would reshape William Marshal’s career. Warren, King John, pp. 217–24; Brabury, Philip Augustus, pp. 279–315; Holt, The Northerners, p. 100.
the Great Charter or Magna Carta. J.C. Holt, Magna Carta, 2nd Edition (Cambridge, 1992); N. Vincent, Magna Carta: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2012).
Hubert of Burgh and John Marshal. Holt, Magna Carta, pp. 448–73.
conceived by a single mind. Painter, William Marshal, pp. 119–21; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 178–82.
at best, with ambivalence. Matthew Paris, Chronica Majora, ed. H.R. Luard, 7 vols. (London, 1872–84), II, pp. 604–5; Painter, William Marshal, p. 180; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 122.
civil war was inevitable. Holt, Magna Carta, pp. 448–73; Vincent, Magna Carta, pp. 58–84.
Stephen’s reign, seventy years earlier. Roger of Wendover, II, pp. 170–2.
the Capetian monarch remained resolute. Gerald of Wales, ‘De Principis Instructione’, pp. 326–9; HWM, lines 15061–70, 15097–108; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 185–6; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 122–3; D. Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III (London, 1990), pp. 5–12.
had familial ties to France. Painter, William Marshal, pp. 186–7; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 123.
to ‘his lord and king’. HWM, lines 15117–28.
to Marlborough Castle were blocked. Rotuli Litterarum Patentium, p. 175; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 185–6; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 121–2.
Marshal’s fidelity was yet to come. HWM, lines 15135–8; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 188–9.
by the presence of John’. HWM, lines 15143–206; Matthew Paris, Chronica Majora, II, p. 669; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 123–4.
could not be long postponed. HWM, lines 15185–91, 15207–28; S.D. Church, ‘King John’s Testament and the Last Days of his Reign’, English Historical Review, vol. 125 (2010), pp. 505–28.
for the last five decades. HWM, lines 15229–84; Painter, William Marshal, p. 192; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 192.
William retired to his rooms. HWM, lines 15287–397; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 192–5; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 125–6; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 13–14.
difficult for you to endure’. HWM, lines 15398–464.
whatever it may cost me’. HWM, lines 15465–561; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 195–6; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 126.
to beg for my bread.’ Patent Rolls of the Reign of Henry III (London, 1901), p. 10; HWM, lines 15562–708; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 196–7; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 126–7; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 15–17, 32.
prospects in the civil war. Painter, William Marshal, pp. 197–8; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 127; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 17–22.
a swift and decisive confrontation. Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 22–6; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 198–205; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 127–8; Vincent, Magna Carta, pp. 82–6.
if they were to prevail. ‘Annals of Barnwell Priory’, p. 236; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 26–35; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 128–9; C. Tyerman, England and the Crusades (Chicago, 1988), pp. 133–42.
‘play for the highest stakes’. HWM, lines 16085–130, 16168; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 211–13; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 128–9; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 35–6.
steadfast courage and ruthless ferocity. HWM, lines 16131–235.
the French ‘down to Hell’. HWM, lines 16236–304; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 129–30; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 36–7; F. Hill, Medieval Lincoln (Cambridge, 1965).
and the assault began. HWM, lines 16305–604; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 37–9; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 131–2.
hard-pressed to hold his own. Roger of Wendover, II, pp. 215–16; HWM, lines 16605–85.
Thomas] died in this manner’. HWM, lines 16686–768; Painter, William Marshal, p. 218; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 133. Thomas of Perche was William Marshal’s distant cousin, as Thomas’ great grandmother had been Hawise of Salisbury, William’s aunt.
civil war had been turned. HWM, lines 16769–17068; Roger of Wendover, II, pp. 216–19; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, p. 40.
invader set sail for France. HWM, lines 17069–726; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 40–9; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 219–25; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 133–4; S. McGlynn, Blood Cries Afar: The Forgotten Invasion of England, 1216 (Stroud, 2011), pp. 217–34.
rule and saved the kingdom. ‘Annals of Barnwell Priory’, p. 239; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 225–7; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 134–5. William Marshal probably was over–generous (or simply naive) in agreeing to pay Louis of France 10,000 marks to secure peace, on the expectation (confirmed by oath, but subsequently broken) that Louis would do all in his power to persuade his father, King Philip, to return the continental Angevin territory lost by John to Henry III.
EPILOGUE
to New Ross in Leinster. HWM, lines 17727–876; Carpenter, The Minority of Henry III, pp. 50–127; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 228–74; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 135–8.
the responsibilities of office. HWM, lines 17877–936; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 275–6; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 138.
‘delivered of a great burden’. HWM, lines 17937–18135; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 276–9; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 139.
William in his dying days. HWM, lines 18136–982; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 279–89; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 139–40, 214–16.
remained so to the very end. HWM, lines 18136–78, 18675–734.
be performed to the letter. HWM, lines 18124–35, 18180–225, 18243–60.
no man can find salvation. HWM, lines 18459–96, 18591–674, 18905–60.
have you for his own’. HWM, lines 18227–42, 18323–6, 18351–412, 18443–458. Ironically, Aimery of St Maur fell ill on his return to London and died even before William Marshal.
still be seen to this day. HWM, lines 18797–9215; Painter, William Marshal, p. 289; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 141.
the crown for personal gain. Carpenter, The Struggle for Mastery, pp. 300–37.
to a desperately premature end. R.F. Walker, ‘William (II) Marshal’, ODNB; D. Power, ‘Richard Marshal’, ODNB.
of King Richard II in 1399. Carpenter, The Struggle for Mastery, pp. 338–530; C. Allmand, The Hundred Years War: England and France at War, c. 1300–c.1450 (Cambridge, 2001).
in the dawn of modernity. Keen, Chivalry, pp. 102–253; Saul, For Honour and Fame, pp. 60–370; M. Prestwich, Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience (New Haven & London, 1996).
annals of the distant past. Aurell, ‘Henry II and Arthurian Legend’, p. 376; Kaeuper, ‘William Marshal, Lancelot and the Issue of Chivalric Identity’, pp. 1–19.
the figure behind the crown. The Fine Arts Commission Reports, vol. 4 (1845), vol. 7 (1847) vol. 8 (1849). I am very grateful to James Ford at the Palace of Westminster for his assistance on the issue of the redecoration of the House of Lords.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to all those who supported me through the researching and writing of this book. My thanks to Hilary Redmon at Ecco and Mike Jones at Simon & Schuster for their patience and editorial insight, and to Jo Whitford for overseeing the final stages of production. I am also indebted to my agents, Andrew Gordon and George Lucas, for their guidance.
William Voelkle, at the Morgan Library, kindly granted me access to the sole surviving manuscript of the History of William Marshal, and James Ford, at the Palace of Westminster, offered valuable guidance on the positioning of William’s statue in the House of Lords. I am also grateful to Peter Robinson, Amanda Vickery and Andrew Buck for their contributions.
In the midst of writing, I filmed a documentary about William Marshal’s life for the BBC – an experience which proved to be both hugely enjoyable and inspirational (even if it did keep me from my desk). I wou
ld like to thank John Farren, Martin Davidson and James Hayes for that rare opportunity, and my production team – Jack MacInnes, Catherine Stefanini, Fred Fabre and Katalina Echeverria–Valda – for their hard work.
I owe a huge debt to my friend and colleague, James Ellison, for the role he played in the genesis of this book – commenting on countless drafts, proffering sage advice and generous encouragement. As always, I am grateful to my family for their forbearance and kindness, and must thank my parents, Camilla and Jamie Smith, Jane Campbell, Margaret Williams and Craig Campbell. I have dedicated this work to Per Asbridge. William Marshal may have been the ‘greatest knight’, but Per has always been the finest brother.
Lastly, and most importantly, I am thankful for the love and patient understanding of my daughters, Ella and Violet, and immeasurably grateful to my wife, Christine – my first reader, without whom no word would be written.
Thomas Asbridge
September 2014
West Sussex
INDEX
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use your e-book reader’s search tools.
(WM refers to William Marshal the Elder, earl of Pembroke)
Acre, 164, 166
great siege of, 190, 224–5, 227, 232
Adelina (first wife of John Marshal), 6
divorce of, from John Marshal, 19
Adam (chancellor), 114, 146
Adam of Hereford, 296, 299, 301, 303
Adam of Yquebeuf, 97, 140, 141, 147
Adela of Blois, 10–11
Aimery of St Maur, 323, 337, 374
Aimery, viscount of Limoges, 151, 252
Alan of St-Georges, 220, 297
Albert, Prince, 382
Albinus of Ferns, 311n Aleppo, 162, 166
Alexander the Great, 126
Alfonso VIII of Castile, 90
Alice of Béthune, 311, 377
Alice of France, 144, 227, 229
John’s betrothal to, 233
Richard’s betrothal to, 89, 188
Aline of Rye, 263
Amator, 94
‘Anarchy’, see England: civil war in Andrew of Chauvigny, 199, 207, 212, 268, 274
death of, 275
Anet, 120, 125
Angers, 150, 325
Angevins, 31–2, 75–9
Angers assembly of, 150
Caen assembly of, 147–8
Capetians’ festering animosity towards, 78
Capetians sign peace treaty with, 134–5
court of, 175–81
danger and insecurity in, 178–9
‘a perilous whirl’, 179
shifting alliances in, 181
Empire:
collapse of, 267–79
divided, 281
doubts about future of, 135
Henry II equivocates over, 135–6
map of, 77
as English royal line, beginning of, 31
expanding influence of, 75
Henry II’s succession plans for, 88–9
Louis VII seeks to diffuse power of, 78
Norman dukes’ threat to, 78
Poitiers assembly of, 151
Richard reclaims realm of, 244–52
and five-year truce, 252
see also individual monarchs
Angoulême, 80, 138, 240
suppression of, 113
Anjou, 10, 75, 78, 109, 268, 275, 325
Arthur’s invasion of, 274
Ansel the Marshal, 133n Aoife of Leinster, 208, 292
Aqsa Mosque, 165
Aquitaine, 75, 78, 79–80, 109, 325
demands of pacifying, 136
ducal capital of, 80
Henry II commissions Poitiers Cathedral in, 80
Henry II’s campaign in, 79–84
John invades, 214
natural riches in, 79
resistance to Richard’s authority in, 139
Richard prepares for war over, 152
Richard’s continued campaigns in, 138
royal family’s feud over, 153–6
father–son diplomatic exchanges during, 154
and Young King’s death, 157
Young King’s overlordship of, 150
Aragon, king of, 99
aristocratic fashion, 45
armour, 48, 50, 379
Arques, 271, 273–4, 279
Arras, 229
Arthur I of Brittany, 225, 243, 268
birth of, 187, 214
as candidate for crown, 255
in captivity, 276–7
death of, 277
disappearance of, 275, 277, 312
knighted, 273
William of Briouze captures, 274
Arthur, King, 42, 126, 143
supposed Glastonbury tomb of, 43
Artois, 228, 248
Aumale, 106, 207, 273
Avenel, Nicholas, 220, 247
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, 137, 163, 166, 167
death of, 168
Baldwin V of Jerusalem, 168, 170
Baldwin IX of Flanders, 247–8, 273
Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury, 211–12
death of, 225
Baldwin of Béthune, 133, 146, 160, 181, 199, 212, 232, 238, 281
and bidding war for WM’s services, 148
lordship of Aumale granted to, 207
Baldwin of Hainault, 228
Bardolf, Hugh, 216
Barfleur, 7, 110, 235
Barre, Richard, 101
Basilia of Clare, 219, 296
Basilius, Peter, 253
Bayeux Tapestry, 46
Baynard’s Castle, 319
Becket, Thomas, 79, 89, 90, 91, 179
canonisation of, 95
Henry II’s official rapprochement with, 93
murder of, 95, 158
Henry II’s public atonement for, 110
shrine of, 110, 130
and Young King’s marriage, 131
Berengaria of Navarre, 243
Richard I marries, 227
Berold, 8
Berry, 22, 185, 187, 207
Philip II’s first incursion into, 188–9
Philip II’s second incursion into, 190
Bertrand of Born, 159
Bertrimont, Eustace, 163
in Striguil household, 219
Bibliothèque Impériale (later French National Library), xiv, xvi
Bigod, Hugh, 311
Bigod, Roger, 378
Black Madonna, 94
Blanche of Castile, 270, 272, 319, 335
Bloet, Nest, 144, 220
Bloet, Ralph, 219–20
Blund, William, 101
Bonsmoulins, 193
Book of Chivalry, The (Le livre de chevalerie), 72
Book of the Civilised Man (Beccles), 44
Bordeaux, 75
Boulogne, 11, 228
and border skirmish of 1166, 54–6
John severs alliance with, 270
Bouvines, 234–5
Brackley, 329
Bradenstoke Priory, 74
Brecon, 291, 312
Brewer, William, 215
Bristol, 13, 15, 215
Bristol Castle, 236
Brittany:
Angevin influence expands into, 75
Young King’s overlordship of, 150
Burchard or Worms, 20–1
Cairo, 166
Cambridgeshire, 216
Canterbury, 95, 110, 130, 336
Capetians, 75–6, 78
Angevins’ festering animosity towards, 78
Angevins sign peace treaty with, 134–5
Normandy offensive by, 190–3
territorial growth enjoyed by, 269
see also Louis VII of France; Louis VIII of France; Philip II of France
Cardiff, 291
Cardigan, 262, 294, 299, 321
fall of, 366
Carlow, 295, 302
Carmarthen, 299, 334
f
all of, 366
Carolingians, 42, 76
Carpenter, David, 360
Cartmel, 183
Augustinian priory at, 221–2
Caversham, 208
Châlus, siege of, 252–3
Chanson d’Antioche, 42
Chanson de Roland, 42
Charles the Great (Charlemagne), 37
Château Gaillard, 251, 278–9, 280
Châteauroux, 22–4, 188, 191–2, 194, 207
surrender of, 190
Châteauroux Castle, 185
Châtillon, 68
Chepstow, see Striguil
chevaliers (horsemen), 36
see also knighthood
chevauchées (destructive horse raids), 81, 191
Chinon, 99, 101, 195, 201, 280
Henry II takes refuge in, 202–3
Christianity, and knighthood, 40–1
Church of Holy Sepulchre, 164, 169
Cilgerran Castle, 262, 294, 376
Cistercian Order, 217
Clarendon, 176
Clifford, Rosamund, 102, 144
cnihtas (servants), 36
see also knighthood
Cnut, King, 5
Constance of Antioch, Princess, 162
Constance of Brittany, 269
Constitutions of Clarendon, 89
Corfe Castle, 336, 350
Cornwall, 215
Coronation Charter, 328, 332
Craon, Maurice, 205
Croc, Reginald, 359
crossbows, 51
Crouch, David, xx, 145, 219
Crusades, 41, 75, 137–8, 154
effect of, on knighthood, 41
First, 41, 163, 164, 170
siege of Antioch, 42
Second, 75, 144, 162
swords mass-produced for, 49
Third, 43, 171, 190, 196, 224, 230–1
great siege of Acre, 190, 224–5, 227, 232
most efficiently organised, 216
Philip II joins, 214, 216
Philip II’s return from, 228
Richard I joins, 212–14
Richard assumes command of, 230
Richard ransomed during, 231
Richard taken captive during, 229, 231
Richard’s successes during, 230–1
and Saladin Tithe, 216
stalemate conclusion of, 231
Curthose, Robert, duke of Normandy, 9, 109, 332
and Crusades, 41
Cut, Walter, 221
Damascus, 166, 167
Daniel of Beccles, 44, 144
Darum, 167
The Greatest Knight Page 45
