Even to this day, knights are still admired for their bravery and chivalrous attitude. They are often the right-hand man of the kings and queens of th

Even to this day, knights are still admired for their bravery and chivalrous attitude. They are often the right-hand man of the kings and queens of their homeland who rush into battle, giving it his all. Many also had a reputation as a ladies man, hence the phrase “knight in shining armor.” Some you may or may not have already known of, but either way, here are five of history’s most notorious knights who ever lived. 1. William Marshal Starting off this list is William Marshal, who at one point was known all over England as “the greatest knight to be found in all the world.” “What made him so great?” you might ask. Well let’s see, he served five separate kings, was skilled fighter and diplomat who won several jousts and tournaments, embarked on a crusade, was also the de facto ruler of England on two different occasions and also helped draft the Magna Carta, a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England in 1215. Quite an impressive resume, don’t you agree? 2. Suero de Quiñones Up next is Suero de Quiñones, who, along with nine other knights, blocked off the bridge over the Orbigo River for 30 days in the summer of 1434 with the goal of “breaking” 300 lances by either literally breaking their opponents weapons, injuring them or knocking them off their horses. This event was known as a pas d’armes or “passage of arms” and it was one of the medieval combat games that knights often engaged in. They certainly drew in a crowd, though Suero and his men had to call it quits early because they were too injured to carry on. 3. El Cid El Cid, born Rodrigo Diaz de Vicar, was a minor nobleman who first started off as a knight and later prince, before becoming one of Spain’s most celebrated heroes. El Cid displayed amazing military accumen from a very young age and even fought Moorish kings who later sought him for his services due to his amazing skills. In his later years, El Cid conquered the Moorish Kingdom of Valencia where he ruled as prince for five years before his life came to an end at the hands of the Almoravids. 4. Roger Mortimer Sir Roger Morimer, 1st Earl of March lived quite an interesting life, even for a knight. Let’s just say that greed and jealousy led to Mortimer betraying King Edward II, which resulted in his imprisonment in the Tower of London. Upon escaping he had an affair with said Edward’s wife Isabella, who was also the sister of the King of France. They then invaded England, forced Edward to abdicate the throne while Mortimer served as the de facto ruler since Edward III was still underaged. All this was short-lived as the all grown-up Edward III had Mortimer arrested and put to death for his crimes. 5. Edward of Woodstock And then there was Edward of Woodstock, who was so affectionately known as the Black Prince, the son of the aforementioned Edward III. Having joined his father in battle from a very young age, Edward proved to have a knack for military tactics which led to him repeatedly coming out on top. However, his most prominent victory was in the Battle of Poitiers of 1356, where, even though he was outnumbered almost 2-to-1, still pulled off the impossible with very little casualties. They even took 2000 enemy soldiers as prisoners, as well as nearly 100 noblemen including John II, the King of France and his heir.

The Most Notorious Knights in History

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