คู่มือนักรบยุคกลาง

Ancient Warrior Guide

by Michael Prestwich, วรรธนา วงษ์ฉัตร

คำชี้แนะของคนวงในว่าจะก้าวไปเป็นอัศวิน ควงดาบ ร่วมรบในสงครามครูเสด และสร้างความมั่งคั่งได้อย่างไร อัศวินคือนักรบระดับสูงสุดในยุคกลาง พวกเขาดูเหมือนอยู่ยงคงกระพันเมื่อสวมชุดเกราะเต็มยศและนั่งบนหลังม้าศึกที่สง่างาม เกียรติยศศักดิ์ศรีและชื่อเสียงรอคอยเขาอยู่ขณะที่เขาต่อสู้ด้วยทวนและดาบตามกฎของอัศวิน
หนังสือเล่มนี้ให้ข้อมูลสำคัญทุกอย่างที่คุณต้องการเพื่อการเป็นอัศวินที่ประสบความสำเร็จในตอนปลายของยุคกลาง
-​จะผ่านพ้นพิธีการเป็นอัศวินได้อย่างไร
-​ชุดเกราะและอาวุธที่จำเป็น
-​คุณควรไปที่ไหนในสงครามครูเสด
-​จะร่ำรวยจากสงครามได้อย่างไร
-​จะร่วมกับคณะไหนของอัศวิน
-​จะชนะการแข่งขันและชนะใจคนที่คุณรักได้อย่างไร
-​จะทำอย่างไรเมื่อถูกปิดล้อมและในการสู้รบ
หนังสือเล่มนี้เขียนโดยนักประวัติศาสตร์ยุคกลางชั้นแนวหน้า บนพื้นฐานของชีวิตและคำบรรยายร่วมสมัย ผสมผสานกับการปรับปรุงให้ทันสมัย มันวาดภาพให้เห็นได้ชัดเจนว่า การเป็นอัศวินในยุคกลางนั้นเป็นอย่างไร

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Medieval History, Historical, Research

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Michael Charles Prestwich OBE (born 30 January 1943) is an English historian, specialising on the history of medieval England, in particular the reign of Edward I. He is retired, having been Professor of History at Durham University, and Head of the Department of History until 2007.

Reviews

[Schubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viele wichtige Tipps für den angehenden (LARP) Ritter: Wie viel Lösegeld darf ich verlangen? Wo kaufe ich am besten eine Rüstung? Wie blamieren ich mich nicht auf dem Schlachtfeld, und mit welchen Kosten muss ich rechnen, wenn ich mich einem Kreuzzug anschließe? Sehr anschaulich und bisweilen auch lustig, noch dazu - soweit ich das beurteilen kann - auch alles historisch korrekt.

[Muchi Muchima · Rating 5 out of 5]

บอกรายละเอียดลึกกว่าที่เคยรู้มา ดี ๆ ชอบ ๆ

[Tomás Macías · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado. Con un estilo jovial y a veces irónico el autor recorre casi todos los aspectos de la vida de los caballeros del final de la edad Media, entre el año 1300 y 1400 y pico. El libro cuenta con muchas anécdotas y curiosidades, respaldadas por citas y extractos de documentos históricos, apropiadamente bibliografiados, que desmontan el mito romántico y poco acertado que tenemos de los caballeros. El formato del libro es una pasada y lo que animó a comprarlo, pues contiene numerosas ilustraciones, muchas a color, que amenizan la lectura a la vez que visualizan a la perfección el contenido de cada capítulo. Un libro muy recomendable para cualquier amante de la historia y un "must" para los fanáticos de la Edad Media.

[David Santiuste · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful little book, providing an engaging introduction to the world of the late medieval knight. The author, Michael Prestwich, is a distinguished historian of medieval warfare, but in this case he wears his learning lightly. This is one of a series of books by this publisher, all of which are written in the same informal style.

Almost every aspect of a knight’s life is considered, in fifteen thematic chapters, from his training as a youth to his death and ‘afterlife’. Flashes of dry wit help to lighten the tone, and this is a very entertaining book, but there are some serious insights here too. The chapter on battles, which is richly detailed, is particularly strong.

Carefully chosen extracts from primary sources – all of which are fully referenced - help to bring the period to life. The book is beautifully presented and lavishly illustrated, including 113 images altogether. Finally, for those who wish to learn more about medieval warfare, an excellent list of further reading is provided.

I would particularly recommend Knight to young adults, although older readers should by no means feel excluded. Medieval enthusiasts of all ages will read this book with interest and pleasure.

[NB: A longer version of this review was printed in The Court Journal, the magazine of the Scottish branch of the Richard III Society.]

[Yune · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up after reading another entry in the (Unofficial) Manual series. Knight is a little less irreverent than Gladiator, but I think this is purposeful; the intended audience, after all, is the aspirant knight, who needs must be concerned with honor and chivalry.

This is not to say it's devoid of humor! It's just subtler. Consider tips such as "Have as little to do with peasants as possible" or the closing illustration, captioned, Sir John Chandos at the head of his troops (and shortly before he was killed after tripping over his surcoat).

Because of the relative brevity and wide-ranging breadth of the chapters, I'd consider this more a survey than a comprehensive manual, but it's still impressive in the amount of detail it manages to cram in. You'll learn the stages of training, what arms and armor you'll be expected to have, money matters from ransom to becoming a mercenary, the doldrums of siege warfare, and even which sorts of ladies might help advance your career. Sprinkled throughout are anecdotes of real-life knights who found glory or infamy.

I think I'm now a firm fan of this series. It's both educational -- I'd consider it a great starting point for anyone researching the topic -- and entertaining.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just as good as its companion, Legionary: The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual. I learned a great deal about 14th-century warfare and life in general. All of it was interesting, and much of it was amusing. I had no idea, for example, that Ulrich Von Liechtenstein was a real knight (and he liked to disguise himself too, although he did not come from Gelderland), or that the Scots were once able to sneak into a besieged castle under cover of night by going on all fours and mooing like cattle. Any history buff will love this book.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read about knights, chivalry and the Middle Ages, but I cannot remember reading a book on the subject with as much enjoyment as I got from reading this. It's a charming and entertaining work! Written in supposedly the middle of the 15th C. (he doesn't comment on the English War of the Roses - so it precedes that but is written apparently after Agincourt), it's a practical "how to" for would be knights, describing the training, the orders, battles, tournaments, campaigning, crusades, ransoms and booty - the whole thing. In fact, I frequently found myself wishing that I could take part in goal to become a knight, such is the subtle charm of this little book.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining and educational guide on how to be a knight in the 14th century. Michael Prestwich provides plenty of detail from numerous sources without ever sounding dry or academic. He uses humor to effectively punctuate some of the more absurd notions of chivalry and knightly behavior. If you are interested in this historical period or want to learn more about knights, this is just the book for you.

[Маша Тодевска · Rating 5 out of 5]

Најдобрата нефикција што ја имам прочитано. Не можам да ја опишам љубовта/ топлината што ја чувствувам кога читам за витезите и средниот век. Ја чувствувам т.н. ,,носталгија за време кое не го имам доживеано". Книгата е исполнета со некои многу интересни факти како: тежината на мечот (1-2килограми), на оклопот (22 кг), каков бил оклопот, исто така не знаев дека спиеле надвор а не во шатори, важноста на богатсвото за станување витез, како ги опсадувале градовите, како заработувале итн. Исто така се запознав и го продлабочив знаењето за некои историски личности/витези како платеникот Џон Hawkwood, The Black Prince, Boucicaut, Geoffroi de Charny итн. Спомнати беа и Teutonic Knights коишто се бореле во Литванија. Многу уживав во оваа книга.

[James Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lighthearted account of the life of a knight from one of Britain’s foremost mediaeval historians. The book is broken down in to small sections, including war, crusading and mercenaries, and gives advice on the difficulties of ransoming oneself if captured. The examples cited are drawn mainly from England and France, with the rest of Europe largely looking on. Prestwich makes it clear that whatever restrictions there are on knights, peasants may be thrashed relentlessly. There are some colour plates, and there are line drawings throughout the text. This book lifts the veil in a gentle way, and sometimes pokes fun, at the knightly life.

[Bruce Harpham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book as a way to further explore the life, career, training and way of life for knights. The author focuses mainly on English and French knights, with a few other examples here and there. I found the book very accessible and well illustrated with historical images. The further reading section was also interesting. The coverage of warfare - including arms, amour, horses and sieges - was quite good. If you've ever wondered about the practicalities of life as a knight, this is the book for you.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light reading on the topic with some humor thrown in. At times its reparative and focuses on what I believe to be some historical inaccuracies. The focus on the sword as the knights primary battlefield weapon after the lance I do not believe is supported for the period we are discussing. All knights may have had swords and often war them into battle but few would choose swords when fighting someone in plate.

[Sierra]

Like the others in this series, Knight is not a thinking book. However, it's a million times better than the Viking one and slightly better than Legionary. I learned so many fun facts! Swords were normally less than 3 lb, which is way lighter than I thought! Lots of jousting tournaments were historically themed! That's so fun!

[Whale Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

รู้สึกว่าแปลไม่ค่อยสนุก พวก funfact ก้ไม่ค่อยสุด

แต่ชอบเนื้อหาที่ตรงตามชื่อเรื่อง
มีครบทุกด้านถ้าอยากย้อนเวลาไปเปนนักรบยุคกลาง
หนังสือแบบนี้ทำให้คิดว่า ดูสารคดีเอาน่าจะเป็นประโยชน์ หรือเห็นภาพมากกว่า

สรุป
อัศวิน ชอบการประลองมากกว่า สนามรบ
ได้โชว์มากกว่า ได้ชื่อเสียงมากกว่า
สงครามเป็นเรื่องของเงิน (ส่วนใหญ่)
อัศวิน เป็นได้ยาก
แต่ยามสงครามก้ตั้งให้ง่ายๆได้ไม่ยาก 55

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great fun read with lots of wonderful snippets of medieval trivia. Occasionally it felt that the narrators perspective fluctuated, and there were some points of information that weren't given with the conjecture that history demands, but otherwise a great read.

[Chanwit Chaimeesuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

ต้องหาข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับอัศวิน หนังสือเล่มนี้ตอบโจทย์ได้ดีครับ เล่มเล็กกะทัดรัด อธิบายเกี่ยวกับการเป็นอัศวิน แฝงไปด้วยเนื้อหาประวัติศาสตร์ในยุคกลาง
หลังจากอ่านจบ เราไม่ได้รู้แค่ว่า อัศวินต้องทำแต่หน้าที่ออกรบอย่างเดียว แต่ยังพูดถึง การเล่นการเมือง สังคมของอัศวิน และกลยุทธ์การรบในสมรภูมิต่าง ๆ

[Juzefa · Rating 5 out of 5]

You got to love the sassy humor and sarcasm that this book is written with 🤣 And all mentioned are real historic fact, which makes it double hilarious.
Love it when books make real history entertaining.

[Daniel Facchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written history book. It is written in such a way that you aren't reading long paragraphs of texts with lots of information, rather you are reading a manual on how to become a knight (as the title suggests).

[Avis Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't care for this at all. There's very little detail in here, and the author writes like he's talking to children.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and quick read that does well revealing the mentality and interests of the medieval military caste. A good resource for people creating media involving knights and medieval soceity/warfare.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice easy read to get a good introduction to the world of a medieval knight.

[bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

read

[Nats Lakkatham · Rating 2 out of 5]

- เป็นหนังสือเชิงประวัติศาสตร์เกี่ยวกับอัศวินยุคกลางของแท้
- คุณจะได้ความรู้ที่เกี่ยวข้องทั้งหมด
- หนังสืออ่านไม่ยาก แต่ก็ไม่สนุกนัก

[Paragraphe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tier List Rating: B

I don't read nonfiction, with the exception for what I call whimsical nonfiction: factual information told through a fun or interesting lens.

I picked this little gem up in the gift shop of a medieval castle last summer. The book (written by an actual professor of Medieval history) tells you about work and life as a knight, framed as a career handbook directed towards a knight-in-training. It presents facts about the life of knights in a digestible, down-to-earth and funny way. Having read this, some of my romantic ideas about knights have been shattered, and I think I'll stick to my current career. Nonetheless, it was a fun read.

[Tanel Vari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ei, see ei olnud nii halb, aga mind häirisid paar asja. Esiteks see, et omaaegseid rahaühikuid kasutati ilma igasuguse selgituse või tänapäeva paralleele toomata (okei, lõpupool oli üks pisike seletuskastike, mis siiski polnud piisav). Teiseks piigi järjekindel nimetamine odaks, mis pole ju otseselt vale, aga ma olen teistsuguse terminoloogiaga üles kasvanud. Ja sihtgrupp oli ilmselgelt kõvasti allapoole minu vanust. Ja tekst oli lisaks liiga hüplik ja eklektiline, näited suvaline faktikogum siit ja sealt. Värvitahvlid jätsid siiski parima osa muljest.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book that combines a touch of humor with historical information on how one might become and live as a knight in the early 15th century. Very easy to read with some interesting stories to illustrate the discussion points (battles, tournaments, ladies, training, etc.). It's a quick read with a historical twist to what most are familiar with when it comes to knights (through the King Arthur myths or other medieval literature).

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like this one *quite* as much as the Legionary Unofficial Manual book. This one seemed a bit less organized and focused to me, and, I must admit, the semicolon abuse was a bit distracting at times. But it's still a very entertaining and informative read, with a good glossery at the end for those wanting more information.

[Catrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel I should be more excited about this book. It is well-written, and it's clear that it tries to be exciting and interesting. Still I was never really engaged in it. It's definitely interesting, and it's definitely not dry, but it wasn't engaging. Perhaps it's because I read another, far more engaging book on that time period recently, and perhaps I had too high expectations, I don't know.

[Célia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book that teached yu both about knights and everything surrounding them, and a little about history (great battles, crusades...). Written as if we were in 1415, it's a very fun and easy manual to read.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, full of great historical anecdotes, and a nice smattering of humour.