Summary of Thomas Asbridge's The Greatest Knight

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 William Marshal, the boy who was executed by King Stephen of England in 1152, began his life as the hostage given over to the crown as surety for his father's word. He was a pawn in the great game of power and politics then being played out within a realm wracked by civil war. #2 The English kingdom was in the grips of a ruinous fifteen-year conflict between King Stephen and his cousin Empress Matilda. With the collapse of crown authority, local warlords were left to impose some semblance of order, and this was often abused. #3 The Norman invasion of England was successful, and the Anglo-Saxon society was not as uniform as it seemed. The ruling elite had a wealth of resources, and the country was ripe for exploitation. #4 The night of 25 November 1120, William Ætheling, the seventeen-year-old heir to the throne of England, threw a raucous, wine-soaked party. The next morning, two planks in the starboard hull shattered, and the princely craft began to take on water. Within minutes, everyone had drowned.

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