From Legends to Legacy: The Tale of Eleven Medieval Knights

Discover the lives and legends of eleven remarkable medieval knights and enter a world of bravery, dragons, crusades, and courtly honor that awaits you. These knights influenced both history and myth, from El Cid, Spain's warrior-champion, to Sir Galahad, the virtuous Grail seeker, and Saint George, the dragon-slaying patron saint who gave rise to chivalry itself. Meet crusading kings, royal rebels, dragon-slayers, and strategists on the battlefield. These individuals were more than just fighters; they were also cultural icons of their time, whether they were brandishing mythical swords or bravely and shrewdly defending entire kingdoms. Their tales reverberate through time in epic poetry, holy artifacts, and patriotism, spanning empires, religions, and centuries. Come along with us as we explore their valiant actions, admirable traits, and lasting contributions—eleven knights, one remarkable voyage through medieval splendor.

1. Saint George

Although not a medieval knight, the Eastern Orthodox Saint George was the patron saint of all knights, so he must be listed first. This legendary figure, based on a Roman soldier martyred in Lydda (modern Lod, Israel) in 303 CE for his Christian beliefs, inspired all medieval chivalrous knights. By the 12th century CE, Saint George's legend had spread across Europe after he rode Bayard, his white horse, to battle a Libyan dragon in the 8th century CE. The dragon's death symbolized Christians versus non-believers and good versus evil. George rescued a princess sacrificed to the dragon, symbolizing Innocence protection. Legend has it that the Greek Cyclops made George's sword, Ascalon, and Libyan steel armor. Late 12th-century English soldiers wore the red cross on Saint George's banner on a white background. C popularized Saint George's tale. Italian chronicler Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend, 1260 CE. Thus, the saint became popular across Europe: Hungary's first secular knight's order was dedicated to him in 1326 CE, and England, Greece, Russia, Moscow, and Beirut honor him.

2. Sir Galahad

The knights of the Round Table may have appeared in 12-15th-century CE works about King Arthur, who inspired all knights. If knighthood requires chivalry, Sir Lancelot's betrayal of King Arthur and infidelity with Guinevere disqualify him. His son, Galahad, is the greatest knight. His mother was Elaine, daughter of Pelles, the crippled Fisher King and Holy Grail keeper. He claimed descent from King David. After arriving at Camelot, Galahad convinced King Arthur that he was the chosen one to find the Grail by sitting in the Siege Perilous, the magical empty chair of the Round Table meant to kill all but the finder, and withdrawing the sword from the stone. Sir Galahad wielded King David's sword and Jesus Christ's Crucifixion spear as a knight. Joseph of Arimathea, who brought the Grail to Europe, marked his white shield with a bloody cross. Sir Galahad defeated everyone except his father as a brilliant jouster and a humble, innocent, and pure knight. Sir Galahad was the only knight worthy of finding the Grail, which may symbolize Christian salvation. Sir Galahad either rose to Heaven or went on an odyssey in the Holy Lands to find the grail again and take it into the afterlife after seeing it at the Fisher King's castle.

3. Siegfried

Siegfried—a legendary German knight and prince—is the CS hero. Nibelungenlied, 1200 CE, German epic. He may have been inspired by a 7th-century Frankish knight or a 1st-century Germanic leader who bravely fought the Romans. Most of his legend comes from Germanic and Norse folklore. Siegfried is a chivalrous, sanitized version of earlier dragon-slaying legends like Saint George. After bathing in the dead creature's blood, the hero was immune to weapons except for a leaf on his back. However, the German knight's biggest challenge was winning the Burgundian (Nibelung) princess Kriemhild. A dream foretold a violent death for any future husband, so the princess did not marry. She was unimpressed by Siegfried's Burgundian army's Dane and Saxon victories, captured riches, and dragon-slaying. Gunther, the Burgundian king, fell in love with Brunhilde, a beautiful queen who would only marry the suitor who could defeat her in battle, so he made a deal with Siegfried. When magically invisible, the latter would fight the queen, and the king would take credit and the queen. In exchange, Siegfried could marry Kriemhild. After a fight, Kriemhild revealed Brunhilde's trick. In anger, the king's retainer Hagen killed Siegfried on a hunting trip after discovering his weakness. Siegfried's sword killed Kriemhild Hagen.

4. Robert Guiscard—‘The Crafty’

From 1057 CE, Norman knight Robert Guiscard (c. 1015-1085 CE) defeated the Byzantine and Arab Empires to establish a duchy in southern Italy and Sicily. After the papacy recognized his territorial claims, Robert became Duke of Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily in 1059 CE. In 1071, 1072, and 1076 CE, he took Bari, Palermo, and Salerno after a three-year siege. Unsatisfied, Robert took Corfu in 1081 CE and defeated Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081-1118 CE) at Dyracchion, Dalmatia. Robert defeated Byzantine allies, the Venetians, in 1084 CE. However, the ambitious Norman duke died from typhoid in 1085 CE while attacking Constantinople, the biggest prize. He is called ‘the Crafty’ because his surname comes from the Old French word viscart, meaning ‘wily as a fox’. Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy (c. 1310 CE) features Sir Robert as a great knight.

5. Rodriguez de Vivar - ‘El Cid’

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1043-1099 CE), known as El Cid, was a notable Spanish general and knight. His sword, Tizona, was named after the Arabic word for lord, assid. At 22, he became King Ferdinand I of Castile and Leon's (d. 1065 CE) army commander. After a dispute with a rival commander in 1081 CE, El Cid was exiled to Zaragoza to serve Moorish king al-Mu'tamin (1081-85 CE). A decade of defeating Moors and Spanish kings made him El Campeador (‘The Champion’). Fighting for himself was more profitable, so El Cid took Valencia in 1090 CE. Though still representing Alfonso VI (r. 1077-1109 CE), El Cid ruled. After he died in 1099 CE, Saint Peter told El Cid in a dream to parade his body before his army to deter Arab attacks. Valencia was briefly spared, but the Muslim Almoravids took it later that year. San Pedro monastery in Castile buried the great commander. El Cid's warriors and horse, Bavieca, who supposedly never let anyone ride him, missed him. Cantar del Mio Cid (‘Song of the Cid’) from 1142 CE fueled El Cid's legend after his death.

6. Sir William Marshal—“The Greatest Knight Ever Lived”

Famous English knight Sir William Marshal (c. 1146-1219 CE). William was held hostage by his father when King Stephen (r. 1135-1154 CE) besieged the family castle at six. William was lucky to become a royal ward and knight. Besides martial arts, he was called gaste-viande. In 1166 CE, Sir William was knighted and made a fortune playing medieval tournaments for 16 years, defeating 500 opponents. He entered politics in 1168 CE when Eleanor of Aquitaine hired Sir William as her son Henry the Young King's tutor-in-arms. John and Richard I had allied with Philip II of France (r. 1180-1223 CE), but William supported Henry II of England (r. 1154-1189 CE) in the 1188-9 CE campaigns. William killed only Richard's horse in one battle or its aftermath. In 1189 CE, Sir William married and became Earl of Pembroke with Welsh castles. Sir William was the Marshal of England and a regency council member while Richard I campaigned. Henry III's Protector of the Kingdom and regent, he signed the Magna Carta in 1215 CE. At 70, William defeated rebellious English barons and the future French King Louis VIII at Lincoln in 1217 CE. As a Knight Templar, Sir William was buried in Temple Church, London, in 1219 CE. The Archbishop of Canterbury correctly called Sir William ‘the greatest knight that ever lived’.

7. Richard I—‘The Lionhearted’

Lionhearted King Richard I (1157-1199 CE) ruled England from 1189 to 1199. Richard defeated a baron's rebellion in Aquitaine and then took Taillebourg, a seemingly invincible castle in western France, in the 1180s CE. Richard twice rebelled against his father, King Henry II of England (r. 1154-1189 CE), with the support of two French kings and his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, as the complex royal intermarriages caused only squabbles. The 1189 CE nomination of Richard as his father's successor resolved matters. Richard, a Third Crusade leader, earned his brave nickname by capturing Messina (1190 CE) and Cyprus (1191). The Acre in Jerusalem was besieged for five months before Richard took it five weeks after arriving in 1191 CE. To fire his crossbow, the ‘Lionhearted’ had his men carry him on a stretcher despite scurvy. Saladin (r. 1174-1193 CE) was defeated again at Arsuf in September by the king. After the Crusade, Jerusalem was in Arab hands, but Richard protected Christian pilgrims. The fighting monarch, who ruled England for five months, was captured by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI in 1192 CE. Richard fought Philip II of France for northern and central France after being ransomed after two years and depleting state funds. While sieging Châlus, an arrow killed the English king. After Richard's coat of arms, the British royal family has three lions.

8. Sir James Douglas—‘The Black Douglas’

The English called Scottish knight Sir James Douglas (c. 1286-1330 CE) ‘the Black Douglas’ due to his dark complexion. Scots preferred ‘Good Sir James’. Edward I gave Douglas Castle to a loyal noble, but James famously took it in 1307 CE. The Scotsman beheaded and burned survivors on a huge fire on Palm Sunday while the defenders were at church. The raid became known as ‘the Douglas larder’. Douglas captured Roxburgh Castle on Shrove Tuesday 1314 CE, shocking the garrison again as they feasted before Lent. Sir James and Robert Bruce defeated English forces at Bannockburn in 1314 CE after becoming knights. While raiding northern England, Sir James killed Robert Neville of Middleham, known as ‘the Peacock of the North’ by the Scots, in 1318 CE. In 1327 CE, Sir James' typical guerrilla raid nearly captured English king Edward III (r. 1327-77 CE). Douglas was killed by Saracens in Andalusia in 1330 CE while traveling to the Holy Lands to bury Robert Bruce's heart, which ended up in Melrose Abbey, Scotland. He may have won 70 fights.

9. ‘The Eagle of Brittany’ Bertrand du Guesclin

The ‘Eagle of Brittany’ Bertrand du Guesclin (c. 1320-1380 CE) was a French knight and national hero. From humble beginnings, Bertrand was knighted in 1354 CE for stopping an English raiding party in Brittany. He became the Constable of France for a decade from 1370 CE after defending Rennes in 1357 CE and defeating King Charles II of Navarre (r. 1349-1387 CE) at the Battle of Cocherel in 1364 CE, which forced him to relinquish the Duchy of Burgundy. Bertrand commanded his army in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453 CE). Bertrand retook Brittany and south-western France with guerrilla tactics. According to legend, the Breton won 12 consecutive jousts as a young knight. Although the English twice captured Bertrand, his career suffered. He was captured by Sir John Chandos after the Battle of Auray in 1364 CE. Bertrand was captured again in 1367 CE and ransomed. After securing Châteauneuf-de-Randon in 1380 CE, Bertrand died of dysentery. The great knight was buried in Paris' Saint-Denis Basilica with many French kings. After his death, the famous French poet Cuvelier wrote the Chronique de Bertrand du Guesclin.

10. Edward Woodstock—‘The Black Prince’

The French nobility feared Edward of Woodstock (1330-1376 CE), the eldest son of English king Edward III, Prince of Wales from 1343 CE. Edward, known as ‘the Black Prince’ (from the 16th century CE) for his unusual black armour and shield (he had his first suit at seven), gained early knightly fame at the Battle of Crécy in 1346 CE. Edward, a teenager, helped his father defeat a superior French army. A capture of King John II of France (r. 1350-1364 CE) at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 CE was another Hundred Years' War victory. Edward was lauded for his chivalrous treatment of the captive monarch and his generous donations to Canterbury Cathedral, and his commanders, who received gold and titles. Though common at the time, the prince's northern France torching and pillaging raids (chevauchée) hurt his popularity. C. Edward and his father founded the Garter in 1348 CE. In 1367 CE, Edward captured and sold Bertrand du Guesclin, his rival for the greatest knight, for a huge ransom after the Battle of Najera in Spain. His dysentery-related death in 1376 CE left the nation mourning one of its greatest should-have-been kings. The Prince of Wales' symbol, three ostrich feathers, is another Black Prince legacy.

11. Hotspur Sir Henry Percy

The most famous northern English noble was Sir Henry Percy (1364-1403 CE). Henry was another knight who excelled in battles and tournaments. After Edward III knighted him at 13, he helped his father retake Berwick Castle from the Scots the following year. 1380 CE saw him in Ireland, 1383 CE in Prussia, fighting pagan Lithuanians. Two years after Richard II (r. 1377-1399 CE) appointed him Warden of the East March, he patrolled Scottish borders. Sir Henry fought in Scotland's 1388 Battle of Otterburn, according to Robert Burns. After the English lost, the king and Parliament ransomed Sir Henry. Sir Henry and his father plotted against Henry IV of England (r. 1399-1413 CE) after helping the English king gain his throne, recapturing Conway Castle from the annoying Welsh in 1401 CE, and defeating the even more troublesome Scots at Homildon Hill in 1402 CE. Henry's lack of gratitude angered the Percys, but the Scots called him the "hotspur" for his speed and aggressiveness. He died fighting the king's forces at Shrewsbury in 1403 CE. Legend has it that a lucky arrow killed Sir Henry in the mouth when he opened his visor. After Henry's disloyalty, the king had his corpse quartered and his head spiked at York's gates to show that even great knights must serve him.