The Knight : A Portrait of Europe's Warrior Elite

Rating:
Summary: An informative book about an important institution
Review: "The Knight" traces the evolution of an institution that played a key role in the formation of Western culture. Knights evolved from the early mounted warriors of which Charlemagne's cavalry was the archetype. They were powerful factors in the internecine struggles between European kingdoms as well as in the great Crusades. The influence of knights as members of an aristocratic elite persisted into recent history. The fact that West Point training was an expected activity of aristocratic men in the antebellum US South speaks to the widespread influence of knighthood.
Baker's accounts are imminently readable although they are not "searing". One of the most arresting aspects of the book is the contemporary account of jousts and tournaments. The casual descriptions of encounters that often were blood curdling speak to a very different mindset regarding deadly games during medieval times. Baker covers the first crusade, which shows the merciless treatment of "infidels" by Christian warriors. Baker's discussion of the monk knights, the Templars and the Hospitallars, provides a marvelous opportunity to explore the evolution of the pacifist religion of St. Paul into the militant movement of Pope Urban II. Unfortunately, the book is too short to explore this fascinating twist in history that remains with us to the present. "The Knight" leans toward the style and organization of a traditional academic treatise rather than the more gripping "popular histories". Despite these limitations, the book is a good overview for anyone wanting to learn something of the evolution of modern warriors.

Rating:
Summary: An informative book about an important institution
Review: "The Knight" traces the evolution of an institution that played a key role in the formation of Western culture. Knights evolved from the early mounted warriors of which Charlemagne's cavalry was the archetype. They were powerful factors in the internecine struggles between European kingdoms as well as in the great Crusades. The influence of knights as members of an aristocratic elite persisted into recent history. The fact that West Point training was an expected activity of aristocratic men in the antebellum US South speaks to the widespread influence of knighthood.
Baker's accounts are imminently readable although they are not "searing". One of the most arresting aspects of the book is the contemporary account of jousts and tournaments. The casual descriptions of encounters that often were blood curdling speak to a very different mindset regarding deadly games during medieval times. Baker covers the first crusade, which shows the merciless treatment of "infidels" by Christian warriors. Baker's discussion of the monk knights, the Templars and the Hospitallars, provides a marvelous opportunity to explore the evolution of the pacifist religion of St. Paul into the militant movement of Pope Urban II. Unfortunately, the book is too short to explore this fascinating twist in history that remains with us to the present. "The Knight" leans toward the style and organization of a traditional academic treatise rather than the more gripping "popular histories". Despite these limitations, the book is a good overview for anyone wanting to learn something of the evolution of modern warriors.

Rating:
Summary: The M1-A1 Abrams of His Time
Review: By Bill Marsano. In a time of J-DAMS, MOABs and other expressions of remote-control super-power warfare, the notion of the medieval knight will seem quaint at best to many readers. On the other hand, the knight <was> the decisive weapon on the battlefields of his time. Through generations of movies, comic books and fairy tale the knight has come down to us as a purely romantic figure. Alan Baker is here with this small book to rescue these great warriors from their bubblegum image.

This is a brief book, really no more than an essay for the entry-level history student, but enjoyable and informative nonetheless. Bakers gives us a clear-eyed view of how knights developed into an elite warrior class; how they trained and were armed; how they staged elaborate mock-combats--just as the Romans did in the Colosseum--to keep their skills sharp and their reputations high. For a taste of real warfare, Baker takes us through a well-organized history of the First Crusade.

This book is designed to whet your appetite, not satisfy it. It does the job well: Most readers will, I think, be eager to go deeper into the day of old when knights were bold.--Bill Marsano is a long-time enthusiast of military affairs.

Rating:
Summary: The M1-A1 Abrams of His Time
Review: By Bill Marsano. In a time of J-DAMS, MOABs and other expressions of remote-control super-power warfare, the notion of the medieval knight will seem quaint at best to many readers. On the other hand, the knight the decisive weapon on the battlefields of his time. Through generations of movies, comic books and fairy tale the knight has come down to us as a purely romantic figure. Alan Baker is here with this small book to rescue these great warriors from their bubblegum image.

This is a brief book, really no more than an essay for the entry-level history student, but enjoyable and informative nonetheless. Bakers gives us a clear-eyed view of how knights developed into an elite warrior class; how they trained and were armed; how they staged elaborate mock-combats--just as the Romans did in the Colosseum--to keep their skills sharp and their reputations high. For a taste of real warfare, Baker takes us through a well-organized history of the First Crusade.

This book is designed to whet your appetite, not satisfy it. It does the job well: Most readers will, I think, be eager to go deeper into the day of old when knights were bold.--Bill Marsano is a long-time enthusiast of military affairs.