Knights: The Complete Story of the Age of Chivalry, from Historical Fact to Tales of Romance and Poetry

by Andrea Hopkins

Discusses all areas of knighthood such as its origin, the relationship between the Church and the knight, the role of the knight at peace and at war, and the knight and romance and chivalry

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Arthurian, Reference, Medieval History, Military Fiction

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Andrea Hopkins is a specialist in medieval and Arthurian history. Her published works include the highly regarded Chronicles of King Arthur, and Most Wise and Valiant Ladies.

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Chronicle History of Knights was written by Andrea Hopkins. This is a scholarly overview of all aspects of the phenomenon of knights (duh!) from their social and cultural origins to their zenith ("when chivalry was in flower") and twilight. I will readily admit that I did not care for this book much when I started it, but on page sixty six of my edition I was treated to this: "It would certainly be a mistake, however, to give the impression that all medieval romances were literary masterpieces. For every Chretien de Troyes or Wolfram von Eschenbach there were a dozen less gifted writers producing much less demanding, more "popular" products: the Jeffrey Archers and Robert Ludlums of medieval literature." Andrea Hopkins, you saucy minx. That tiny bit of literary snobbery helped me see the person behind the words. After that point this book was so much more fum to read.

[Brannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Basic level information but wonderfully engaging and a quick read. The visuals used through the boom was also great a nice variety.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tipical history book, sometimes hard to read if you don't find some of the sections interesting
but it does it's job, it informs well and pictures inside I like very much

3.5/5

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right….
Okay, to start off first, if you are going to write about the Middle Ages please do NOT say that everyone today views that time as primitive! You are not only going to make a Middle Ages enthusiast angry but also not read the book! It isn’t right to make a general statement like that without knowing your audience better. And the “…Middle Ages….as the degenerate remnants of a far greater past..”?! Knighthood still ran strong well into the Victorian era! The knights, if anything, never faded away but rather traded in their armor for a different costume. And Galahad…as a “characterless” knight? The Victorians admired Galahad for his selflessness, faithfulness and gentleness -very much like Raman Lull. And Morte D’Arthur was not just written as an entertainment but also as a warning. Galahad was not his father whose selfish action destroyed a king and a great kingdom – another reason why the Victorians liked him. He was also as selfless as Joan of Arc who was a real life and blood heroine. I am surprised she was not spoken off in this tome. She represented the pious and gentle side of knighthood as well. Like Galahad, she died a martyr’s death (depending on which version you read). To be honest, I am shocked that she wasn’t mentioned. Even though she wasn’t a knight, she has just as much right to be spoken along with mythical figures such as St. George of England.
I did enjoy the analysis on Chretien de Troyes. He wrote Knight of the Cart with a “tongue in cheek” humor. The blueprints on the various kinds of armor was very helpful. The book was well organized but author should be aware of general statements and should be considerate of all characters throughout history.

[Autumn Slaght · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really liked this book!!! I love everything about the Middle Ages History and this one covered it all. Andrea Hopkins went through and told the history of knights from the romances and poems in literature that was written about them to every aspect of a knight's life. Not only knights, but she also brought out a lot of the historical things that were happening around each century, what wars, what heroes, etc. What most history books can't even cover in a five book series, Andrea Hopkins covered in less than two hundred pages. She talked about the different parts of the armor, the knight's role in society, military and personal status. Her maps are also very informative and amazing. Page after page of art and pictures from scenes that pertain to what she's talking about are on every page. A few of the pictures may be inappropriate for children as they were clips from the artists of way back then.
This is a book that I will go back and read again in case I've missed anything. It was well worth the time devoted to reading it.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for the first time in high school and rediscovered it recently in a crate of books at my parent's house.

[Johann Mahinay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and written well with plenty of high quality illustrations!

[Rw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite an academic history, but very enjoyable as written.