He called himself Guillaume le Maréchal, not William Marshal. Nevertheless, he was English of Norman descent. In his time, he was regarded as "the best of all knights," and as a knight, he made a storybook career: from the impoverished younger son of a poor knight to the powerful regent of England and one of the richest barons of the feudal era, with estates in England, France, and Ireland. In 1219, the count died a splendid death: he offered the world the spectacle of a true princely death, a perfectly staged farewell to the world. "Until now, Guillaume was known only to specialized historians. Now he has a good chance of becoming a favorite with the public." (profil) The special thing about this "exemplary narrative history" is that Duby can rely on a poetic work: the extensive Old French verse poem.