribe to MagazineManage Your SubscriptionPrint IndexFAQCustomer ServiceSyndication & LicensingAUTHOR SERVICESBook EditingBook ReviewsAbout Pro ConnectMarketing CampaignsKIRKUS MEDIA LLCOur HistoryOur TeamPress CenterCareer OpportunitiesExcerpting PolicyContact Us Newsletter sign-up
Do you work in the book industry?? Yes No Neat! Which of the following best describes you? Author Publisher/Editor Literary Agent Publicist or Marketing Professional Film Industry Professional Librarian Bookseller Other Book Industry Professional
By clicking on "Sign Up" you agree that you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Thank you! You’ll get the first email of recommendations from our critics within a week!
Bummer. There was a problem adding your email address. Please try again.
Subscribe to Pro ConnectBe the first to discover new talent! Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert. Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.
Email address:Please provide an email address.Categories of Interest:Select All Biography & Memoir Business & Economics Children's & Teen Current Affairs Entertainment & Sports Essays & Anthologies Fiction & Literature Health & Medicine Historical Fiction History Mystery & Crime Nature & Travel Religion & Inspiration Romance Science & Technology Science Fiction & Fantasy Self-Help Thrillers True Crime Profession:
Author Bookseller Event Coordinator Film Executive Foreign Publisher Librarian Literary Agent Media (reporter, reviewer, producer, guest booker, blogger) Other Publicist Publisher
By clicking on "Submit" you agree that you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Thank you! You’ll get the first email of recommendations from our critics within a week!
Whoops. There was a problem adding your email address. Please try again.
LATEST ISSUE OFKirkus ReviewsFeaturing the best 100 fiction and best 110 children's books of 2014.Book Reviews Just Awarded the KIRKUS STAR 
CATEGORIESBiography & MemoirBusiness & EconomicsChildren's and TeenCurrent AffairsEntertainment & SportsEssays & AnthologiesFiction & LiteratureFood & CookingGraphic Novels & Comic BooksHealth & MedicineHistoryIndieiPad Book AppsMystery & CrimeNature & TravelPsychologyReligionRomanceScience & TechnologyScience Fiction & FantasySocial SciencesThrillersTrue CrimeBEST BOOKSKirkus Stars & RecommendationsBEST OF 2014FictionNonfictionChildren'sTeenIndieBook AppsFEATURED REVIEWSHot ListsVintage ReviewsBest of 2014
FICTIONBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsCHILDREN'SBy CategoryFull ListFeatured Authors & IllustratorsNONFICTIONBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsTEENBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsBestsellersAuthors Featured Author JEFF VANDERMEER 
CATEGORIESChildren's Authors & IllustratorsFiction Authors Nonfiction Authors Young Adult Authors Bestselling Author Success StoriesTOP AUTHORSLatest InterviewsBestselling AuthorsKirkus Reviews Cover StoriesAre you an author?Get Your Book ReviewedGet Your Book EditedPromote Your ReviewKirkus TV Coming Soon 
Dean Haleauthor of THE PRINCESS IN BLACKNovember 25, 2014AUTHOR INTERVIEWSShow ScheduleRecent InterviewsBROWSE VIDEOSAllFictionNonfictionLatest Interview
Chelsea Cainauthor of ONE KICKBlogs Latest From SEVEN IMPOSSIBLE THINGS BEFORE BREAKFAST 
GENERAL INFORMATIONRules & Selection Process2014 Judges2014 Awards CeremonyFAQPress Room2014 WINNERS & FINALISTSFictionNonfictionYoung Readers' Literature2015 NOMINEESFictionNonfictionYoung Readers' LiteratureABOUT THE KIRKUS PRIZEThe Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.
DOUGLAS RICHARDSON
ROGUE KNIGHT From the "Five Kingdoms" series, volume 2 by Brandon MullAge Range: 10 - 13 BUY NOW FROM AMAZON 
SKY RAIDERS by Brandon Mull Children
WILD BORN by Brandon Mull Children
ARCADE CATASTROPHE by Brandon Mull Children
SEEDS OF REBELLION by Brandon Mull Children
A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES by Brandon Mull Children
THE CANDY SHOP WAR by Brandon Mull SIMILAR BOOKS SUGGESTED BY OUR CRITICS:Children
THE SNOWMELT RIVER by Frank P. Ryan Children
THE WORLD OF ELDATERRA by P.R. Moredun Children
LEVEN THUMPS AND THE WHISPERED SECRET by Obert Skye FOLLOW US ? KIRKUS CHANNELSWebsitePrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsWeekly Email NewsletterSubscribe to Email NewsletterSubscribe to Pro ConnectManage Your AccountMagazineSubscribe to MagazineManage Your SubscriptionPrint IndexFAQCustomer ServiceSyndication & LicensingAUTHOR SERVICESBook EditingBook ReviewsAbout Pro ConnectMarketing CampaignsKIRKUS MEDIA LLCOur HistoryOur TeamPress CenterCareer OpportunitiesExcerpting PolicyContact Us Newsletter sign-up