The Greatest Knight
The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones
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Narrated by:
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Derek Perkins
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By:
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Thomas Asbridge
About this listen
In The Greatest Knight, renowned historian Thomas Asbridge draws upon the thirteenth-century biography and an array of other contemporary evidence to present a compelling account of William Marshal's life and times. Asbridge charts the unparalleled rise to prominence of a man bound to a code of honor yet driven by unquenchable ambition.
Marshal was the true Lancelot of his era - a peerless warrior and paragon of chivalry. As a five-year-old boy, William was sentenced to execution and led to the gallows, yet this landless younger son survived his brush with death and went on to train as a medieval knight. Against all odds Marshal rose through the ranks - serving at the right hand of five English monarchs - to become a celebrated tournament champion, a baron and politician, and, ultimately, regent of the realm.
This knight's tale lays bare the brutish realities of medieval warfare and the machinations of the royal court and draws us into the heart of a formative period of our history. It is the story of one remarkable man, the birth of the knightly class to which he belonged, and the forging of the English nation.
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Critic reviews
"Readers seeking a deeper understanding of early tournaments and the origins of chivalry will be pleased." (Library Journal)
"Derek Perkins skillfully narrates Asbridge's history of the exemplary twelfth-century knight William Marshall.... Perkins's voice has something of the medieval in it, and he easily fills the contours of a narrative that ranges from the manufacture of knight's armor to its bloody use on the field of battle. Here is Arthurian legend at its core - and one of the year's true sleepers." (AudioFile)
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On August 22, 1485, at Bosworth Field, Richard III fell, the Wars of the Roses ended, and the Tudor dynasty began. The clash is so significant because it marks the break between medieval and modern; yet how much do we really know about this historical landmark? Michael K. Jones uses archival discoveries to show Richard III's defeat was by no means inevitable and was achieved only through extraordinary chance. He relocates the battle away from the site recognized for more than 500 years.
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At last I am able to grasp this important history!
- By NC-N-NC on 03-29-16
By: Michael K. Jones
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Francis I
- The Maker of Modern France
- By: Leonie Frieda
- Narrated by: Carole Boyd
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Catherine de Medici's father-in-law, King Francis of France, was the perfect Renaissance knight, the movement's exemplar and its Gallic interpreter. An aesthete, diplomat par excellence, and contemporary of Machiavelli, Francis was the founder of modern France, whose sheer force of will and personality molded his kingdom into the first European superpower. Arguably the man who introduced the Renaissance to France, Francis was also the prototype Frenchman - a national identity was modeled on his character.
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Rekindling salamandrine fires...
- By Adeliese Baumann on 09-29-18
By: Leonie Frieda
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The Birth of Britain
- A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume I
- By: Sir Winston Churchill
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
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The English-speaking peoples comprise perhaps the greatest number of human beings sharing a common language in the world today. These people also share a common heritage. For his four-volume work, Sir Winston Churchill took as his subject these great elements in world history. Volume 1 commences in 55BC, when Julius Caesar famously "turned his gaze upon Britain" and concludes with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
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Birth of Britain
- By Terryl Pettengill on 02-11-07
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God's Wolf
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- By: Jeffrey Lee
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
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In a 2010 terrorist plot, Al-Qaeda hid a bomb in a FedEx shipment addressed to Reynald de Chatillon, a knight who had died centuries ago in the Crusades. A reviled figure in Islamic history, often portrayed as the very epitome of brutality, Reynald remains as controversial - and as vividly present in the minds of many in the Middle East - as the story of the Crusades themselves.
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A great look into the life of a great crusader
- By Jon on 02-28-19
By: Jeffrey Lee
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The Normans
- From Raiders to Kings
- By: Lars Brownworth
- Narrated by: James C. Lewis
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In The Normans, Lars Brownworth follows their story, from the first shock of a Viking raid on an Irish monastery to the exile of the last Norman Prince of Antioch. In the process, he brings to vivid life the Norman tapestry's rich cast of characters: figures like Rollo the Walker, William Iron-Arm, Tancred the Monkey King, and Robert Guiscard. The Normans presents a fascinating glimpse of a time when a group of restless adventurers had the world at their fingertips.
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Norsemen in Palermo
- By Jim on 02-23-15
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Henry IV
- The Righteous King
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
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The talented, confident, and intelligent son of John of Gaunt, Henry IV started his reign as a popular and charismatic king after he dethroned the tyrannical and wildly unpopular Richard II. But six years into his reign, Henry had survived eight assassination and overthrow attempts. Having broken God's law of primogeniture by overthrowing the man many people saw as the chosen king, Henry IV left himself vulnerable to challenges from powerful enemies about the validity of his reign. Even so, Henry managed to establish the new Lancastrian dynasty and a new rule of law.
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Detailed and compelling
- By kayakman on 12-15-17
By: Ian Mortimer
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Crown & Sceptre
- A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II
- By: Tracy Borman
- Narrated by: Tracy Borman
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Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England’s various kingdoms, 41 kings and queens have sat on Britain’s throne. “Shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue’s gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs,” as Tracy Borman describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre.
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Great book for those new to the monarchy
- By Chris Corsini on 04-05-22
By: Tracy Borman
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The Women of the Cousins' War
- The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother
- By: Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, Michael Jones
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
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In her essay on Jacquetta, Philippa Gregory uses original documents, archaeology and histories of myth and witchcraft to create the first-ever biography of the young duchess who was to survive two reigns and two wars to become the first lady at two rival courts. David Baldwin, established author on the Wars of the Roses, tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the first commoner to marry a king of England for love, and Michael Jones, fellow of the Royal Historical Society, writes of Margaret Beaufort, the almost-unknown matriarch of the House of Tudor. The Women of the Cousins’ War will appeal to all.
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Great book
- By Stacey Wallace on 11-14-11
By: Philippa Gregory, and others
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Four Queens
- The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe
- By: Nancy Goldstone
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
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Set against the backdrop of the turbulent 13th century, a time of chivalry and crusades, poetry, knights, and monarchs, comes the story of the four beautiful daughters of the count of Provence, whose brilliant marriages made them the queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily.
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Interesting, informative
- By Eunice on 12-06-07
By: Nancy Goldstone
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The Borgias
- The Hidden History
- By: G. J. Meyer
- Narrated by: Enn Reitel
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
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The startling truth behind one of the most notorious dynasties in history is revealed in a remarkable new account by the acclaimed author of The Tudors and A World Undone. Sweeping aside the gossip, slander, and distortion that have shrouded the Borgias for centuries, G. J. Meyer offers an unprecedented portrait of the infamous Renaissance family and their storied milieu.
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Marvelous !
- By Cinders on 08-02-13
By: G. J. Meyer
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A real Masterpiece!
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Crécy
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The battle of Crécy in 1346 is one of the most famous and widely studied military engagements in history. The repercussions of this battle were felt for hundreds of years, and the exploits of those fighting reached the status of legend. Yet cutting-edge research has shown that nearly everything that has been written about this dramatic event may be wrong. In this new study, Michael Livingston reveals how modern scholars have used archived manuscripts, satellite technologies and traditional fieldwork to help unlock what was arguably the battle’s greatest secret.
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Fantastic book!
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In Search of the Dark Ages
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In Search of the Dark Ages is an unrivalled exploration of the origins of English identity, and the best-selling book that established Michael Wood as one of Britain's leading historians. Now, on the book's 40th anniversary, this fully revised and expanded edition illuminates further the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest.
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Brilliant!
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Two Houses, Two Kingdoms
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The twelfth and thirteenth centuries were a time of personal monarchy, when the close friendship or petty feuding between kings and queens could determine the course of history. The Capetians of France and the Angevins of England waged war, made peace, and intermarried. In this lively history, Catherine Hanley traces the great clashes, and occasional friendships, of the two dynasties. Along the way, she emphasizes the fascinating and influential women of the houses—including Eleanor of Aquitaine—and shows how personalities and familial bonds shaped the fate of two countries.
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Great book with a bit of slant
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What listeners say about The Greatest Knight
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Alonzo Quijana
- 06-17-20
The Title Does Not Disappoint!
The title of this book begs the question of what exactly had Sir William Marshall done to become the greatest knight. His greatest quality was his unwavering loyalty as a retainer to both great kings and a tyrant alike and even when doing so went against his advantage, and he was also loyal to his wife to whom he gave 10 children at a time when infant mortality was high and male infidelity was conventional. Richard the Lionhearted granted generous offices/jobs to Marshall and others who had kept themselves faithful unto their king and Richard's enemy/father Henry II until his death. He granted an exception for his brother John the Tyrant, John the Softsword, and John the Cowardly Lion who quite literally "surrounded [his] name with a foul stench" because no other English kings during the last 800 years have adopted or relayed that name, so he was the first and the last John and a political whore. The baronial uprising had initially been a righteous cause that gave rise to the first draft of the Magna Carter, but it soon got out of hand and with help of the Capetian French, so William Marshall at 70 years old lead the outnumbered royalist forces to a great victory at Lincoln in defense of the boy-king Henry III, and then gave magnanimous terms of peace to the rebel barons and decreed that England should return to an updated version of the Magna Carter. This book gives us a detailed look at what happened on the home front in England and France during Richard's captivity and his last remaining years before his death in 1199. The main primary source of the author was an epic poem in Old French (no doubt), discovered in the 1800s, but he failed to back up some of his claims about war crimes that were committed by Marshall and the Lionhearted in the Occitan and Gascony. I do not know if the printed edition of this book cites any primary sources, but I'm willing to bet that at fewest one of Richard's chroniclers would have made a record of his every deed; whereas, most peasants in Medieval Europe were probably illiterate and thus could not leave a record of what Marshall had or had not done.
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- Waymond C. Nutt Jr. & Donna Nutt
- 02-20-20
Great biography of a real knight in armor
This is an incredible story of a true knight in armor. William Marshall a documented knight, went from being the landless hostage of a Lord to serving five English kings before dying in his seventies. The story is based on a pan anglo French “history” commissioned by his eldest son, but corroborated in many instances by other official historical documents. The biography maybe a bit biased but it is nevertheless interesting and the narrator is British and gives a dispassionate reading of even the scary battle moments. I liked his narration. I loved the book. Even the story of how this biography came to light and was translated was interesting. I’ve never rated a book, much less written a review but this book was worth my time.
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- Craig M.
- 02-25-21
Fascinating Medieval Character
Working with what information exists today, this books tells a very engaging story of an important English knight from the 12th and 13th centuries. Alive during Henry II, battled with Richard the Lionheart, and championed the cause (unfortunately) of King John's son Henry III. The books stays true to the facts, so you have to read between the lines to appreciate the Court intrigue that had to be understood and negotiated during the reign of King John. I really enjoyed this book, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great medieval story.
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- 0
- 11-30-21
very few historical audiobooks are as gripping.
very few historical audiobooks are as gripping as this. Listened to the entire thing in 2 sittings. usually go to sleep listening to similar books but this one kept my attention thru the night. good thing it was a weekend and sleep wasnt a necessity those nights lol. His story is closely linked to Henry II, his son Henry and Richard I. truly an amazing life.
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- Owen Riddle
- 11-09-19
Great book
Honestly it really put me there. Absolutely loved the book and learned a ton about what it took in the Middle Ages to gain power, and the politics of the time
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- Sheryl McCallister
- 05-19-22
Wiliam Marshall is an AMAZING subject
Sadly, I cannot bear to listen to this narrator talk about him. Sometimes he sounds...overly reverential, I suppose, is the word I want...and sometimes this sounds like sarcasm. And Asbridge is nowhere close to either of those things, about literally the most impressive human being born in England between 1066 and 1776, that I've ever read about.
The mismatch to my ear is just too much.
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- Asenath
- 06-10-23
Spellbinding
Anyone seeking to experience the soul and substance of medieval knighthood, and understand its enduring impact upon the development of western civilization, will be fascinated by Asbridge’s gripping tale of William Marshal’s life and times — so beautifully narrated here by Derek Perkins.
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- New Lush Wallaby
- 06-25-19
Wonderful!
Interesting and absorbing, definitely not a dull or dry history. Well written and well narrated, this book covers a view of late middle age history I'd never read or heard before after a lifetime of interest in Henry II and Elenor of Aquitane.
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- Ryan G Chanko
- 05-31-19
awesome history, knighthood
was traveling to London for vacation. wanted to immerse myself. I love learning about knights. checked all blocks plus amazing story
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- D'Amour
- 07-14-19
The greatest knight
Great History of a man,a time in our past and an idea we all think we know...
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