In the waning years of the fourteenth century, the household of John of
Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster was scandalized when twelve petulant
English knights publicly mocked the twelve ladies-in-waiting to the
Duke's wife, calling them ugly to their faces. Outraged, the ladies
sought immediate redress, but so fearsome were the knights' reputations
that none would step forward. Desperate for help, the Duke appealed to
his son-in-law King Joao I of Portugal to find champions ready to fight
for the ladies' honor. Enter the "Twelve of England," a band of
battle-hardened Portuguese knights. Led by the redoubtable Alvaro
Goncalves Coutinho, known as "Magrico," or "The Lean One," these twelve
fearless men set out for England to fight the English knights in
judicial combat, prepared to shed their blood to save the honor of
ladies they had never met. Such tales of valor and derring-do, which
often hinge on the notion of a team of warriors venturing into hostile
territory on a quest for vengeance or redress set against a sweeping
historical backdrop, have captured the imagination of audiences through
the ages, from Jason and the Argonauts to Lieutenant Aldo Raine and the
"Inglorious Basterds." Although undoubtedly a fictional tale inserted
into historical reality, the action does not end at the household of the
Duke of Lancaster, and other adventures ensue in France, Germany, and
Burgundy, as the twelve heroes spread the fame of Portuguese chivalry
throughout the great courts of Europe. The third volume of the Deeds of
Arms series presents a complete translation of the earliest known
version of the Twelve of England, which has survived in only one
manuscript. Professor Fallows presents the text in both the medieval
Portuguese and an accompanying English translation. A facsimile of the
original manuscript and an extensive introduction covering the
historical context of both the text and the deeds it discusses are also
included. An overview of the arms and armor used by the combatants,
color illustrations, genealogical tables, maps, and a comprehensive
bibliography further complement the text.
