William guided these four kings wisely through numerous crises and dangers, making his name synonymous with the model of the chivalric virtues of his time. Even members of the French court grudgingly acknowledged that he was the best knight in the world. He served as royal adviser to four English kings: Henry II, Richard I (popularly known as the Lionheart), John, and Henry III. One knight who was well known in both France and England was William Marshal (circa 1146- 1219).

Instead, he agreed to be called the Defender of the Holy Sepulcher.

Godfrey, in a gesture that ticked all the chivalric boxes, refused and piously argued that no one should wear a golden crown in the city where Christ had worn the crown of thorns. Godfrey’s fame and prestige among the diverse group of barons commanding the Crusade grew so that, when the crusaders succeeded in reclaiming Jerusalem from Islamic rule in 1099, they offered Godfrey the throne of the new kingdom of Jerusalem. Godfrey was the son of Count Eustace II of Boulogne and Ida of Lorraine, and together with his brothers helped lead the First Crusade in 1096. ( The Templars got rich fighting for God-then lost it all.) After the 14th century, he was included among the so-called Nine Worthies: nine men through the ages (some historical, others legendary) deemed to have embodied the ideals of chivalry. One of the earliest and most representative examples of a chivalrous knight was Godfrey of Bouillon (circa 1060-1100).

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