TheSeven Champions of Christendom is an epithet referring toSt. Andrew,St. Anthony the Lesser,St. David,St. Denis,St. George,St. James Boanerges, andSt. Patrick. They are thepatron saints of, respectively,Scotland,Portugal,[1]Wales,France,England,Spain, andIreland.
The champions were depicted inChristian art and folklore inGreat Britain asheroic warriors, most notably in a 1596 book byRichard Johnson titledFamous Historie of the Seaven Champions of Christendom. Richard Johnson was entirely responsible for grouping the seven together, for their epithet, and for most of their adventures in his book. Johnson's book was subsequently rewritten in modern English byW. H. G. Kingston.[2]
Legend often portrays God sending James to theBattle of Clavijo to fight against theMoors, while George is usually thought of as being aknightlydragon-slayer. The legend of Patrick casting all of theserpents out of Ireland is also quite famous. While the stories of each of these saints were popular inEurope during theMiddle Ages, it was Johnson who was the first to group them together. Four of the Seven Champions—Andrew, George, James, and Denis—died asmartyrs. Richard Johnson was the inventor of the ideas that the other three were martyrs, and that any of the Champions besides George and James wereknights-errant.
