Duby solo necesita su sabiduría y un texto, por lo demás bien conocido, para regalarnos uno de los mayores clásicos de la historia medieval. A partir de la historia del mariscal que sirvió sucesivamente a cuatro reyes ingleses, el gran medievalista hace un recorrido en profundidad por la mentalidad y las costumbres de los caballeros reales, los que inspiraron toda esa mitología sobre la caballería (andante o no), los torneos, el amor cortés, los códigos de honor y, en general, la parte "bonita" de la Edad Media europea. No oculta sus sombras, empezando por el fuerte sexismo o el desprecio por todo lo que es diferente a ellos, y tampoco la desconfianza ante lo que no es más que un panegírico encargado por la viuda de Guillermo por motivos tanto de honor como de dinero. Pero, aun así, nos quedamos fascinados por el personaje y por su mundo, llevados por la prosa solo a veces demasiado literaria de Duby pero, sobre todo, por su enorme conocimiento de la época. No ha habido otro como él. ( )

Who is ever alone at the beginning of the thirteenth century but the mad, the possessed--marginal figures who are hunted down? An orderly world requires that each man remains swathed in a fabric of solidarities, of friendships, in a corps.

A few detractors of this text cite that Duby appears more concerned with "the age of chivalry" rather than the specifics of Marshall's life. I suppose you can't please everyone. This is an astonishing portrait of the intensely intricate and complex set of social relations in the late 1200/early 1300s. As society became more complex, a fixed monetary system apparently flourished and social mobility became an increasing reality. This wasn't an option for most folks in this milieu. Thus the code of knightly honor and courtly love. Each is actually a sober response to set of unfair circumstances. William Marshall embodied this code to a fanatical end, despite ongoing menace he maintained an unyielding loyalty and was actually rewarded. Yes, he was an exceptional warrior. He was also rather lucky, not least by a healthy constitution which allowed him to outlive most of his royals, especially those sporting crowns.

This dovetailed nicely with the Plantagenets book I'm reading, and it wasn't a bad way to spend a frozen Sunday. Despite being 153 pages, the text does require concentration as well as an awareness of the various royal houses of the time. ( )

I began reading this book as background for a reenactment group that I am a member of. I was not expecting the book to be as readable and enjoyable as it proved to be. Rather than a dry list of names and dates the reader gets a glimpse into the life and times of one of the greatest knights. I would recommend this book to readers interested in the late 12th century of the life of a knight. ( )

This book is not a very good biography, of ANYONE, let alone William Marshall. Mr Duby relies too heavily on the Chanson de geste of William Marshall, a sort of life story comemorating the life of a famouse figure, encased in a giant poem, and paid for by that figure's family. Hardly a resource for accurate and detailed facts of one's life.
Mr Duby tends to stray from the subject of his book and venture into lectures of courtly life and fuedal obligations. I honestly do not believe that I learned one new thing about the life of William Marshal by reading this "biography".
If one wants to read a good book on this fascinating figure, they should pick up David Crouch's "William Marshal: Knighthood, War, and Chivalry, 1147-1219" ( )

I tornei, le battaglie, gli 'omaggi' alle casate più illustri, le strategie matrimoniali. Sono le tappe attraverso le quali il cadetto Guglielmo riesce a salire la scala sociale, praticando le quattro virtù fondamentali per il successo: coraggio, lealtà, cortesia, prodigalità. La vita dell'uomo e la storia della sua nazione procedono fianco a fianco in una narrazione pulita e avvincente.

In edicola il 17/12/2005 ( )