Page "Ulrich von Liechtenstein" Paragraph 12

The hero of the 2001 film A Knight ’ s Tale, played by Heath Ledger, assumes the title “ Ulrich von Liechtenstein ” when he poses as a knight.

As “ undefeated ” in jousts, this was a worthy name to take.

The name also proved to work well in the plot and provided the necessary contrast to the hero's true name, William Thatcher.

However, the character claims to come from Guelders, which was not in Austria but rather in the Low Countries ( now in the Dutch province Gelderland ).

Also, the film is set in the second half of the 14th century, not the 13th century, so it is possible that William was referring to a knight he had heard of.