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Thomas Asbridge’s top 10 knights in literature

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The historian, presenter and author picks his favourite medieval adventurers

Whether it be a gallant, armour-clad noble racing to the rescue of an imperilled damsel, or a blood-soaked warrior engaged in a savage massacre, the image of the knight in action is inimitably linked to our popular conception of the medieval world. Knights stood at the forefront of European history for centuries, serving as conquerors and keepers of the peace in a barbarous era fraught with conflict and immortalised as heroes in epic myths and romanticised tales.

Revered as the greatest knight of his generation, William Marshal, the subject of my latest book, personified both the chivalrous qualities and grasping ambition of this warrior class. Born the landless younger son of a minor English nobleman, Marshal served no fewer than five kings of England and was on intimate terms with the likes of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart. Having helped to negotiate Magna Carta and stem the tide of French invasion in the early 13th century, Marshal ended his days as one of the richest and most powerful barons in England.

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