The stories of momentous deeds under the sign of the sword and copies are mostly legends, but they do not lack a grain of truth! Although in search of heroic knights straight from Arthurian tales one should rather go to the world of fantasy, some archetypes have been reflected in reality. A perfect example of a hero of adventurous chivalry stories that really existed is Wilhelm Marshal.
We know his story thanks to the knight's biography written in verse, commissioned by his eldest son by an anonymous troupe. The work called "L'Histoire de Guillaume Maréchal" ("The Story of William Marshal") is not only a story rich in adventures, but also a unique source of historical knowledge.
Horse lineage
Wilhelm Marshal was a descendant of the royal equestrian John, who looked after the stables at the court of Henry I thanks to the efforts of Wilhelm's grandfather - Gilbert. Even the surname Marshal comes from their profession. Long before William appeared in the world, John had already had two sons with a townswoman who had been married while still serving in Henry I's stable.
In 1135 the king died and Stephen I of Blois took his place. In 1139 he was attacked by the daughter of Henry I, Matilda, who was then the Countess of Anjou. John Marshal fought on Stefan's side at first, but noticing changes at the front, he abandoned his current master and joined Matilda's forces. He also led to the annulment of the first wedding and concluded another, this time with Sibyl - sister of the later Earl of Salisbury. They had four children, of which the second - William - was born in 1144.
In 1135, King Henry died and Stephen I of Blois took his place.
Even in his early years, Wilhelm showed signs of unusual peace, courage and carefree. In 1152 he was sent hostage to Stephen's camp, while John used the temporary ceasefire to replenish supplies at besieged Newbury Castle and to seek help from Matilda. The king found out about this and threatened to hang the child, to which William's father was to reply that "he has anvil and hammers to forge even better sons" . According to this story, the execution did not take place only because the ruler was delighted with the unprecedented trust of an eight-year-old boy. Stefan picked him up and carried him back to the camp.
William also showed extraordinary abilities in the field of wielding a harrow. In The Life of a Medieval Knight by Frances Carney Gies we read:
His mother sent a servant to spy. Looking into the royal tent, the man saw William and the monarch playing "knights" with plantain stalks. In front of the servant, the boy torn off a bunch of leaves, which were the "head" of his opponent's knight. Noticing his mother's servant, he greeted him with an exclamation:"Hello, Wilikin! How is my lady mother? How are my sisters and brothers? ”. The terrified servant rushed to flee and barely escaped from the pursuit.
Certified squire
Soon the war was over, and twelve-year-old William was sent to study at the castle of William of Tancarville, chamberlain to the Duke of Normandy. There he learned how to be a squire:serve food, use a spear and sword, take care of his master's weapons, armor and mount, help a knight put on his armor. Most of all, however, the boy absorbed chivalry, learned about customs and ideals.
When William Marshal was twenty years old in 1164, he was knighted. There was a war again, this time between Henry II and Louis VII. The English ruler called on his subordinates for support. William of Tancarville helped John of Eu - they met together with the Jarl of Essex, William de Mandeville, in Drincourt (today:Neufchâtel-en-Bray), where it turned out that a battle would soon take place.
The text was created, among others based on the book by Frances Gies "Życie medieval knight", which has just been released by the Znak Horyzont publishing house.
William of Tancarville decided to "promote" William Marshal to a knight. The ceremony was shortened due to the conditions and the rush. The young squire received a new cloak from his supervisor, old Wilhelm strapped his sword to his belt and made the traditional stroke known as colée .
First Blood
The battle ended with the victory of the forces defending Drincourt. A freshly baked knight's horse was wounded, and William's spear broke. Regardless of these inconveniences, William threw himself into hand-to-hand combat on the streets of the city. According to the accounts of witnesses, he fought like a real knight:regardless of the spoils and the captives. Frances Gies writes:
In other words, acted like a perfect knight, not a typical knight. This attitude was admired, but only to a certain extent. Jarl Essex admonished William that the knight could not afford to disregard material gains. "Marshal," he said, "I want a gift from you as a token of praise and reparation." Obviously, William admitted, what do you want? "Podogonie or chomąto". "But for God's sake, I haven't had it myself in my life." Marshal, you say so? Today you had dozens of four or six, I saw it myself! Are you going to refuse me? ”.
Wilhelm made his real fortune in the second tournament, where he knocked another knight from his horse alone, and then repulsed five opponents himself.
William learned an important lesson from the events of the Battle of Drincourt and won his first trophies on the next occasion.
After returning from the war, he took part in the tournament - he quickly knocked down the first adversary and took his horse from him, forcing a ransom. Then he captured two prisoners and forced armor and horses from them. It was the first knightly tournament that William participated in, and he immediately managed to equip himself and his entire entourage. However, he made a real fortune at the second tournament, during which he threw another knight from his horse alone, and then repulsed the attack of five opponents himself. In this way, he obtained a beautiful steed from Lombardy.
Occupation:Knight
Taking ransoms during tournaments became William's blood. According to witnesses, he once caught up with a knight who broke his leg and carried him to an inn. On the spot, it turned out that he had no intention of helping the unfortunate man - instead he gave it to his fellow diners as a quick way to pay off debts.
In 1167, William returned to the true warrior and set out to support his uncle, Jarl Salisbury, in suppressing the rebellion in Pictava acquired by Henry II through his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. This time, however, luck was not good and William was taken prisoner. Eleanor bought him out of it, and luckily in misfortune - the king's attention fell on the still young knight. When in 1170 Henry II decided to crown his son, fifteen-year-old Henry known as "Young King", appointed William Marshal as the military instructor of the future ruler (despite his coronation, he was not yet formally the head of state).
In 1170, Henry II decided to crown his son, fifteen-year-old Henry known as the "Young King"
The heir to the throne opposed his father shortly after, leading to the outbreak of the war. To be able to pronounce and lead it, however, he had to first become a knight. He asked Wilhelm Marshal to fold. Then he went to Paris, where he joined his brothers - Richard the Lionheart and Godfryd. He gained the support of French barons and some English magnates. William remained with the "Young King", and although we do not know his exact role in the rebellion ("L'Histoire ..." does not say anything about it), it is known that in 1174 the conflict ended with an agreement between the sons and the father, and the young Henry received two castles in Normandy and a large sum of money.
It is not fitting to sit still
At this point, as a member of young Henry's entourage, William began the life of the stereotypical "knight errant." It took twelve years. As "L'Histoire ..." says:
They used to visit England
Almost all year while he just
He fought duels,
He hunted or fought in tournaments.
But the young king did not like it,
And his companions
It was very sad
They preferred to hang around rather
Better stay somewhere if they could go.
You know, that's it,
That a long stop is not appropriate for a young man.
Together with the "Young King" they visited tournaments, during which William gave him various strategies and made sure that the ruler did not lose a hair from his head.
Together with the "Young King" they visited tournaments, during which William offered him various strategies and made sure that the ruler did not lose a hair from his head. At the same time, along with the Flemish knight Roger de Gauga, William was successful in the tournament for two years - it is estimated that they captured around a hundred opponents then! Wilhelm Marshal also shone socially, willingly displaying his vocal abilities and flaunting his fortune. Apparently, when a certain minstrel composed a song about a knight with the verse "Marshal, give me a good horse", this ... immediately won and gave him a steed!
The last great tournament with the participation of Wilhelm Marshal was the game on the occasion of the coronation of Philip II Augustus as King of France. The fights took place in Lagny, and Henry took with him as many as two hundred knights! William was then 30 years old, had an established position and fame, but he still had no wife. He even got into trouble - in 1183 jealous people from Henry's court spread a rumor that the knight was the lover of Margaret, the king's wife . William, of course, wanted to defend himself honorably, challenging the accusers to a court duel, but Henry did not allow the case to be resolved in this way. William, having received a letterhead, left Normandy.
Exile
According to "L'History ...", three rulers ran for William. The latter, however, rejected the offer of service. He only accepted a small fortune from the Count of Flanders, and then went on a pilgrimage to Cologne. In 1183 he was called by Henry, who once again came into conflict with his father (this time with Richard on his side). It has just been besieged at Castle Limoges.
The text was created, among others based on the book by Frances Gies "Życie medieval knight", which has just been released by the Znak Horyzont publishing house.
William met Henry in Périgueux, but it soon became apparent that the king fell ill and was dying. On his deathbed, he ordered William to take his crusader robe to Jerusalem. The expedition was financed by the deceased's father, who gave William two horses and a hundred pounds. The knight obeyed the Young King's command, and then spent two years in Syria. His sublime deeds were endless, and as "L'History ..." proclaims - an ordinary man would not have achieved so much in even seven years.
Reward for hardships
After his return, Wilhelm's life began to stabilize. He helped Henry II in the fight against Philip II and Richard the Lionheart, for which the king repaid as best he could:he offered him the hand of Jarl Pembroke's daughter, Isabel de Clare. However, before they stood before the altar, Henry II died. Fortunately for the knight's marriage plans, William's proficiency in the art of warfare was noticed and appreciated by Richard .
Tombstone of William Marshal
In return for his service, he made his father's promise. The wedding took place in London in 1189. Earlier, Wilhelm had acquired education, sophistication, experience and fame, and now wealth has fallen upon him unexpectedly. From "The Life of a Medieval Knight" we learn:
Wilhelm was a little over forty then and suddenly became the owner of three truly princely estates in three countries. These included the so-called honor (great feudal estate of a royal vassal) in Striguil (Strigoil) with three land goods and about sixty fiefs (each of which was enough to support one knight; about six hundred acres of land) and a senate in the march (border area) in Striguil, roughly a hundredumil (two hundred and sixty square kilometers) area in the Wye basin, with Chepstow Castle; the county of Pembroke in South West Wales with its castle; the territories of Leinster in Ireland, in the areas of today's counties of Kildare, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Queen's (Laois) and part of King's (Offaly), finally half of the Longueville baroness in Normandy, with fiefs of forty or fifty knights .
Additionally, when his brother John Marshal died in 1194, William inherited the ancestral lands and the office of a royal equestrian. In 1199 - in addition to his serious state function and the military duties that came with it - William assumed the title of Jarl of Pembroke.
He later served John without the Land, in 1215 trying to appease the rebellious nobles after signing the Great Charter of Freedoms. When John died, William ruled as regent on behalf of Henry III Plantager. He died in 1219, shortly after joining the ranks of the Knights Templar. He was buried in the Templar Church in London.