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Article: Ideal of chivalry; English history.(Book review)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- April 15, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Even his hair was perfect
IN JANUARY 1349, at the height of the Black Death, King Edward III gathered his court at Windsor. They were not, as might be supposed, in a protective huddle. They were there to joust, wear fantastic costumes, feast and womanise. In the course of the festivities Edward founded the Order of the Garter, which had at least something to do with the rivalry of two of his knights for the Fair Maid of Kent. Meanwhile the corpses of murrained cattle lay stinking in the fields, and in London alone 200 bodies a day were being shovelled into plague-pits.
This was typical of Edward. Given danger or difficulty, his first impulse was to dress ...