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Knight With Armour
Follow a young knight into the First Crusades-and up to the citadel of Jerusalem itself--with the best historical novel to tackle that epic story. Impoverished and naïve, during the three-year journey Roger discovers the wide chasm between war as celebrated by troubadours and its grisly reality.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
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124 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Duggan
45 books44 followers"There have been few historical imaginations better informed or more gifted than Alfred Duggan’s" (The New Criterion).
Historian, archaeologist and novelist Alfred Leo Duggan wrote historical fiction and non-fiction about a wide range of subjects, in places and times as diverse as Julius Caesar’s Rome and the Medieval Europe of Thomas Becket.
Although he was born in Argentina, Duggan grew up in England, and was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford. After Oxford, he travelled extensively through Greece and Turkey, visiting almost all the sites later mentioned in his books. In 1935 helped excavate Constantine’s palace in Istanbul.
Duggan came to writing fiction quite late in his life: his first novel about the First Crusade, Knight in Armour, was published in 1950, after which he published at least a book every year until his death in 1964. His fictional works were bestselling page-turners, but thoroughly grounded in meticulous research informed by Duggan’s experience as an archaeologist and historian.
Duggan has been favourably compared to Bernard Cornwell as well as being praised in his own right as "an extremely gifted writer who can move into an unknown period and give it life and immediacy" (New York Times).
Historian, archaeologist and novelist Alfred Leo Duggan wrote historical fiction and non-fiction about a wide range of subjects, in places and times as diverse as Julius Caesar’s Rome and the Medieval Europe of Thomas Becket.
Although he was born in Argentina, Duggan grew up in England, and was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford. After Oxford, he travelled extensively through Greece and Turkey, visiting almost all the sites later mentioned in his books. In 1935 helped excavate Constantine’s palace in Istanbul.
Duggan came to writing fiction quite late in his life: his first novel about the First Crusade, Knight in Armour, was published in 1950, after which he published at least a book every year until his death in 1964. His fictional works were bestselling page-turners, but thoroughly grounded in meticulous research informed by Duggan’s experience as an archaeologist and historian.
Duggan has been favourably compared to Bernard Cornwell as well as being praised in his own right as "an extremely gifted writer who can move into an unknown period and give it life and immediacy" (New York Times).
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 14, 2018
My first Duggan book was Bohemund: it dealt with a subject I knew little of, so when I found a whole slab of his books at a book fair, I took the lot. I became a mite disillusioned with the author after reading his Conscience of the King about Cerdic of Wessex and even more so after reading " The Cunning of the Dove" - alright, it was far too pro-Norman for this man of Wessex.
I did start Knight with Armour with hope as it was about an English knight on the First Crusade. On reading the first few pages I found the knight was not English but a Norman born in England and, unlike many others, his father had not married an English woman, so the knight was not even Anglo-Norman. Never mind, I thought, go with it. I did and found the knight to be a bit of an idiot. Going to the last page of the book I was satisfied with his fate.
The First Crusade was an honourable attempt by the West to give relief to the Christian population of the Middle East who were being oppressed by the Arab and Turkish Moslims who had over run what had been part of the Byzantine Empire. Regrettably ambition, greed and power corrupted the enterprise. If you do want to read a better book that deals with the glory and the heart break of the First Crusade you would be better off reading Zoe Oldenbourg's The Heirs of the Kingdom or Paul Doherty's The Templar.
Another thing I now a days find tiring is Duggan's writing style in that he is rather Victorian and you get a lot of "because in those days" moment. Another book of his has a comment by Times Literary Supplement that states "One of the best historical novelists of this century". Maybe the 19th but not the 20th, and certainly not 21st C!
I did start Knight with Armour with hope as it was about an English knight on the First Crusade. On reading the first few pages I found the knight was not English but a Norman born in England and, unlike many others, his father had not married an English woman, so the knight was not even Anglo-Norman. Never mind, I thought, go with it. I did and found the knight to be a bit of an idiot. Going to the last page of the book I was satisfied with his fate.
The First Crusade was an honourable attempt by the West to give relief to the Christian population of the Middle East who were being oppressed by the Arab and Turkish Moslims who had over run what had been part of the Byzantine Empire. Regrettably ambition, greed and power corrupted the enterprise. If you do want to read a better book that deals with the glory and the heart break of the First Crusade you would be better off reading Zoe Oldenbourg's The Heirs of the Kingdom or Paul Doherty's The Templar.
Another thing I now a days find tiring is Duggan's writing style in that he is rather Victorian and you get a lot of "because in those days" moment. Another book of his has a comment by Times Literary Supplement that states "One of the best historical novelists of this century". Maybe the 19th but not the 20th, and certainly not 21st C!
May 6, 2010
Alfred Duggan wrote entertaining historical fiction that focussed upon the middle ages. Knight With Armour is as explanatory a title as you're going to find: a simple knight from England, Roger FitzOsbert, a second son with no prospects of inheritance, swears an oath of fealty to Duke Robert of Normandy and accompanies him to the Holy Land on the First Crusade. In the course of the arduous journey he will become introduced to his urbane Italian Norman cousin; enter into a hasty marriage to a beautiful, but cunning, knight's widow; endure heat, hunger, Saracen raids and the bitter and brutal siege of Antioch; and experience several moments of crisis that force him to question both his conception of his God and the fidelity of his oath to Duke Robert. Duggan also displays a nice touch in his depiction of the role of the priests who accompanied the feudal army, providing—in addition to their basic liturgical functions—the valuable service of psychologist-counselor-therapist to the well-armed but generally ill-educated warriors who constantly struggled to establish a bravado exterior to quell their ceaseless inner fears and doubts and brush aside the harsh dealings of an alien environment and foe.
In Roger, Duggan created a believable incarnation of the average crusading chevalier, neither particularly likable nor heroic, but with a faith in his Christian warrior vocation and family that carries him onward until finally faced with the bitterest of betrayals. A perfect light read for the weekend medievalist.
In Roger, Duggan created a believable incarnation of the average crusading chevalier, neither particularly likable nor heroic, but with a faith in his Christian warrior vocation and family that carries him onward until finally faced with the bitterest of betrayals. A perfect light read for the weekend medievalist.
September 16, 2013
A strange book. On one hand, Duggan is trying to be historically accurate, yet on the other he is mocking the crusades. It isn’t simply disillusionment. It moves beyond that. Part of the book’s brilliance is that Duggan can even “con” the historically aware reader into seeing the perceived glory of the Crusades before he sends the hero, Roger, on his way. Is the armor simply protection or is it the danger of belief?
Roger may be the product of his era, he beats his wife, but Duggan is somehow able to install pity in his reader. This is partly because Roger is, in fact, a man of honor, and not just lip service honor. He is outside of his time even as his lives in it.
Roger may be the product of his era, he beats his wife, but Duggan is somehow able to install pity in his reader. This is partly because Roger is, in fact, a man of honor, and not just lip service honor. He is outside of his time even as his lives in it.
June 15, 2016
Surprising for the 50s and 60s and perhaps an early example of critical historical fiction. Duggan both accurately portrays the logic under which the feudal system operated (the intricate pecking order, the element of 'saving face', and so on) and brutally critiques it. Yet it is all done in a way in which you can only sympathize with the characters while despising the roles they are forced into.
Unlike Progressive treatments of the Middle Ages, Duggan is sympathetic and understanding of the system but is still able to identify its critical flaws (hierarchical class system, oppression of women, the power of the Church). The writing can get a bit dry at times, but in many ways this is unavoidable.
Unlike Progressive treatments of the Middle Ages, Duggan is sympathetic and understanding of the system but is still able to identify its critical flaws (hierarchical class system, oppression of women, the power of the Church). The writing can get a bit dry at times, but in many ways this is unavoidable.
June 6, 2023
I liked this book. It's not just about war and the heroics, it's about the everyday; the stink, the boredom. The lack of food and water, the burning days and the freezing nights. It's about a man and his conscious.
March 11, 2017
First published in 1950, Knight with Armour was one of a number of superior historical novels written by Alfred Duggan. Set during the Crusades, the story is told through Roger, an impoverished Knight setting out on the Crusade of 1096 and carries on through his experiences up to 1099. Roger is whining and naïve, but has principles and integrity, a façade he maintains even when his colleagues are unprincipled and street-wise. Events are dealt with in a realistic, gritty way underlined by a cynical approach to the church that calls for the Crusades to take place in the first instance. Roger himself is a fantastically flawed character, full of self-doubt and not afraid to indulge in the occasional bit of wife-beating. Very enjoyable.
March 8, 2022
An excellent book that depicts the day to day tedium and not so glorious part of the Medieval pilgrimages.
April 30, 2012
I enjoyed Alfred Duggan's novel of the First Crusade immensely, but it eventually let me down in one major plot point. I won't spoil the book for others by saying what that is, but suffice to say that it knocked a star off my rating.
Knight with Armour is the story of a young Norman knight from Britain who joins the armed pilgrimage to safeguard the Holy Land for the Christians of the East. Amongst the pilgrims there are different factions as well as a clearly defined hierarchy - as Roger learns firsthand. A knight without a war horse to carry him in to battle is as lowly as a foot soldier.
Duggan includes major battles and minor skirmishes of the First Crusade, and sets the action firmly in its historical context which, at the outset, is a mere 30 years after William the Conqueror defeated King Harold in the Battle of Hastings.
The prolonged siege of Antioch is at the heart of the book, and provides probably the most interesting reading. But the action follows young Roger clear through to the culmination of the three year campaign.
By then, Roger has been exposed to all the horrors and deprivations of war and the intrigues of both romance and politics. Yes, there is a woman in Roger's story, and her role is a crucial one in terms of Roger's actions and motivations.
If not for that disappointment I mentioned earlier, I would rank this novel with Stephen J Rivele's "A Booke of Days" and Michael Alexander Eisner's "The Crusader", both also about the First Crusade.
Knight with Armour is the story of a young Norman knight from Britain who joins the armed pilgrimage to safeguard the Holy Land for the Christians of the East. Amongst the pilgrims there are different factions as well as a clearly defined hierarchy - as Roger learns firsthand. A knight without a war horse to carry him in to battle is as lowly as a foot soldier.
Duggan includes major battles and minor skirmishes of the First Crusade, and sets the action firmly in its historical context which, at the outset, is a mere 30 years after William the Conqueror defeated King Harold in the Battle of Hastings.
The prolonged siege of Antioch is at the heart of the book, and provides probably the most interesting reading. But the action follows young Roger clear through to the culmination of the three year campaign.
By then, Roger has been exposed to all the horrors and deprivations of war and the intrigues of both romance and politics. Yes, there is a woman in Roger's story, and her role is a crucial one in terms of Roger's actions and motivations.
If not for that disappointment I mentioned earlier, I would rank this novel with Stephen J Rivele's "A Booke of Days" and Michael Alexander Eisner's "The Crusader", both also about the First Crusade.
September 28, 2014
Alfred Duggan is one of my favourite authors. He was very famous back in the 50s and 60s but seems to be little known now. Thankfully, his entire back catalogue is now available as ebooks.
'Knight with Armour' is the story of Roger de Bodeham, second son of one of the Norman knights who helped King William conquer England after 1066. Resisting plans to train him to the clergy, Roger manages to raise enough money to equip himself as a knight so he can join the Norman contingent of the First Crusade.
The book attempts to paint a realistic portrait of the times and is, as far as I can tell, historically accurate.
This was Duggan's first novel. It's not as polished as some of his later works, but should appeal to any medieval history buff.
'Knight with Armour' is the story of Roger de Bodeham, second son of one of the Norman knights who helped King William conquer England after 1066. Resisting plans to train him to the clergy, Roger manages to raise enough money to equip himself as a knight so he can join the Norman contingent of the First Crusade.
The book attempts to paint a realistic portrait of the times and is, as far as I can tell, historically accurate.
This was Duggan's first novel. It's not as polished as some of his later works, but should appeal to any medieval history buff.
April 9, 2015
Alfred Duggan's first novel - the adventures of a second-generation Norman knight who leaves England to join the battle for Jerusalem. As well as being a compelling story, the book also offers an entertaining and digestible history of the first Crusade (1096–1099) as seen through the eyes of our dull-witted, but ernest, hero.
I found the ending surprisingly affecting. It's no surprise that this book launched a highly successful career.
I found the ending surprisingly affecting. It's no surprise that this book launched a highly successful career.
January 27, 2013
Believable account of an average landless knight of the first crusade with concerns and troubles that are not concerned with the broad strokes of history. Tense battles scenes against the odds punctuate the story.
June 4, 2012
A wonderful and detailed historical novel about the 1st Crusade.
March 7, 2013
Tedious & Repetative
July 26, 2013
As with so many of Duggan's books, perfectly researched and beautifully written with a pacy and enjoyable story.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews