"Strong of Body, Brave and Noble"Medieval society was dominated by its knights and nobles. The literature created in medieval Europe was primarily a literature of knightly deeds, and the modern imagination has also been captured by these leaders and warriors. This book explores the nature of the nobility, focusing on France in the High Middle Ages (11th 13th centuries). Constance Brittain Bouchard examines their families; their relationships with peasants, townspeople, and clerics;