Why Is Blood Red Horse Important

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Recommended: Medieval England

Blood Red Horse: An Accurate Source

The Medieval Ages were a time of chaos and war as rulers struggled to maintain a centralized power. The historical fiction novel Blood Red Horse by K. M. Grant takes place in Medieval England at first in 1185, and then moves toward the holy city of Jerusalem until 1193. It follows the journey of Sir Thomas’s sons, Gavin and William, and their inseparable bond of the invisible horse, Hosanna, as they leave their homeland of Heartslove to take part in the third crusade. The novel thoroughly explains their visits to the local Abbey, experiences as Christians in battle, and their encounters with the Muslims as they fight for their religion to take back Jerusalem. K.M. Grant’s Blood Red Horse strongly and accurately describes the lives and knowledge of Monks living in a medieval Christian monastery, military armour and weapons, and the English crusader’s significant battles with Muslim leader, Saladin. Medieval England was under great influence of the Catholic church, and there were many monasteries called Abbeys where monks could live with one another in …show more content…

As they read different ideas they could see what types of remedies really worked and what types were ineffective. They used local herbs and plant extracts to make combinations that would heal certain wounds or illnesses. On page 86 Ellie goes to Brother Andrew and he shows her new cremes and special ointments that he and the monks work on and try out. Monks would gain a reputation after a while if they were good with medicine, “Some monks gained such a reputation for being skilled healers that they were sought out by lay patients” (“Medieval Medicine”). Grant accurately depicted a real scenario that would have happened: a monk is known for being knowledgeable with special medicines, so a patient seeks him out for

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