William Marshall

William 'the Marshal' (c. 1145-1219), knight, tournament champion, royal household official, warrior, Earl of Pembroke, regent of England, was in his day a paragon of chivalry. In the 1220s William's son commissioned a Histoire of that life & career. This text, discovered & published in the late 1800s by Paul Meyer, was the basis of Sidney Painter's 1933 biography. Now renowned French medievalist Duby explores it not for events, but for its witness to chivalric culture in the minds of the participants themselves. The understanding of William's life given by the author of the Histoire thus serves Duby as an exemplum for interpretive glosses on loyalty, family, generosity, love, leadership & conflict among late 12th-century aristocrats. Duby's historiographic & rhetorical brilliance will enlighten knowledgeable readers but may disorient others. For college & other history collections.--Richard C. Hoffmann, History Dep't, York University, Downsview, Ontario