“Ther nys a bettre knight”: Hector as a Medieval Knightly Ideal

“Ther nys a bettre knight”: Hector as a Medieval Knightly Ideal
By William H. Weiss

Introduction
In his famous work recounting the Hundred Years’ War, Chronicles, Jean Froissart writes of two interesting episodes that any reader could easily overlook. The first appears in Book III where he details the Battle of Otterburn. He mentions how, during the bloodshed, Earl James Douglas “saw that his men were falling back” so in response he charges into the fray…