As is usual with books
of this nature, there’s some context set up by outlining the
background (in this case the political background of 12th century England as well
as William’s own personal background, the two being closely
connected).
Knowledge of William’s
personal history begins when he’s a very young boy, and his life is
endangered. His father had surrendered him as a hostage to King
Stephen during civil war, only to immediately resume fighting the
King. Stephen, furious, intended to kill William, but was apparently
turned from that course by the boy’s innocence (asking a guard if
he could play with his spear).
And so his life was
spared. It’s no exaggeration to say that if Stephen had been a more
bloodthirsty or vindictive man, English history would have been very
different.
William lived just past
seventy years, and during that time served five kings. The book
details how he grows from skilful but headstrong as a young warrior,
to a wise old owl with retainers and land of his own to worry about.
During his life he rose
from being the landless younger son of a warlord to guardian of the
realm. Whilst exhibiting self-interest, pestering for preference and
sometimes a stubborn streak, William was intensely loyal to his
patrons and valued his reputation for loyalty more than all else. He
was also faithful to his followers, and more forgiving than other men
might have been when he was betrayed (both by King John and his own
followers).
The book is very easy
to read (I’m not familiar with this period of history and didn’t
come across anything difficult), and the author makes occasional use
of footnotes to elaborate on points. There are several maps, and two
collections of photographs, as is common with this type of book.
So, what didn’t I
like? There’s a fleeting reference to CE rather than AD (a pet
hate). There’s also a small factual error late on, when Asbridge
asserts that the Black Prince established the Order of the Garter (it
was his father, Edward III, although the Black Prince was one of the
founder members).
It is worth pointing
out there are many biographies of William Marshal. I can’t comment
on whether this is better than the alternatives, but I enjoyed the
book from start to finish, and would recommend it to anyone
interested in reading about this period generally or William Marshal
in particular.
Thaddeus
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