The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power behind Five English Thrones

‘A rip-roaring new life of Marshal … [a] splendid account of a great medieval life’ Dan Jones, author of Crusaders ‘A thoroughly entertaining account of England’s most colourful and courageous medieval knight’ Sunday Times

Drawing upon an array of contemporary evidence, renowned historian Thomas Asbridge’s authoritative and dramatic account brings to life the often overlooked figure of William Marshal, a man who not only served at the right hand of five English monarchs but also helped negotiate the terms of Magna Carta.

Charting the unparalleled rise to prominence of a man bound to a code of honour, yet driven by unquenchable ambition, 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: when the West emerged from the Dark Ages and stood on the brink of modernity.

Friend of Richard the Lionheart and the infamous King John and, ultimately, regent of the realm, this is the story of one remarkable man and the forging of the English nation.

‘Skilfully done…a powerful cast of characters that fascinates still’ TLS

‘The medieval world…at last comes touchingly to life’ Spectator