The author reveals the secrets and mysteries of a distant era, tragic and fatal, but at the same time full of romance, when generosity, nobility, courage, valor were not only words, but the meaning of life. For more than five centuries, knights remained the main military force of medieval Europe , their history is fraught with many cruel, bloody pages - the Crusades, the Seven Years' War, civil strife... But it was they who showed the world the military prowess of the best representatives of chivalry - the legendary King Arthur, Charles the Bold, Richard the Lionheart. The book is addressed to children of middle and high school age, and also to all curious readers.