tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243483912024-03-07T08:22:24.392+00:00 LIVING THE HISTORYAward winning historical fiction author Elizabeth Chadwick uses this space to discuss her work, her research, and share her love of the Middle Ages.Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comBlogger355125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-64202294380830243822017-10-24T00:30:00.000+00:002017-10-24T00:30:09.069+00:00All the Knowledge of the World! By Elizabeth Chadwick.While preparing a couple of longer blog posts on my main period of the Middle Ages, I am taking a short walk into the early 21st century.<br />
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A few years ago I happened to pick up an old leather-bound dictionary at a jumble sale. Mainly it was because I had a new dictionary in my study but with two sons at secondary school, another one downstairs for family use would come in useful. It was at a busy moment in my life and with a very cursory glance, I shelved it with the downstairs reference books behind the everyday dining table which also houses an assortment of cookery books, wildlife works, local history, map books, and a few to be read fiction titles. And there it stayed, safe but not perused.<br />
Yesterday, during a sleepover visit by my three year old grandson, we were eating our evening meal and began talking about the books behind us. Out of an impulse I pulled out the dictionary and opened it, and was amazed and delighted by the contents of its thousand plus pages. I really hadn't realised what a treasure it was and still is. It also brought home to me the fact that back in the day people had to rely on books for knowledge. Every house would have an encyclopedia or set of such somewhere, and until the Internet age, people made their living selling such tomes. I can remember my grandmother having a couple of such books, and my father in law had picked up a whole set when working as a junior in a second hand book shop and had self-educated himself from them.<br />
This particular book purports to be a dictionary, but it is clearly a lot more all purpose than that.<br /><br />Click on the images to enlarge<br /><br />
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Published in 1928, the same year that my father was born, it's not just a dictionary of words and their meanings, but a veritable cornucopia of general knowledge information with numerous little black and white sketches to illustrate the words. There are pages of black and white plates. Look up 'sheep' for example and you'll get all the popular breeds of the time presented on the page opposite.<br />
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Beyond the 'A-Z' there is a supplement containing all sorts of value-added information. "Scientific words - Words of Recent Introduction, including War Words. - Extensions of meanings of some of the words already in the body of the dictionary."<br />
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Having moved in 30 pages from "Abreaction - getting rid of a past disagreeable experience by living it through again in speech or action in the course of treatement" to "Zygote - the production of fusion of two gametes." the dictionary then moves on to "Addenda" and gives the peruser "A Key to Noted Names in Fiction, Mythology etc. "A Guide to Literary Allusions." Beginning with "Abdiel. A seraph in Milton's Paradise Lost who withstood the revolt of Satan, 'faithfully found among the faithless, faithful only be' to "Zuleika. An oriental female name said by the Mohammedans to have been that of Potiphar's wife. The heroine of Byron's <i>Bride of Abydos </i>is so named."<br /><br />
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This is followed by a "List of English and American Writers which includes among numerous others, Jane Austen, Robert Burns, John Dryden, Sir Walter Scott and Mrs Henry Wood. <br />We're then onto pronouncing vocabulary of Greek, Latin, scriptural and other ancient names, which then leads us on in a few pages to "Foreign Words and Phrases." 'Coup de plume' for example - a 'literary attack' or 'semel abba, semper abbas.' ' 'once an abbot always an abbot.'<br />On we go to "Foreign Words which Frequently Form Parts of Geographical Names, with Examples of their use.' For example: "Chow - Chinese. Island, second-class city, Hang Chow."<br />Then onto "Abbreviations and Contractions Commonly used in Writing and Printing," followed by "Forms of Address." For example: "uchess: Address: Her Grace the Duchess of - " Begin: 'Madam' Refer to as 'Your Grace."<br />
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After this we come to Principal Moneys of the World and their Equivalents in English Currency. From Abyssinia's Maria Theresa dollar to Zanzibar's British Indian rupee.<br />
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Then Principal Weights and Measures of the World. Who would have known that in British weights and measures, 56lbs is equal to one firkin of butter! <br />
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<br />Next up is Synonyms and Antonyms, followed by mechanical movements illustrated just so you know your spur gearing from your friction gearing.<br />
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Then it's onto Great Events of History including the Babylonian Revival of 606-538BC, The (Roman) Empire in Decline, The Rise of the Papacy, The Mohammedan Advance, The Age of Charlemagne, The Hohenstaufen Emperrors, The Hundred Years War etc etc. Recent events are also covered, including the opening of the Cairo to Karachi air route in 1927 and the Duke of York opening the Federal Parliament buildings in Canberra, Australia.<br />
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Very recent in people's minds, a Diary of the 'Great War' then follows.<br /><br />We're not finished yet as there now comes "A Concise Gazeteer of the World" Comprising lists of the countries, their populations, areas, religions, industries. The principal rivers and mountains are listed. Towns and cities and their populations. The railway routes, steamship time tables and also "A reliable and thoroughly up to date Atlas of the World, comprising 16 full page coloured maps.<br />
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All the general you need to get by in a single book of a thousand pages. I am so glad that I have taken this treasure from my shelf and opened it. I can foresee many moments of pleasurable and entertaining delving.Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-830193710780851602015-11-22T23:21:00.001+00:002015-11-22T23:21:22.003+00:00THE WINTER CROWN and a bit of news.I am hoping to get back to proper blogging soon. There have just been so many things going on and so many deadlines to make that I have let it lapse for a short while. It's going to have a bit of a revamp soon too I hope.<br />
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For now I can announce that THE WINTER CROWN has just been published in paperback in the UK and has a gorgeous cover that I love. It's the second in my trilogy about Alienor of Aquitaine and covers the marriage between Henry and Alienor from 1154 as far as 1174.<br />
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I titled the novel THE WINTER CROWN for a few reasons. <br />
1. It's in keeping with the seasonal theme of the trilogy.<br />
2. Henry and Alienor were crowned in December 1154, so it's fitting<br />
3. There's the emotional resonance of Winter in the relationship<br />
4. Old Sarum reminds me a bit of a crown on its hilltop setting and it has resonances for Alienor.<br />
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You can see a few quotes from reviews on the blog sidebar.<br />
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You can click on its page on my website to see some of the other editions of the cover from round the world.<a href="http://elizabethchadwick.com/the-winter-crown/">THE WINTER CROWN </a><br />
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The other piece of news to tell you is that last week, after successful negotiations, I have agreed a new two book contract with my publisher LittleBrown at their Sphere imprint. TEMPLAR SILKS is going to be my next novel and will cover the 'lost years' of William Marshal when he took an oath to travel to Jerusalem and lay the cloak of his deceased lord, Henry the Young King, on Christ's tomb at the Holy Sepulchre. He returned bearing two lengths of silk that he put away in a chest for the next 30 years and about which he told no one save the man keeping them safe. This book is the story of those silks and their ultimate purpose.<br />
I wrote a blog post about here, for THE HISTORY GIRLS. Click to read. <a href="http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/a-new-adventure-starting-next-project.html">A NEW ADVENTURE</a><br />
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I'm very much looking forward to writing the novel. I'll put up the first couple of chapter on my excerpts blog soon!<br />
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Elizabeth xx<br />
<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-26603174197930125862015-09-16T22:52:00.000+00:002015-10-17T21:40:01.670+00:00 THE WINTER CROWN. THE WINTER CROWN, the second book in my trilogy about Eleanor of Aquitaine is now available in the UNITED STATES in all formats and has been selling very well.<br />
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Here's the copy for the back of the book.<br />
"Eleanor of Aquitaine has more than fulfilled her duty as Queen of England - she has given her husband Henry II, heirs to the throne and has proven herself as a mother and ruler. But Eleanor needs more than to be a bearer of children and a deputy; she needs her own true authority. As her children grow older, and her relationship with Henry suffers from scandal and infidelity, Eleanor realises the power she seeks won't be given willingly. She must take it for herself. But even a queen must suffer the consequences of treason...<br />
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In this dynamic second novel of her Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy, Elizabeth Chadwick brings to life a passionate royal marriage where love and hatred are two sides of the same coin and in the battle for control the winner takes all...<br />
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<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-66370808861018771172015-07-08T22:55:00.000+00:002015-07-15T09:06:01.232+00:00RECONSTRUCTING MEDIEVAL GARMENTS: A guest post by Katrin Kania<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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From Elizabeth Chadwick: </div>
I was asked to write the introduction to the above rather marvellous reference book and was truly delighted to do so. As I say in the introduction, if I'd had this around during my long apprenticeship in finding out what I needed to know to write my novels, my path would have been considerably less burdened! It really is worth having on your bookshelf.<br />
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I asked the two authors involved - Gillian Polack a friend of many years, and Katrin Kania, a new friend, if they would write a couple of guest posts for my blog. I lef the subject matter up to them and I'm delighted to put Katia's up first. Some words to the wise with reference to medieval textiles and clothing.</div>
Gillian's post will follow next week.<br />
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It’s said that clothes
make the man – so logically, historical clothes would make the historical man.
When we’re trying to reconstruct historical clothing, however, it’s not as easy
as going to the shop, getting a pattern, and sitting down to do some cutting
and sewing…<o:p></o:p></div>
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The problems already
start with the pattern. Our modern clothing industry is geared towards mass
production of cheap items, conforming to current fads and to current ideals of
fit. A few years ago, for instance, low-waisted trousers became fashionable,
and I’ve had even more trouble finding proper trousers for myself since. They
are also cut to fit the average body, and while averages and sizing patterns
will change from country to country, or at least from subcontinent to
subcontinent, if you are not very average in your body shape – you might be out
of luck to find something that fits and flatters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Take this whole mass
production aspect away, and you are left with a much more personalised
industry: individual tailors who make things for individual customers, ensuring
that the garment they make actually does fit. (Of course, if you cannot afford
new clothes, you might have to wear ill-fitting hand-me-downs, but that is
another story.) This results in a clothing industry that may show individual
tailor’s hands, even if the general fashion trends change in a similar way in
large areas. Fashion plates or other means of spreading the news of what’s hot
and what’s not, such as a travelling VIP of any kind, dressed nicely, make sure
of that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Variability was thus
much, much higher than we are used to today. You can buy the exact same jeans
of a certain brand, with the exact same name, number, sizing and fit in London,
in Berlin, in New York and even in the small semi-rural little town where I grew
up. We are used to this conformity just like medieval or early modern people
would have been used to getting their cloth to a tailor and getting things made
from it, and the almost-lack of identical items that goes with this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since there’s no
mass-produced historical clothing items these days, why am I going on and on
about this? Living History people and costumers work on a similar basis today
when making historical dress, that’s true – but our whole basic set of
assumptions and expectations is formed by our modern industrial experience of
buying clothing, so it is something to keep in mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, I can name
you a few more other, and more important problems. The first of them, and often
the foremost? Materials. There has been a huge development in both the fibre
materials available (man-made fibres are almost everywhere these days) and
spinning and weaving machines, resulting in fabrics that are very, very
different to these used in the Middle Ages and still considerably different
from fabrics available until, let’s say, those produced in the 20th century and
later, when new, different and faster constructions of looms, such as
shuttle-less looms, come to the fore – with changed fabric characteristics.
Spinning machines make a different thread from hand-spinners, especially
historical hand-spinners, too. Fibre preparation has also changed over time,
with newer methods more suitable to industrial production taking over from
older methods.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zXx3En-cYXnOcaCdxZ2MZYBvMNXyPuQHiz_oppZgX9ZGDOz4mMC-uYFKVbftXnLEi5IIbQzp2q6pJx6t8xcHrRnrIyozGtmelE21jNEqQIZje4xpDWLc3B7tAgSkxS8zqEzX/s1600/gripper+loom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zXx3En-cYXnOcaCdxZ2MZYBvMNXyPuQHiz_oppZgX9ZGDOz4mMC-uYFKVbftXnLEi5IIbQzp2q6pJx6t8xcHrRnrIyozGtmelE21jNEqQIZje4xpDWLc3B7tAgSkxS8zqEzX/s400/gripper+loom.JPG" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gripper Loom built 1980 - Katrin Kania</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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So even if you find
fabric in the correct colours and the correct weave, even if it should be wool
and the label says “wool”, it will most probably still be a different fabric.
(Have you made a pained sound right now? I’m sorry. Also, welcome to my world.)
This is especially a problem if you are trying to do reconstructions for
instances where visitors are able to touch the garments – getting it really
right can often prove to be impossible given budget and time restrictions, and
getting it only half-right will perpetuate wrong assumptions about historical
fabrics.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Colours can be a
problem, too – in both directions, too little and too much. There are instances
when visitors might not believe that a bright pink was actually dyed with
natural dyestuff, using a late medieval recipe; those are the people that were
indoctrinated with the “everything in the Middle Ages was drab and brown”
belief. On the other hand, those who happily accepted the love of colour that
the Middle Ages had are sometimes tempted to use fabric dyed with modern
chemical dyes, which can come close to the huge range of shades possible with
plant and insect dyes – but sometimes really doesn’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And finally, the
further we go back in history, the less information we do have. What did a
well-off peasant wear in 1250? What did a poor one wear? How affordable and how
available were used clothes for those that could not or would not afford new
ones? Good quality clothing, well-fitted to the wearer, was an important means
to show one’s wealth and status, so there would have been a temptation to
overspend for some people – but how widespread was that temptation? We do know
that showing one’s status was important in the medieval society, but how
important was status and showing it off to that individual person? There would
have been differences from person to person. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There would also have
been local differences in clothing, local fads and trends, local preferences.
We can still see this today when we travel: even in our globalised, unified
society, there are different trends in how to dress in London and Paris and Copenhagen
and Munich at the same point in time. There’s also the influence of key people
in individual circles, who might start a mini-fad for a certain type of shoes
or a certain type of bag, restricted to a clique or similar group. (I still
remember being made fun of in school because my trousers were shorter than
fashionable… and then entering that first lecture in Archaeology, just to find
out that everybody there cared about trouser length just as much as I did.
Which is to say: not at all.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Many of these things
are problems not easily solved, if they can be solved at all. With enough money
and enough time, it is of course possible to exactly reproduce an existing
piece of fabric, and there are specialists offering exactly this service.
(Usually they are employed by museums for reconstruction or conservation
purposes, where an exact reproduction matters.) When it comes to source
material, however, we cannot just go back in time and make sure enough
information will survive the years until our present, though that would be a
wonderful thing. We’re stuck with what we have: a few real garments, many more
scraps of fabric too small to guess what they originally were, pictures and
images of people wearing clothes, wills and inventories and similar lists, and literary
texts with descriptions of clothing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
None of these sources
is perfect. For the Middle Ages, there’s way too few surviving clothes to give
anything like a good picture; there’s always the question of what underlying
symbols and artistic conventions have influenced a painting or drawing of
clothes, just like a writer describing someone’s clothes may have taken
artistic license in ways we cannot reconstruct. Wills and lists are more
reliable in some ways, but are usually not including descriptions that would
help us to really define or identify the listed pieces. We can use all of these
sources together, though, to try and reconstruct an image of historical
garments.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And even though all
this may have sounded like I’m trying to rain on every costume enthusiast’s
parade - I’m all for taking up that needle and thread and going for that set of
clothes. I know, from my own experience, that sometimes you have to go and do
things to actually understand how something works, and why. I’ve been sewing
garment reconstructions for more than a decade now, and helping other people
cut and tailor their garments is part of my day job. I know full well how often
and how many compromises have to be made, and that the one hundred percent
authenticity is not attainable. But I’m also a firm believer in knowing about
your compromises, and knowing about the backgrounds and crafts details, and
making those choices of pattern and technique and material with as much
information on the original versions as is possible. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After all, if we dress
up in reconstructed historical garments, we are teaching people things about
historical dress. We’re challenging, or reinforcing, their previous concepts
and ideas about it just by standing there and being looked at. Our decisions
when making garments matter – we will always have to speculate, and compromise,
and guesstimate when making a set of clothes based on sources. Having detailed
information about historical materials, however, can help us pick the best
compromise possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: justify;">Dr Katrin Kania is a freelance textile archaeologist and teacher as well as a published academic who writes in both German and English. She specialises in reconstructing historical garments and offering tools, materials and instructions for historical textile techniques. Find her website at <a href="http://www.pallia.net/">www.pallia.net </a>and her blog at <a href="http://togs-from-bogs.blogspot.co.uk/">http://togs-from-bogs.blogspot.co.uk/</a></span></div>
Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-8315013755396178482015-06-24T08:53:00.001+00:002015-06-24T08:53:19.574+00:00KING JOHN'S BLING.I've just written this post for THE HISTORY GIRLS and am linking to it here.<a href="http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/king-johns-bling-by-elizabeth-chadwick.html">http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/king-johns-bling-by-elizabeth-chadwick.html</a><br />
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<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-91599838991795913742015-06-21T10:42:00.000+00:002015-06-21T20:40:06.407+00:00WILLIAM MARSHAL NON FICTION WORKS: A roundup.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought I would write a roundup of the most prominent reference works concerned with William Marshal for those who might want to read about him for themselves. I have used some of these for research while writing my novels about William Marshal (THE GREATEST KNIGHT and THE SCARLET LION, detailing his life story from young manhood to grave). Some works have been published since I wrote THE GREATEST KNIGHT (one even has the same title and UK font!), so I thought I'd do a roundup with my opinion. A couple have full reviews.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before I go on to the secondary source material, I need to mention that the top primary source resource for the study of William Marshal is THE HISTOIRE DE GUILLAUME LE MARESCHAL, a rhyming 20,000 line poem about William's life published by the Anglo Norman Text Society in two volumes with a companion glossary volume. It's edited by A.J. Holden with English translations by S. Gregory and historical notes by David Crouch. You can find out more about it by enquiries to the Anglo Norman Text Society. <a href="http://www.anglo-norman-texts.net/">http://www.anglo-norman-texts.net/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Onto the reference works.</span></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">SIMPLY THE BEST</span></b></u></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William Marshal Knighthood War and Chivalry 1147-1219 by David Crouch.</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">David Crouch's work on William Marshal: is now, in second edition, 13 years old, but it still sets the gold standard. There are one or two slips of the pen (such as the comment that William's wife could have been no older than twenty when he married her - when in fact she could have been no older than 17) and occasional moments where opinion becomes a bit more personal than fact and are not fully supported (that the Marshal could not read for example, where the only evidence is that he employed clerks - but then so did everyone else. And calling him a 'complete illiterate not even able to read French let alone Latin, sounds like putting in the boot without any clear evidence). However, by and large, this one wears its scholarship with full credentials and excellent analysis. I understand from professor Crouch that there is going to be a third edition of this work either later this year or in the New Year with amendments, corrections and new material. A lot of new information about the Marshal has come to light via Professor Crouch's study of previously unexplored letters and charters of the Marshals and these are going to add a lot more nuance to what is already known. If you only buy one book about the Marshal, make it this.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">NB <span style="font-size: 16px;"> The Marshal letters and charters were supposed to have been made available as a publication from the Camden Society in July 2015, but it now looks as if it may be November.</span></span></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">THE BEST OF THE REST </span></b></u></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William Marshal. Knight-Errant, Baron and Regent of England by Sidney Painter</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This one was first published in 1933 but it has stood the test of time reasonably well and can be read beside the Crouch to give an excellent overview of the period. This is my second go-to book. It's not as nuanced as the Crouch, and the research is older, but it still holds its own and has a strong feel for the Marshal. Good scholarship.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Knight Who Saved England by Richard Brooks</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a workmanlike biography of the Marshal that's on its best ground in a military capacity. Indeed, I think Brooks understands the Marshal the military man the best of any of the biographers. He really gets a feel for the logistics and his man in that capacity. The book is particularly strong on the battle of Lincoln in 1217 and is worth buying just for that. You can read my full review here.</span></div>
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<a href="http://livingthehistoryelizabethchadwick.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-knight-who-saved-england-by-richard.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">THE KNIGHT WHO SAVED ENGLAND</span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William Marshal Earl of Pembroke by Catherine A. Armstrong.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This work is mostly a print copy of the articles Catherine Armstrong has written for the Castles Wales website. Here's the link to the site, and then you can fine tune from there by using the search box. <a href="http://www.castlewales.com/home.html">Castles Wales</a> It's very obviously self published and the production values are not high end. It's a bit here and there in content and the Marshal is viewed with a rose-tinted focus at times. However, it is still well written and knowledgeable. There are details one can pick up from this one that are not in any other work and the bibliography is staggering and well worth the perusal. It's definitely one to add to the shelf. </span></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">DUBIOUS DUBY </span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">George Duby's Flower of Chivalry was the first book I read on the Marshal when I began researching my novels. I read it once and then put it back on my shelf. Duby is flawed. He has some very strange notions about the treatment of women at that time and twists the facts so much to suit his argument that he warps the whole frame out of true. He is also guilty of making William Marshal a bit of a bonehead, which he certainly wasn't. He doesn't give him enough credit on the fronts beyond the military and simplifies his character. I would say there are better works out there. Professor Crouch himself warns against some of Duby's excesses. Although he is fair in his appraisal of Duby and says some positive things. His concluding remark is telling. 'Duby's Marshal is a warning of how selective historical writing can distort the evidence in a most unacceptable way.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">THE LATEST OFFERING</u> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Greatest Knight by Thomas Asbridge.</b> I read this recently and here's my review. If there's to be a paperback of this work, I sincerely hope it will be revised</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I confess that before I read
Thomas Asbridge’s THE GREATEST KNIGHT”, I was already curious about this new
biography of William Marshal. The lives of John FitzGilbert the Marshal and his
son William are a lifelong study subject for me outside my novel writing career. Since this
work shares the title of my 2004 novel THE GREATEST KNIGHT about the life of
William Marshal and even has the same font and cloudy background on the cover, my interest was naturally
piqued even more.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">William Marshal, circa 1146-1219 has been called the
Greatest Knight who ever lived and we know about him through a rhyming
biographical poem of over 20,000 lines commissioned by his family and written
by a poet simply known as John.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Despite the often highly positive spin the
biography puts on the Marshal’s life, much of the <i>“Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal” </i>still rings true in its basics
and the reader receives a strong flavour of the vigour of the Marshal’s
character. It’s a vivid glimpse into the
world of the 12<sup>th</sup> and 13<sup>th</sup> century aristocracy – their
cares and concerns, their pleasures and politics. It’s the first secular
biography of an Englishman and a work of incalculable value, not least because
of its survival, which is a story in itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That survival is the starting point of Thomas Asbridge’s work
- how it was rediscovered at auction by historian Paul Meyer in the 19<sup>th</sup>
century and how he lost the bid, but doggedly followed the manuscript’s trail, found
it again, and translated it into the modern French of his own era along with a
commentary. It’s a fascinating story
that draws the reader in and is one of the book’s most positive and interesting
aspects. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thomas Asbridge tells his tale in a strong, linear style
that is entertaining and very readable which gives it wide appeal. You don’t
have to be an academic to enjoy the writing.
He mostly relies on the “<i>Histoire
de Guillaume le Mareschal”<span style="color: #e36c0a; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></i> as his
source material and puts his own interpretations on the story, sometimes with
results that might raise the eyebrows of those who know William Marshal well,
but probably won’t be noticed by those who don’t. I have to say that general readers may be
misled at times about the Marshal’s character because the interpretation, and indeed some of the stated 'facts' do not always stand up to scrutiny.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Asbridge
never seems to quite grasp the nuances. For example, John FitzGilbert, William’s father is
portrayed as a brutal weathercock. But
he was no more brutal than any other baron at the time, and it could be argued
much less of a weathercock than a good number of his compatriots. Once he swore
for the Empress he stuck to his word even though it meant the loss of an eye at
Wherwell, and the potential loss of his son at Newbury, when John was the last
man standing between King Stephen and the castle at Wallingford. The reader
isn’t told this. Asbridge tells us
instead that King Stephen was </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">‘determined
to punish John’s presumption’</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> and so in the fading days of his power, came
to seize John’s castle at Newbury. But it was more than just royal displeasure
and vindictiveness that brought Stephen to Newbury. The point of the Newbury
incident is that Stephen needed to get to Wallingford before the future Henry
II returned from Normandy, but he knew if he marched directly to Wallingford from
his current base at Reading that John
FitzGilbert would come from Newbury, attack him from behind and he’d end up sandwiched
between the defending garrison at Wallingford and the Marshal forces in the
rear. So in order to have a good chance
of success at Wallingford, he had to take out John Marshal first. John Marshal knew there was no one else; he
was the last man standing between Stephen and the destruction of Wallingford. That puts the whole situation in a very
different light. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">There’s
the moment when John attacks his rival neighbour</span><span style="color: #e36c0a; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> Patrick of Salisbury.
Asbridge tells us that this shows John’s capacity for </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">‘ruthless brutality’</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> – to attack a troop of more lightly armed
men. What he doesn’t tell the reader is
that these lightly armed men were actually on their way to slaughter John and
were carrying their heavy armour with them ready to put on just before they attacked
him. But John got wind of their intent and hit them first. Again, the reader is only told half the story
and thus the nuances are changed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">When
it comes to William Marshal himself, I
began to wonder how much notice Thomas Asbridge had actually paid to the
Histoire although it seemed to be his main source of information. For example, he tells us that </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“The Marshal himself seems to have shown
only limited interest in the likes of dancing (and) music.”</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> In direct contradiction of this the Histoire
tells us that William’s singing voice had a </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">‘pure,
sweet tone’</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> and that he willingly sang for his comrades at a dance at a
tourney and that it gave them </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">‘much
pleasure and delight.’</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> (Lines 3471-3483)
Many years later on his deathbed, William said one day that he felt like
singing, as he had not in three years. This suggests that he had enjoyed song
for most of his life. He also specifically called his daughters to sing for him
and instructed them how to do so to the best of their ability and then joined
in with them.’ (lines 18532-18580). This is a man with only days to live. It’s very, very obvious that he loved music, understood its technicalities, and it would have been one of the few joys left to him. I am astounded that Asbridge has been so dismissive of these aspects in his work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Asbridge
alters one scene in the Histoire itself by not reading the text in primary
source and by misunderstanding the English translation, hence the matter of the
pike. At a tourney at Pleurs, William
Marshal got his head stuck inside his helmet and went to the smithy to have it
prised off. In the meantime he had been
judged ‘man of the match’ which means he had won the main tourney prize</span><span style="color: #e36c0a; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> of a
fish – a large pike. The Histoire tells us this in the original Old French word
for the creature </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“luz” </i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> It’s in prime condition and more than two and
a half feet long. Pikes and swans were
common tourney prizes at this time, as were other animals. One particular tourney even had a bear as the
prize. Asbridge tells his readers that
William has won a two and a half foot long spear! Common
sense would surely tell one that a spear of two and a half feet in length isn’t
actually a spear (you'd need to be looking around 12 feet) and not a useful thing to win, especially not for the champion
of the show!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Asbridge
dresses William in an odd way too. He tells us he would have worn a shirt with detachable
sleeves, a ‘fact’ that appears to be picked up almost verbatim from the
Danziger and Gillingham book “1215”. Asbridge says that William would have worn </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“a shirt, often with detachable sleeves.”</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> Danziger and Gillingham’s line (p22) says “</span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">a shirt with long sleeves that were often
detachable.”</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> Now then, neither
Danziger nor Gillingham are clothing historians but I happen to know a
few, and I challenge anyone to find any
time in the 12</span><sup style="text-indent: 36pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> or 13</span><sup style="text-indent: 36pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> century when shirts with detachable
sleeves were worn; tunics perhaps, later on under Renaissance influence</span><span style="color: #e36c0a; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> but
never, never shirts.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The
description of the Young King, eldest son of Henry II is almost identical to
the one on Wikipedia and the problem here is that the reader can’t know if this
information is reliable because Asbridge doesn’t give proper sources or
footnotes. There is no bibliography section, rather the books consulted are
mentioned in the end notes which are far from reader friendly. They are arranged in a chapter by chapter
format, but are quotes from pages without reference numbers, leaving the reader
utterly baffled and having to hunt through the entire chapter for the lines in
question.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">I was somewhat surprised at some of the dates Asbridge uses. Eleanor of Aquitaine
receives the older research birthdate of 1122 instead of the now more usually
accepted 1124. King John’s birth year
is cited as 1167 when it looks more likely to be 1166. (See “Eleanor of Aquitaine Lord and
Lady,” edited by John Parsons and Bonnie Wheeler, the chapter by Andrew Lewis
on revising the birth date of King John. This also gives the revised birth date
of 1124 for Eleanor of Aquitaine. Gerald of Wales also indicates the birth date
of 1166 for John). William Longespee’s birth date is erroneously given as 1167
when we now know it was somewhere between 1175-80, shortly before his mother,
Ida de Tosney married Roger Bigod</span><span style="color: #e36c0a; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> Earl of Norfolk.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">The
reader is told that Eleanor of Aquitaine was at the coronation of her son the
Young King in 1170. However she was in
Normandy at the time, trying to prevent various agents of Thomas Becket making
the crossing and preventing the coronation</span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">.
(</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">William FitzStephen Life of Becket).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Asbridge
has William setting off for the Holy Land in September 1183 and suggests that
he just possibly may have arrived there in that same month in time to fight
Saladin – which is patently impossible even given a jet propelled horse!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Asbridge
suggests in one of the many ‘may have’ moments occupying the narrative that
Richard the Lionheart was determined to
build a glorious reputation for himself in liberating Jerusalem and
didn’t want William along on crusade with him in case the Marshal stole his limelight
– he was jealous of him! That begs the
question then, why did he promote
William and his affinity to such prominent positions in his government? Why not
just dump William if he was worried about the threat to his own glory? Asbridge also speculates as to whether
William would be considered a coward for staying at home, but since someone had
to rule the country and since William had already made the pilgrimage, it’s an
argument that skates on very thin ice – in my opinion.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Asbridge accuses the Marshal of </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">‘grumping, wheedling and whining’</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> to
Henry II for promotion and makes him
sound like a child having a whinge in a supermarket. While the Marshal might
have been pro-active in seeking promotion</span><span style="color: #e36c0a; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> and we know he complained to Henry II, </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">“grumping, wheedling and whining”</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> certainly does
not convey the resonances of the period and the way in which the reciprocation
of patronage played out. Would Henry
II, famous for his impatience, have listened to and sought the advice of a man who grumped, wheedled and
whined? Absolutely not. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Positives? The aforementioned story of the discovery and
rescue of the manuscript is well written and fascinating. Dr. Asbridge also gives a fine reassessment
of the Young King which is long overdue and puts him in his full political context. Rather than a foolish, spendthrift ‘Hooray
Henry,’ this eldest surviving son of
Henry II comes over as a politically astute young man frustrated by his
father’s controlling, micro-managing
policies. That aspect of the biography is excellent and recommended as food for
thought. It’s a great balancer to the more usual negative assessments of the
Young King.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ultimately, Asbridge’s <span style="color: #e36c0a; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">“</span>Greatest Knight<span style="color: #e36c0a; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">”</span> is an uneven work that doesn’t really get
under the surface of the Marshal’s personality and there are some rather bizarre interpretations of the motivations
behind some historical events completely lacking credible evidence to back them up.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">If it is taken too seriously or seeps into the public
mindset, it has the potential to set back the progress made by more scholarly
works of our understanding of the Marshal. If you do read this one, make sure
you also read David Crouch on the Marshal to get a fully rounded picture. </span></span></div>
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-13712022618842555272015-05-26T00:30:00.000+00:002015-05-26T10:34:17.870+00:00THE MARSHALS AND KING JOHN: A paper from this year's Mortimer Society Conference.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_xI9So0kptpCTA2kSVj37GM7IJnkAWh4-XQe9Hsgi1bDc02P5WsNJlEuqj7CZdO13rXC9qXlpwaRFtw-mKbP1oyQJC77zZhOcenWmRdZTZ8A8XDYoutE5C7h0KwhvuFvqp3G/s1600/img673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_xI9So0kptpCTA2kSVj37GM7IJnkAWh4-XQe9Hsgi1bDc02P5WsNJlEuqj7CZdO13rXC9qXlpwaRFtw-mKbP1oyQJC77zZhOcenWmRdZTZ8A8XDYoutE5C7h0KwhvuFvqp3G/s400/img673.jpg" width="277" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was asked by the organisers of the Mortimer Society Conference if I would give a paper loosely on the subject of matters or personalities concerned with Magna Carta for their annual day of lectures at Hereford Academy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Slightly daunted to be in the august company of lecturers and academics who know the period inside out at degree level, I nevertheless decided nothing ventured nothing gained and agreed to do so. The result was this - a piece on the relationship between the Marshal and King John. Other than a few photos to break up the narrative, this is the article verbatim.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am so glad I agreed to lecture at Hereford. I met some old friends and readers, and said hello again to the lovely indie bookseller from Ludlow. The lecturers were absolutely charming and not at all 'ivory' tower and were as interested in what I had to say, as I was in their work. So, all in all a great exchange, and enjoyable at all levels!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b>THE MARSHALS AND KING JOHN.</b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQ-8uw8CiRz90FOJD3OW0LCAXkFE4s2xSVOL_Bq_JxYOlCrKkDXYBWe51HZXAMrs5pYlaGtPsAdXoGEu8QPJ9l66kc_3kDfMdb2X8Jzv_-qtVQ1R5vULTQBoUHL0Z82UjEY25/s1600/William+in+my+hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQ-8uw8CiRz90FOJD3OW0LCAXkFE4s2xSVOL_Bq_JxYOlCrKkDXYBWe51HZXAMrs5pYlaGtPsAdXoGEu8QPJ9l66kc_3kDfMdb2X8Jzv_-qtVQ1R5vULTQBoUHL0Z82UjEY25/s400/William+in+my+hall.jpg" width="270" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William Marshal as imagined by the artistic talent</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of Diana Popovic Dicso.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>I am going to begin with a quote from the Histoire
de Guillaume le Mareschal.</b><br />
<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>"<i>Sire, I beg the Lord
our God that, if I ever did anything to please him, that in the end he grant
you to grow up to be a worthy man. And if it were the case that you followed in
the footsteps of some wicked ancestor, and that your wish was to be like him,
then I pray to God, the son of Mary, that he does not give you long to live and
that you die before it comes to that."</i></b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">These are the words spoken to the 11 year old King Henry III
by William Marshal on his deathbed. The moment is reported in the <b>Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal</b>, a
20,000 line poem commissioned by the Marshal family, specifically it is thought
by the Marshal’s eldest son William II, to commemorate his father’s great life and
to glorify the family. It was completed around 1226. That “certain wicked ancestor” was the young
king’s father, King John, who had died two and a half years earlier leaving the
country in almost bankrupt turmoil and rife with civil war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The Marshal Histoire
was intended to be read aloud on the anniversary of William’s death, to his
family, and to those who shared their affinity, which rather demonstrates that
in the mid-1220s and for a while afterwards, the reputation of King John was
set at nought even while his son Henry III was entering manhood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Despite William Marshal’s damning deathbed remarks in 1219, he had served King John and indeed John’s
brothers and father in a military capacity through thick and thin for more than
50 years. In some ways they were the reason for his being. No Henry II, no
Richard and John, and there would have been no William Marshal Lord of
Chepstow, Earl of Pembroke, ruler of Leinster, Lord of Bienfait, Longueville
and Orbec in Normandy – among other ownerships. All of these and various posts and fiscal
rewards were payment for loyal and intelligent service, both on the battlefield
and off it and all were dependent on the favour and patronage of the Angevin
kings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">My main thrust today is William Marshal’s relationship with King John.
The Histoire may be damning in those parting comments of the Marshal to
the boy king, and yet the Marshal had
stood by John when everyone else was deserting him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> Perhaps we’ll never
truly know the reason why even though we can make educated guesses, and it’s
those guesses I want to look at now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William wasn’t the only Marshal to have dealings with John.
His brother also named John, served as a
royal Marshal under Richard I and John when he was count of Mortain. William’s
own sons William and Richard were for a time hostages of King John and had an
adolescent knowledge of him outside of their father’s household.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So let’s take a look at the relationships, what we do know,
and what we can extrapolate without wandering too far from the beaten track<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William Marshall was about 20 years old when King John was
born in December 1166 at Oxford. Possibly that birth date is 1167 although the evidence
leans more toward the earlier date and we have professor Andrew Lewis’ detective
work to thank for finding that out. But anyway,
there was a 20 year gap. When John was in the care of his wet nurse Agatha, William
was coming to young knighthood in Normandy under the tutelage of his distant
kinsman William de Tancarville, who was the hereditary Chamberlain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">By the time the infant John crossed the channel with his
family William had entered the service of his uncle Patrick Earl of Salisbury who was serving as the
governor of Poitou. Did William meet the very young John? We don’t know. John
seems to have spent his early years at the Abbey of Fontevraud. This was
probably to keep him out of harm’s way and acted as a sort of safe kindergarten
while his parents were busy with the problems of major government. All the same
he would have been with one parent or another at the great feasts of the year, and
William may well have encountered him then but as no more than a royal toddler.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> As John’s childhood
progressed, William would certainly have encountered him at various gatherings
and would probably have exchanged occasional words with him. William himself
came from a large family and he seems to have been at home with people of all
generations. I am sorry to use a lot of
‘may have’s’ ‘probablies’ and ‘it is likely’ but that’s because we can't say for certain. However, on a possibility scale of one to ten, it’s closer to a ten than
a one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William entered Queen Eleanor’s household in 1168 after
saving her from ambush at the cost of his own wounding and capture by the
Lusignan family who were in rebellion. Patrick Earl of Salisbury was killed in
the attack. Eleanor took a shine to
William, paid his ransom and rewarded him with money, horses and weapons from
her own purse. He became her man and entered her household. In 1170 he was promoted to the role of tutor
in chivalry and marshal of the household of her eldest son Henry, known as the
young King because his father had had him crowned in his own lifetime. His star
was hitched to that young man’s wagon. Henry the Young King seems to have been
fond toward his youngest brother. There was an 11 year age gap between them and
by the time John was four his older brother was already a king in name. When Henry II had a bout of illness in 1170
and thought he was dying he left instructions in his will that Henry the Young
King should be John’s Guardian. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Basically William would have watched
John growing up on the sidelines with occasional moments of contact between
child and man. Whether he had any sympathy for a younger son who would have to
make his own way in the world, we don’t know but his main responsibility at
this time was to the Young King. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The brotherly love between John and
young Henry was strained when their father stated his intention of endowing
John with three castles that belonged to the Young King. It was one of the reasons that led to a rebellion
of the older sons against their father,
rebellion that swiftly spread to become
a general civil war and resulted in the imprisonment of Eleanor of Aquitaine who
was accused of fomenting an uprising with her three older sons. John, too young to be involved, remained out
of it all on the sidelines. Although Henry II prevailed and reconciliations were made, the crack were
still deep and ugly. John seems to have remained
in favour with his father, sometimes being found in his company and sometimes
under the tutelage of Ranulf de Glanville, one of Henry’s able courtiers and
lawyers. Throughout this time William
Marshal would have continued to be an observer towards his lord’s attitude to
his youngest brother and would have encountered John on occasion at gatherings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The young King rebelled against his
father again in 1183, and this time died during the conflict. Following his death, William Marshal went on
pilgrimage to Jerusalem and when he returned took up employment with Henry II.
During the period between 1186 and Henry II’s death in 1189, William would have
had further time to get to know John as the king’s youngest son developed into
young manhood. William was with Henry II
at the bitter end when the King died. Richard was now in rebellion against him
and had actively hounded him. At one point William had had to face down the
hotly pursuing Richard by killing his horse under him and stopping him in his
tracks. But at least Richard’s intentions were clearly signalled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">When Henry II died, he was alone. His naked corpse had been
robbed by his servants while his household was elsewhere. John by this time had seen the writing on the
wall and had deserted the sinking ship. His
father is supposed to have asked for a list of those who had betrayed him, and
on seeing John’s at the top of it, had turned his face to the wall and died.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William’s views on John’s desertion we don’t know, but he
had already prevented Richard from persecuting the dying king by killing his
horse under him. This act proved to Richard’s mind the Marshal’s unswerving loyalty
to his liege lord and he was willing to forgive and reward William hugely for that
loyalty, and advance his position in the new reign by giving him lands, power
and the fabulously wealthy young heiress Isabelle de Clare into the bargain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Richard,
however, was preparing to go on crusade and left William Marshal as one of
several justiciars to help run things in Richard’s absence. John, although married to an English
heiress, Isabelle of Gloucester and
having extensive lands in England was banned from the country by Richard for 3
years. John objected and his mother
stepped in to plead his case. The ban
was quashed and John had his leeway.
William Marshal was Richard’s man and remained so, but his family had a
foot in each camp as his older brother was of John’s faction. This might have been just the way it turned
out, or it might have been wily statecraft. William Longchamp bishop of Ely certainly
seemed to think it was the latter and that William Marshal was cultivating John
just in case he became the next king.
Perhaps he was, but his core loyalty was to Richard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Without going into too much
convoluted political detail, Richard had
left the government of England partially in the hands of his chancellor,
William Longchamp bishop of Ely.
Longchamp wanted the whole and set about throwing his weight
around. The barons protested that he was
behaving like a king indeed rather than a representative of such, and
overstepping the mark. On the Marshal front, he’d also managed to oust John
Marshal, William’s brother from office and replace him with his own brother. In the middle of this John left Normandy and
came to help out/stick his oar in depending which way you look at it. With Richard gone, there was a hole to be
filled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William
and the other justiciars had to try and maintain a balance of power. While there was little sympathy for
Longchamp, they also recognised that John, even though a possible future king,
was a threat if he too became more powerful.
Longchamp ended up being banished from the country and replaced by
Walter of Coutances, Archbishop of Rouen. John too was put in his place. But
then came the news that Richard had been captured while returning from crusade,
and a massive ransom for his return was being demanded by the Emperor of
Germany. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">John tried to persuade everyone that Richard
was dead and that he wasn’t coming back. His mother, meanwhile, convinced that
Richard was very much alive, was scrambling to raise the enormous ransom
demanded of 150,000 marks. For a time
John played along but in secret was negotiating a deal with Philippe of France
to try and keep Richard imprisoned. The
men offered Emperor Heinrich various
monetary bribes that they couldn’t possibly fulfil in order to keep Richard
incarcerated. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">When
that didn’t work and Richard started out for home, John decamped to France and
tried to make further deals with King Philippe that basically resulted in him
selling out Normandy from under Richard’s feet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Having
fled, John left his supporters to hold for him in England in the few
strongholds they controlled. William
himself had been involved in besieging Windsor for a time, and Nottingham was
still in John’s hands. There was
Marlborough too, in Wiltshire, and the baron holding out against the justiciar
Hubert Walter was William Marshal’s own older brother John. William was now faced with a stark dilemma. Go to his brother’s aid and put himself fully
in John’s camp, or stay loyal to Richard and turn his back on his brother. His loyalty to Richard prevailed, as one
would expect of the Marshal’s general behaviour which usually pointed true on
the compass despite a few wobbles and he chose Richard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">John
Marshal died at Marlborough. We don’t know how, but the castle was surrendered
to the royalist forces and William, hastening to meet Richard at Northampton,
received the news that his brother was dead, defending a castle for a lord who
had fled the country and gone into hiding.
What did the Marshal think about this? What did he feel? Anger at John, At his brother for getting
himself in that situation? Again we don’t know at this stage. He was a
pragmatic courtier who kept his cards close to his chest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">By 1194 John had betrayed his father on his deathbed,
betrayed his brother the absent crusader, and betrayed his men by abandoning
them to their fate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Clearly
William’s brother’s defence of Marlborough in support of John had had an effect
on William’s own standing because when William came before Richard he had to
have men speak for his own loyalty, and some were dubious. William Longchamp, bishop of Ely accused
William in front of the King of ‘Planting Vines’ i.e. putting out feelers of
support for John should Richard not survive.
Of being a dissembler and cosying up behind Richard’s back. Since William had just come post haste from
his brother’s funeral cortege, it must have been a difficult moment. He had to walk a very careful path between who
he served and who he might have to serve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">William,
however, weathered Richard’s return and continued in the King’s high
favour.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">He accompanied him to Normandy
where Richard was reconciled with John.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">Richard’s way round the problem of his rebellious brother was to call
John a child who had been badly advised.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">John was by this time heading for 30 and hardly a child, so it may have
galled him to have this attitude taken toward him, but at the same time it got
him off the hook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Between 1194 and 1199 William’s relationship with John was a
working one as Richard strove to restore the damage done while he was on
crusade. John served him to all intents and purposes faithfully and well during
this time – indeed was an asset. He and William Marshall worked together and
were at the siege of Milly where they captured the castle - this is the one
where William supposedly ran up a siege ladder and then, tired after his
exertions on the battlements and a fight with the constable whom he defeated,
duly sat on him to keep him down while William recovered. This is reported in the Histoire de Guillaume
le Mareschal as being an event where Richard was present, but in actual fact
John was the other military commander there. The Histoire, however, seldom has
anything good to say about John, and avoids mention of him in a positive
military role. The fact stands though,
that William and John worked well together during the years between 1194 and
1199, and would have built up a working relationship and even rapport.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">In 1199 Richard died while besieging the castle of Chalus in
the Limousin. He was struck in the area of the collarbone by a crossbow bolt
which festered and he died soon after of blood poisoning or gangrene. While
still lucid, he sent word to William Marshal and Hubert Walter Archbishop of
Canterbury who were in Rouen telling them to secure the Treasury there. The Histoire
de Guillaume le Mareschal tells us that William and Hubert Walter had a
discussion about who should inherit the throne – Arthur of Brittany who was
Richard’s teenage nephew, or John who was 33 years old, a man and an
accomplished warrior. Hubert Walter thought that Arthur had the better right to
the Crown but William Marshall argued for John. In the event William Marshal
won out and John was chosen. However, Hubert Walter remarked that William was
never going to regret any decision in his life as much as he did this one.
William’s choice was fairly obvious. He had no affinity with Arthur who had a
different set of influences and was welded to the French crown. William,
however had known John all his life and worked with him recently.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Heknew what he was dealing with, whereas
Arthur was a teenage unknown quantity. Perhaps the “vines” that William had
planted were about to bear fruit. And if he supported John, then John would owe
him big time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William’s support of John went so
far as going to England and making promises on John’s behalf to the barons,
that their grievances would be heard and assuring them that John was the man of
the moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William’s reward for this support -
and clearly his word was seen as honourable and worth trusting, was the earldom
of Pembroke which had been taken from his wife’s family in the reign of Henry
II. Other grants and privileges came his way too. The death of a king and the
transition to a new one was a fraught time but William weathered it well and did
handsomely out of it. Do we take it that
William was making the best of the situation by garnering what reward he
could? How did he feel in later years
that the promises he made on John’s behalf had all fallen through? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">His own honeymoon with John at the
outset of the reign was not to last. Not to go into a long discussion on the
wherefores and the whys because we don’t have time, but John lost Anjou, Maine
and Normandy to the French. Whereas his brother Richard had won the battle for
the hearts and minds of his people, John did not have the same propensity nor
the same leadership qualities and military nous. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">He
did have a stroke of luck when he captured his nephew Arthur who was besieging
his grandmother, John’s mother, Eleanor
of Aquitaine at the castle of Mirebeau, 20 miles from Poitiers, but afterwards John ruined the advantage by
treating those he captured with such shocking cruelty that men were horrified
at his behaviour. “<b><i>The King kept his prisoners in
such a horrible manner and such abject confinement that it seemed an indignity
and a disgrace to all those with him who witnessed his cruelty.’ </i></b>. This
was further compounded when Arthur disappeared in Rouen in April 1203 and was
never seen again. Rumours were soon rife that John had murdered him with his
own hands while in a drunken rage. Whether he did or not is still debated but what
is certain is that Arthur vanished. Stories of the death come from a source
close to John – the annals of Margam Abbey whose patron was William de Braose.
De Braose had been in a position to know what happened to Arthur, and there is
evidence to suggest that it might be a reason why John persecuted him - among
others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Did William Marshal know of the death of Arthur? Some
historians think that Arthur was murdered by committee - Stephen Church and
Marc Morris have recently put that suggestion forward. Did John take counsel
with his barons before doing the deed? I’m not sure about that I think John was
totally capable of murdering his nephew without taking anyone’s advice, but
it’s one of those grey areas where there’s only opinion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I do believe that policy concerning Arthur was discussed,
but who knows how deep it went? I think
there is a lot more than meets the eye but which we don’t know from a distance
of 800 years. I believe William Marshal
must have suspected what had happened. If the king doesn’t know what goes on in
his dungeons, then who does? If Arthur
disappeared, then John knew the circumstances. I think that Arthur was a large
elephant in the room for John’s close advisers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Perhaps William felt a certain
responsibility because he was the one who had foisted John on everyone rather
than plumping for Arthur. Had he backed Arthur, the landscape would have been
very different at this juncture. Perhaps
he thought that it was a good thing that Arthur was dead in one way, but at the
same time it created enormous pitfalls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">John went on to lose Normandy. William, was in the act of
building up a patrimony for his sons and to this end when John’s grip on
Normandy went down the pan, William did a deal with Philip of France to try and
keep his estate intact but it meant swearing allegiance to Philippe for his
lands on the Norman side of the Channel. John took a dim view of this and the
relationship between him and the Marshal became strained. John saw William’s
action as a desertion of duty and moreover double-dealing. William saw it as a
prudent act to preserve his land, but even so he was sailing close to the wind.
When John planned an invasion of France in 1206, William refused to go. In the
event so did most of John’s nobility but John knew who the ringleader was. The
Marshal said to the other barons at the height of the quarrel at Portsmouth, <b><i>‘My
lords look at me, for, by the faith I owe you, I am for you all this day an
exemplar and model. Be on your alert against the King: what he thinks to do
with me he will do to each and every one of you, or even more if he gets the
upper hand over you.’</i></b> That John
did not move against William was largely down to the fact that William had a
mass of support behind him, and at this stage John didn’t feel strong enough to
test men’s loyalty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Not long after this, William requested permission to go to
Ireland. This can be looked at in several ways. He could have been going to
escape from John who was in persecution mode after the quarrel at Portsmouth.
Or it could just be that William was going to sort out Isabel’s Irish lands.
These were going to provide for her in the event of William’s death, but only if William got a grip now. They
needed attending to and developing economically while being made militarily
secure, and they also needed rescuing from John’s grasp because John had granted
away much of the land to his own vassals and there were boundaries to be recalibrated.
It could also be seen through the lens of some of William’s natural allies being
involved in Ireland, men viewed by John as overly powerful or having a hold on
him. There was William de Braose with
whom John was already in dispute, and the de Lacy clan. John probably feared
rebellion in Ireland from the Irish faction and having lost France he needed to
stamp on challenges to his authority elsewhere, and especially on de Braose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">He demanded a hostage of William
Marshal - his oldest son before he would let William cross to Ireland in 1206.
William handed over the youth and continued preparations to leave. John, not wanting
William to sail at all, demanded his second son too. He thought it might
prevent William from leaving but William handed the lad over. The Histoire makes the comment that if one
bandages a finger that isn’t injured, it will still be the same when the
bandage is removed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William’s handing over of his
children probably saved his skin. When a son was demanded of De Braose’s wife
she replied that she would not hand any child of hers over to the man who had
murdered his own nephew. That sealed her death sentence and John went after her
with a vengeance. She and her eldest son were eventually to starve to death in
the dungeon of Corfe Castle, or some say Windsor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William Marshal’s own wife Isabelle de Clare was not happy at
handing over their sons, but William’s will prevailed. He was playing a great
game of politics with his eye on the bigger picture. He had been hostage
himself at a younger age than his sons. He knew what was at stake, and like
his own father before him, he took a gamble - and it paid off. What did the
sons themselves think? We don’t know, but perhaps it is telling that the older
boy, William Junior, rebelled against King John in 1215. Some historians see this
action as being the family cunningly hedging its bets and having a foot in each
camp - which indeed could well be the case. On the other hand, it might be that the young Marshal’s experience as
John’s hostage had been uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iBbrlUUQTnBw_l5UwWJ7CWJ7wDiI2h_9qLbGOCHGcAwfMMwKc5UcgtyIWLsjx3peKSykTC2fpV82Ct5TrUDMO3tPi_RxXlLctgv795ig7DLykJdIJnQpWSa6wpt7tnX4XMXC/s1600/hostage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iBbrlUUQTnBw_l5UwWJ7CWJ7wDiI2h_9qLbGOCHGcAwfMMwKc5UcgtyIWLsjx3peKSykTC2fpV82Ct5TrUDMO3tPi_RxXlLctgv795ig7DLykJdIJnQpWSa6wpt7tnX4XMXC/s320/hostage.jpg" width="182" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There is a cordial
letter from King John to William Marshal about the second son Richard. Cordial
on the surface that is. In it John tells William that Richard has grown out of
his clothes and it’s a great shame that William hasn’t been providing for him,
and that the King will see to his needs. Suggesting that the father has
forgotten or is neglecting his own son and he the King is setting that to
rights. There are also some darker
undercurrents that bear further investigating.<br />
“<b><i>The
King could see that Richard was young and in delicate health and that it would
be too much for him to experience so early the trial of undergoing hardship.’ </i></b> Just what does that mean? It calls to mind traditional initiations that
still go on as an undercurrent today in tribal situations – and in that I include
modern Europe too where you’re not accepted into a gang until you’ve proven yourself, or the rumours of initiation ceremonies at certain old money public schools. I think it’s an
area that would bear further investigation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">John told William he intended taking
Richard with him to Poitiers on the battle campaign in 1214. William didn’t want him to go, but said if
John insisted then so be it. The
Histoire says that Richard then took ill and nearly died. <b><i>‘That would have been very cold
comfort indeed, and regarded as a crime.’</i></b> From the hints in the Histoire, one gets the
impression that John played games with the Marshal boys being both benefactor
and tormentor, but never showing which hand was behind his back until he
struck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Indeed John had a habit of taunting William. During the
difficult Irish situation, William was summoned to court in England, while
John’s henchmen Meilyr FitzHenry the Irish Justicar attacked William’s lands in
Ireland. While William was stuck at court, receiving the cold shoulder from the
King and his cronies, John came to him one day and told him that he had heard
there been a terrible battle in Ireland and William’s men had either been
captured or killed and the heavily pregnant Countess Isabel was being besieged. How John could
know any of this was baffling because the Irish sea was so stormy that no ships
could make the passage to bring the news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William reacted stoically to this baiting, and the Histoire
does not report his thoughts, only shows us how manfully he bore the taunting
without reaction. He must have had
nerves of steel. When the truce became known that in fact King John’s men had
gone down before the Marshal faction, William made light of the matter and forebore
to gloat and thus the danger passed. I think this shows us that William had a
powerful sense of self-preservation and knew his man very well and how to avoid
becoming his victim. There were times when he had sailed very close to the wind
in terms of loyalty, and had been in real danger, but he managed to weather it
and King John himself, while coming to the line with William, had not stepped
over it to take him down, even if he imagined vindictive scenarios for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William
return to Ireland and John followed him, intent on stamping his authority on the
country and having a new constitution
written for it that would limit the power of his Irish barons. It would bring
the Marshals the de Braose’s and Lacy’s to heel. The de Braose family was set on a course of destruction
that nothing could alter. Again William weathered this tricky moment by
submitting to John, and the King stayed his side of the line by accepting that
submission, although he made sure to billet himself and his troops on William
for a time, this whacking up William’s expenses! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William was left after that to his own devices in Ireland for
several years. It wasn’t exactly retirement, but it was a retreat from the
fray. Like entering one of the refuges at a tourney. His sons, however, were
still hostages and one has to wonder how they were being brought up away from
the Marshal enclave and what their opinion of King John was. And William himself. Did he want his boys
being raised away from his influences among men he did not trust? Learning ways he might consider not to be
good for them? Certainly their mother was concerned. She didn’t want them to go and left to her own
devices might have refused to hand them over with disastrous consequences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">By
1212 With interdicts and rebellions happening on the mainland, John requested
William’s help, and offered to return his sons to their family – they’d been
away around 5 years. William agreed and moved back to England to serve John in
both a military and diplomatic capacity and was received back into the fold. Why this volte face by the King? Perhaps he realised how few allies he had in
his pocket. William could have refused
the summons. Or he could have accepted,
taken his sons and run, and then declared for the rebels, but he didn’t. He chose to stand by John and act as a
military commander and adviser. It could
be that, presented with a sow’s ear he was willing to take the challenge of
making it into a silk purse. Someone had to trouble shoot and repair this
terrible fix they were in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">John
had quarrelled with the church, so much so that he was under threat of
excommunication and Philip of France was preparing to invade the country.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">John, however, suddenly did a complete about
turn, accepted the Pope’s ruling and offered to make England a vassal of Rome.
In one fell swoop he cut Philip’s legs out from under him and Philip now found
himself threatened by the pope and warned not to invade England.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">How much of this was the Marshal’s advice?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0cm;">We don’t know, but it’s interesting that it came
about after the Marshal returned to the country and was taken into John’s
confidence.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Not
that the crisis was over and a large rebellious faction of barons were
protesting about the harshness of John’s rule – the unfair taxes, the abuses of
rights; the ridiculous fines. What had
been a half mark fine in the days of Henry II and Richard now sometimes
amounted to hundreds of marks. John
would impose multi thousand pound fines on barons to keep them in their place,
and if they couldn’t pay, he’d use it as an excuse to take over their
castles. He employed mercenaries to do
his bidding. He demanded money with
menaces basically and receiving justice depended on how much you could pay to
get it. This was the birth of the notion
of Magna Carta, to bring the king under the law and stop these abuses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I’m no expert on the document and I
leave that to more knowledgeable historians, but what place did William Marshal
have in all this? Was he one of its
architects as is often said? My own
opinion is that he wasn’t – or not in a front line sense. The Magna Carta was a list of rules made by a
committee of a select number of barons in opposition to the king. Among them,
William certainly had family members. His own son, William Junior. By design or
because they were indeed on opposite sides we don’t know. William’s son in law Hugh Bigod was among the
rebels, as was the young man’s father, Roger, Earl of Norfolk. Both of these men were well versed in the law. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RrWFn7ZLFhNUIDYLbsjDw5S1rZWszBMFyazmy7pGYyMGAW4tJV7ZXjkBeaRJbLvmn4MB6dt_y5Snq92WSjXoBjUCRAgx0trmhqRj8M8HIpviCY3_MzlknF33IyxXEfeoY2Pu/s1600/William+Marshal+seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RrWFn7ZLFhNUIDYLbsjDw5S1rZWszBMFyazmy7pGYyMGAW4tJV7ZXjkBeaRJbLvmn4MB6dt_y5Snq92WSjXoBjUCRAgx0trmhqRj8M8HIpviCY3_MzlknF33IyxXEfeoY2Pu/s320/William+Marshal+seal.jpg" width="208" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">King John was clearly against the Magna Carta – anything that limited
his powers was not going to be flavour of the month, but with the French
threatening and his barons in rebellion, he had little choice but to
negotiate. This I think is where William
comes in. John had used him before as a diplomat when it came to negotiating
with the King of France and the way </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">William had woven his way through the tricky mid years of the 1200’s was a
testament to his cool head and diplomatic abilities.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">He also had strong Templar connections and
the Templars were a kind of neutral party – like the United Nations today,
where both sides could meet to discuss their differences.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">I believe that while William had little say in
drafting the clauses of Magna Carta, he did have input in negotiating the terms
and at least bringing King John to the table at Runnymede.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Without William driving the diplomacy, there
might not have been a Magna Carta at all.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">In other words both sides were willing to
trust him.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">He had been through the fire
with King John, and the King’s relationship with him was now cordial – as far
as the King was concerned. Everyone knew about his trouble with the King, and
that while acting on John’s behalf, he was also one of them. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Ever the diplomat, William maintained a
neutral façade.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William’s son, however, in the rebel camp, had made his own
feelings more known. We can take the
view that it was family policy that this should be, however it’s telling that once the King was
dead, the younger Marshal was one of the first to return to the fold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William
continued to stick by King John as the French landed and the battle for England
became a civil war. He never wavered. It wasn’t out of love for John, whom he
made clear on his death bed that he detested, but possibly it was for the
monarchy as a whole – for who had the right.
Perhaps even out of loyalty to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the liege lady who
had given him his first boost up the ladder and is one of the few women
mentioned in the Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal. This was her last
remaining son for better or worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">When
John was dying, he named WM one of the executors of his will and the Histoire
puts its hero in the forefront and has John asking William to take care of the
country for him. The wording is clearly propaganda bigging up its hero, but
there is a germ of truth there too. William
was one of the stalwarts and one of the few people capable of repairing the
hole in the fabric. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Although
in his 70’s William took on the job of regent to the young Henry III and
reissued Magna Carta, removing or moderating the clauses that were proving to be
sticking points, and gradually drawing everyone back into the fold and dealing
with the French both by battle at Lincoln and Sandwich in 1217 and by diplomacy
in making a peace treaty with Prince Louis of France. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">William’s role as caretaker of the realm and of the young
Henry III came to an end when he fell ill in either late 1218 or early 1219 and
was borne home to his manor of Caversham to slowly die as winter turned to
spring and spring looked toward summer. In
fact yesterday (14th May) was the anniversary of his death. Here too the Young King Henry
III was brought to William’s sickbed and the words uttered about the ‘wicked
ancestor.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">To sum up the relationship between William Marshal and King
John, I would say that it was one of reciprocity that at times faltered because
of ambition and suspicion, but was weathered by the diplomacy of the
Marshal. The latter had no love or even
liking for his liege lord, but he had a wider loyalty to the monarchy, a
pattern perhaps set in his own childhood by his father’s sacrifices at Wherwell
and Newbury, and then his own early service to Eleanor of Aquitaine and the
Young King. It was a default in the Marshal that wasn’t to translate to his
sons and their relationship with Henry III. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Were I to compare the Marshal with a
modern day political leader, I’d have to say Nelson Mandela. What strikes me is
their ability to cut through the personal dislikes and past injuries to see the
big picture and do their best for national stability. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Re-enactment photographs courtesy of Rosemary Watson.</span></div>
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-39559602630857751172015-05-14T08:30:00.000+00:002015-05-14T16:47:26.312+00:00A GOOD END: The last days of William Marshal.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaoUAuXsFNePqLT2M175RJCaElCck7Ylk03bcjlQS6dXJc62_0fQODDiuiInHXXzf7M7utwg_jkoJO7sQ-LlGTrjZ9rLt1Q96DnaeTccqfztQNAyVQqF_oWtYt9R-xND1dIEW/s1600/DSCF0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaoUAuXsFNePqLT2M175RJCaElCck7Ylk03bcjlQS6dXJc62_0fQODDiuiInHXXzf7M7utwg_jkoJO7sQ-LlGTrjZ9rLt1Q96DnaeTccqfztQNAyVQqF_oWtYt9R-xND1dIEW/s400/DSCF0373.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The 14th of May marks the anniversary of the death of William Marshal, who departed this world at noon in the year 1219 at his manor of Caversham near Reading, surrounded by friends in the clergy and his grieving family. It was a sad occasion as all such are, but for William, it was also what was known in the Medieval period as a 'good end.' He had had time to make his will and dispose of his wealth as he saw fit. He had settled all of his affairs and made his peace with God, and prepared inasmuch as he could for the afterlife. Unlike many of the men he had served, Henry the Young King, Henry II, Richard the Lionheart and John, he was ending his life in a dignified and peaceful way having lived to a ripe age. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A biographical poem of just under 20,000 lines written in Anglo Norman shortly after his death gives us a moving and full account of the last months of his life. And if William Marshal was an exemplar of how to live one's life in honour, then his death was a blueprint of how to exit the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William Marshal was in his seventy second year or thereabouts, when in the February of 1219 and Regent of England for the underage King Henry III, he became unwell with illness and pain. For all of his life he had enjoyed robust health, so this was an unsettling portent for him. He may have had a few indicators before this as he validated less acts of government from the November of 1218 onwards. Arriving on horseback at the tower of London he sent for various doctors to attend him, but they told him there was nothing they could do and he was going to die. He took the news stoically and broke it to his son and his household - even trying to comfort them despite his pain. His wife Isabelle was with him at the time and clearly distraught, but determined to give him every support.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William decided that if he was going to die it would be at his favourite and beautiful manor at Caversham on the Thames near Reading, and not in the city of London<i><b> 'which was unhealthy and only added to the great pain he was in. His view was that he could more easily put up with his affliction on his own ground: if in the nature of things, death was to be his lot, he preferred to die at home than elsewhere.'</b></i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">click to enlarge to show the site of Caversham. Nothing of the manor remains</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">today but there is a stately home on the site now used by the BBC monitoring service.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William and Isabelle were rowed up the Thames to Caversham. Their journey was smooth and untroubled, and he settled in to the home where he was to die. Once there, he asked those who were governing the country on behalf of the young king Henry III, to come to him so that he could officially hand over the reins. They all gathered at his bedside, including the young king and the papal legate. William informed the 11 year old Henry III that he could no longer serve him because he was dying and others needed to take over. There was some squabbling about who should have this role, but William was still strong enough to push through the quarrel and settle the matter to the obedience, if not entire satisfaction of all those present. Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester had to be put in his place, It was also at this time that William warned the young Henry III that if he were to follow in the footsteps of a certain<i style="font-weight: bold;"> 'wicked ancestor' </i> then he wished him a speedy death. Here, at his own dying, we get the truth about what William Marshal really felt about King John.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The matter attended to and the burden of government relinquished, William turned his thoughts to making his will, providing futures and guidance for his children, and then to spiritual matters. At first, he was going to leave his youngest son Ancel, still a child, to make his own way in the world as a knight errant when he grew up, but he was persuaded by his former squire and now close friend and adviser John of Earley to give Ancel land worth £140 to support himself. This may of course have been a literary device to show how William's men had an influence on him when it came to giving advice. William was also concerned about his youngest daughter Joanna because he had not yet arranged her marriage, but he settled some money and land on her too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His immediate family affairs sorted, William asked John of Earley to go to Stephen D'Evereux in Netherwent, Wales, and bring him to him the lengths of silk cloth that he had been keeping in store there. It was a long journey and John rode hard, <b><i>"travelling far greater distances each day than is usual' </i></b>returning with the cloths as fast as he could.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When he presented the cloth, at first people thought it was a little faded, but when it was opened out it was discovered to be <i style="font-weight: bold;">"very fine and valuable choice cloth of good workmanship.' </i> William had had these two pieces for 30 years. He had brought them back from the Holy Land with him and had always intended them to be used for the purpose of draping over his body when he was laid in the ground. They were to be his shroud. At this point he told everyone that he wished to be buried at the Temple church. He told those around him that <i style="font-weight: bold;">"When I was away in the holy land, I gave my body to be buried by the Templars at the time of my death, in whatever place I happened to die. That is my wish, that is where I shall be laid to rest.' </i> He also told them that if the weather was bad, they were to buy lengths of coarse grey cloth (known as burel) with which to cover the silk so that it would not become damaged or dirtied by damp weather. The grey cloth was then to be given in charity. His instructions caused those around him, including his son to <i><b>"weep pitifully."</b></i> Seeing the pain he was in, his eldest son gave instructions that his father was to have a constant guard around him. Someone was to be with him always. Relays of three knights would keep vigil at all times. As well as the knights there were other youths and gentlemen to help out - one supposes to take care of William's bodily functions. His son said that he would take the night watch together with John of Earley and Thomas Basset.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">decorative door pillar at the Temple Church</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Letters were sent to the Templars. William's will was witnessed and sent to executors including the bishops of Winchester and Salisbury. Aimery de Saint-Maur, master of the Templars in England arrived at Caversham to see William. William announced to his family that it had been some time since he had pledged himself to the Temple, and now he wished to become a monk in the order. He told Geoffrey his almoner to go to the wardrobe and bring a cloak from it. It was a Templar cloak that he had had made more than a year ago and had kept in his possession without telling anyone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Taking Templar vows meant that he could no longer have any physical contact with women. <b style="font-style: italic;">The Earl, who was generous, gentle and kind towards his wife the Countess, said to her: 'fair lady, kiss me now, for you will never be able to do it again.' </b> Isabelle was distraught, and both she and William wept as they kissed and said a final farewell to embraces of any kind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shortly after William had taken his Templar vows, Aimery de Saint Maur departed back to London, but died there soon after arriving. William was not told of his death in case it aggravated his condition, but the outcome was that he and Aimery would be laid side-by-side in the church, companions in death as they had been in life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William's own condition deteriorated to the point where he could no longer eat or drink beyond a few mushrooms. His men even tried rubbing white bread crumbs in his hand but that didn't work. To all intents and purposes William had stopped eating. Even so it was to be another fortnight before he died. During this time of suffering he had a discussion with one of his men, Henry FitzGerold, The latter was concerned that the Marshal might not be granted a place in heaven because of all the tourney prizes and wealth he had won. The Marshal was having none of this and said that the church shaved people to closely. He had taken the ransoms of 500 knights and kept their arms, horses and all their equipment. He couldn't do anything about it now, and if that was the case then no man could find salvation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At this time, William's daughters visited him.Everyone else was in the room, including the Marshal's son, William, who was sitting in front of his bed. William said that he wanted to tell them all a surprising thing. John of Earley said he would like to hear it, providing it was not going to wear the Marshal out. William then said that he had a great urge to sing, an urge he had not had in three years. When John said that he should do so and it would be good for him, William told him to be quiet because everyone would think he was a madman, and he refused to sing. So John said it would be a good idea if William's daughters sang to him, (I like John. I can imagine him thinking of ways round the problem of getting a dying man perhaps slightly querulous with pain to do what he really wants but is holding back). The daughters rose to the task magnificently, especially Matilda even though she was distraught at her father's condition. When it came to little Joanna's turn she was shy, and now William, who had loved music all his life, found a spark. He told her not to be bashful when she sang because she would not perform well. <b><i>"Don't be bashful when you sing, for if you are, you will not perform well and the words will not come across in the right way.' </i></b>And then he taught her how to sing by doing so himself. This to me says more than anything how much William loved music, how important it was to him, that he would sing on his deathbed even when in great pain. And he still cared enough to want it to be done right!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William continued to make plans for his funeral in his last days. He instructed his son to stay close to his corpse on the road so that he could distribute alms to the poor, and to give food and drink, clothes and shoes to a hundred of the poor in William's name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William's friend the Abbot of Notely arrived to give succour to William and tell him that his brethren were praying for him, and William promised the Abbot's order money from his will. William was still aware enough and lively enough to tell off one of his own clerks. William had had made some garments for his knights to give as gifts. John of Earley asked what he should do with the ones that were upstairs with their fur trimmings because no one had mentioned them. The clerk Philip suggested that they could be sold to deliver William of his sins. William told him to hold his tongue, that he'd had enough of his bad advice, and that his knights would have their robes at Whitsuntide. It was the last time he would ever be able to give them robes, even posthumously, and he wasn't having some upstart clerk tell him what to do. He immediately ordered John of Earley to distribute the robes and if there weren't enough to go around to obtain more from the warehouse in London.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the family were trying to get William to eat something, he told them that he had had a vision. He had seen two men in white, one on his right, one on his left. The feeling was that these were two angels who had arrived to show William the right path.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the Tuesday before Ascension Day, at midday, William Marshal died. His family had thought him sleeping, but when his son William came to speak to him, he found him in his last moments of life. John of Earley did his best to revive him with rosewater, but it was plain that William was beyond that. The doors and windows were flung open and the household hastily assembled, everyone rushing to the room including Countess Isabelle. A cross was placed in William's hands, and he died, surrounded by his family and household on a green spring morning. The first thought is that it is not a good time to die in the heart of a beautiful English spring, but perhaps, really, it is the perfect moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> William's body was prepared and mass was sung with him in his own personal chapel at Caversham. Isabelle was so distraught that she could barely hold herself together during the singing of the mass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William's body was then taken to rest in Reading Abbey, then to Staines. Along the way the funeral cortege was met by the Earl of Warrene and the Earl of Essex, the Earl of Oxford, the Earl of Gloucester and many others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William was borne to the Temple church where a candlelit vigil was ordered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b><i>"The Archbishop ordered the vigil to commence and. as was right, the vigil around the body was accompanied by a magnificent display of candles and a magnificent service, well sung and well read, and there were clerics singing psalms whose efforts were not wasted.'</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The following day the funeral was held and Stephen Langton received great praise for his eloquence and the finesse of his words. William was buried as he had wished in front of the cross beside his friend Aimery de Saint Maur.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b><i>'When the body was on the point of being interred, the archbishop said 'See, my lords, how it is with this life: when each and every one of us comes to his end, there is no sense to be found in us, for we are then nothing but so much earth. Look there, see, the best knight to be found in all the world in our times. And in God's name what will you say then? All of us must come to this, it is an inescapable fact that each of us must die when his day comes. Just look at this exemplar here, ours as well as yours. Let each man say the Lord's Prayer, entreating God to receive this Christian soul into his realms in heaven, to sit in glory alongside his own, for we believe this man to have been a good man."</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, almost 800 years since William Marshal's death the lines of the Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal tell the incredibly moving story of William Marshal's final fight that ended not in defeat but in an embracing humility and acceptance. The subject matter is one man's dying, but I am never depressed when I read it. It may bring me to tears, but I am always exalted and uplifted and determined to live my life in better ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hale William Marshal, but not farewell.</span></div>
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-85047827768708895032015-03-24T10:18:00.000+00:002015-03-24T10:18:18.792+00:00DALLYING WITH DICEIt's come round to my turn on THE HISTORY GIRLS blog and this month I've blogged about the vice of dice in the 12th and 13th centuries. The more things change, the more they remain the same! You can read the piece by clicking on the link below.<br />
<a href="http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/dallying-with-dice-medieval-past-time.html">DALLYING WITH DICE</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8L0ul-Q8uVz2aWWvuG2ItN8wnoF-BkccafsAs8Ayxtw6VhGE-EiNQdXvSNnNtXfNs8Iznc6RjWUFgEfwV2fuCcWvpDMwafikrl7G65aibfikgSb8P7t3Khzpd2hF1THqfxL-/s1600/dice+chess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8L0ul-Q8uVz2aWWvuG2ItN8wnoF-BkccafsAs8Ayxtw6VhGE-EiNQdXvSNnNtXfNs8Iznc6RjWUFgEfwV2fuCcWvpDMwafikrl7G65aibfikgSb8P7t3Khzpd2hF1THqfxL-/s1600/dice+chess.jpg" height="378" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-43778265606692944972015-03-05T13:00:00.000+00:002015-03-05T13:00:01.653+00:00Henry II - A birthday anniversary:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFuvwK8qCGH7qOTPO-bxaq_up3r3ZpdjLjmfYQqdYHmTFdJgSkJEfvXz9c1P2o_d8io7biLe8tzNM8aqafKAPdQzOm9Qpf3V9zMHkjRrqOD_n1RElqS9xkYUtbtuhaP_KgeFL/s1600/Eleanor+chinon+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFuvwK8qCGH7qOTPO-bxaq_up3r3ZpdjLjmfYQqdYHmTFdJgSkJEfvXz9c1P2o_d8io7biLe8tzNM8aqafKAPdQzOm9Qpf3V9zMHkjRrqOD_n1RElqS9xkYUtbtuhaP_KgeFL/s1600/Eleanor+chinon+-+Copy.jpg" height="400" width="328" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thought to be Henry II. A mural in the chapel of St Radegonde in Chinon dating to the late 12thc</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="line-height: 29.3333339691162px;">Today, March 5th, marks the anniversary of the birth of Henry II, one of England's greatest and most charismatic kings. I'm not exactly a Henry II fan, but at the same time, I acknowledge his talent, his qualities and his drive. Every person has many facets to their character, and who knew in March 1133 what this red-haired newborn infant was going to become.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 22pt;">In <b>LADY OF THE ENGLISH,</b> I wrote several scenes from Henry's childhood and I thought I'd post a few to my blog today in tribute.<br /><b>Henry as a toddler with his father Geoffrey le Bel:</b></span></div>
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His expression bright with pride,
Geoffrey squatted to be at eye level with his son. He was used to very small children - Aelis’s two were in the nursery and there was
not so great an age difference, but even so, this was his heir, the future
Count of Anjou, and there was something about Henry that sent a pang of uncharacteristic
tenderness through Geoffrey. Matilda
had carried him in her womb, but he had set the life spark inside her body and
against the odds, some of them stacked by her. He lifted Henry in his
arms. Holding an infant was not a
suitable role for a grown man of great estate, but in this instance, it showed
the world that here was his acknowledged flesh and blood, destined to rule.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Henry
laughed, showing his pearly milk teeth, and pointed to the design on his
father’s blue tunic. ‘Lion,’ he said
loudly. ‘My lion.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Geoffrey
looked quizzically at Matilda. ‘“My lion”’? Who has been teaching him that?’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Matilda
flushed. ‘I tell him he is my little lion.
He has a wooden one for a toy and a cushion with a big golden one embroidered
on it. One day he will be a king. Why should he not acknowledge the symbols of
kingship?’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Oh,
I agree,’ Geoffrey said, ‘We must foster that in him. Next to teach him ‘crown’.<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘He
already knows that one.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Crown,’
Henry said in validation of her remark, and pointed at Geoffrey’s cap with its
band of gold braid. ‘Lion. Crown. Mama.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Geoffrey
chuckled and shook his head. ‘Indeed, I can see you have been teaching him
well, but I must needs train him further.
I suppose you have not taught him to say ‘Papa’ in any of this.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘I
am sure he will learn swiftly enough,’ she replied, concealing a pang of
jealousy, because Geoffrey was so at ease holding their son. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Papa.’
Henry bounced in Geoffrey’s arms, and stared round with alert, bright eyes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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Geoffrey
laughed. ‘You are right again,’ he said to her. ‘Usually I would hold being right against you,
but not today.’</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>As A Five Year Old.</b></div>
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'Mama look - look at me!’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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Matilda
turned from talking to the saddler, and watched Henry sit upright in the saddle
of a small bay pony. He struck a pose
and lifted his chin. The September
breeze ruffled his red-gold hair and turned his irises the hue of sea-coloured
glass. He had begun riding lessons two weeks ago and was enjoying every moment. For now, the tuition consisted of having one
of the grooms lead him round the courtyard at a sedate walk. A saddle had been especially made to fit his
size so that he would not slop about between pommel and cantle. He would not be
allowed to take the reins on his own for a while to come, nor would he have the
strength and stature, but he was already confident around horses, and was developing
balance, knowledge and maturity. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Indeed
you look very fine,’ she replied proudly. ‘Every inch a king.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘I
want to gallop!’<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘And
so you shall, but not quite yet. You
have to learn a few more things first and grow a little more.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘But
I’m a big boy now!’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Her
lips twitched at the indignation in his voice. ‘Indeed, but you need to grow bigger yet.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 22pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 22pt;">The
groom led the pony off at a sedate walk. </span><span style="line-height: 22pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 22pt;">‘Faster,’ Henry cried.</span><span style="line-height: 22pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 22pt;">‘I want to go faster.’</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 22pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 29.3333339691162px;">Another moment:</span></div>
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Matilda sat down on the bed in
her chamber at Carrouges. Her crown was
making her head ache. It might look a
delicate thing, but she been wearing it for most of the day amid formal
ceremonies and celebrations; the weight was beginning to tell on her neck and the
band was squeezing her temples. Even so,
she had no intention of taking it off, because while she wore it, she was a
queen and an Empress and she had authority. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Fetching
his small stool, Henry wandered over to the sideboard and stood on it so that
he could look at the two engraved silver cups standing there. They had been presented to him and his brother
by the people of Saumur in exchange for a charter. ‘When can I drink wine out
of mine?’ he asked looking round. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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‘When
you are a man,’ Matilda replied. ‘They are no ordinary drinking cups, but tokens
of an agreement between our family and the people of Saumur.’ Her voice held a warning note. If she knew Henry, he’d be having his dogs
drinking out of them or worse. ‘And you
are not to touch William’s either,’ she added as she watched his hand stray
towards his youngest brother’s cup. The
reason there were only two, not three, cups was that Geoffrey, her middle son
was being raised in the household of her husband’s vassal Goscelin de
Rotonard. It did not do to keep all of
one’s eggs in a single basket. William
would go for fostering too when he was older but for now, at not quite two
years old, he was still kept close in the women’s chambers. Henry ignored him
because he was only a baby and Henry knew he was the heir and the most
important.<br /><br />Empress Matilda bidding Farwell to Henry, aged 6.</div>
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‘You can’t go there, you’re trapped!’ piped a child’s voice. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Matilda turned and fixed her gaze on her
eldest son. He was sitting in the window seat, playing a board game of fox and
geese with his half-brother Hamelin and his focus was deeply engaged as he
concentrated on defeating his opponent. She felt a surge of fierce maternal
pride as she watched him. He was fully focussed but not in a narrow way. He was observing all the peripherals even
while he concentrated on the main task, seeing both dangers and advantages. It
was a formidable trait in a child just six years old, and what it would be like
when nurtured to manhood gave her cause for optimism. He was tenacious too, because Hamelin was a
bright boy, older, and determined not to give ground. She had to swallow as her throat tightened. She might never see him again after this morning
because who knew what was going to happen if and when she reached <st1:city w:st="on">England</st1:city>. She had put everything possible in place to support
him and her other sons in her absence. The best women to care for them; the best
pages and squires as companions. Excellent
priests and scholars to nurture their education and teach them to walk a true
path with God. She could do no more, and still she was anxious. She was going to miss them so much, especially
Henry. She had even considered staying in <st1:city w:st="on">Normandy</st1:city>
and seeing it conquered first, but knew she had to make her challenge in <st1:city w:st="on">England</st1:city> before it was too late, not just for herself, but
for Henry and Henry’s children. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Geoffrey entered the
chamber and looked round, hands on hips. He had ridden to Domfront to see her on her
way and to take charge of their sons, something Matilda did not want to think
about. She could not deny that Geoffrey was a good father, but she had had the
greater hand in raising their boys, and
it was a wrench to hand them over to her husband. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Everything is ready
for you,’ he said, stepping aside to let the servants carry out the box
containing the last items.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She waited impatiently while her maids
draped a thick cloak around her shoulders, and when the clasp had been
fastened, she turned towards the light streaming through the open
shutters. ‘Henry,’ she said. ‘Henry,
come here. It is time for me to go.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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He left his game and crossed the room to her,
following the path of the light, and then stood in front of her, looking up
solemnly. His eyes were grey, but flashed with green in their depths like
Geoffrey’s. ‘Attend to your lessons and
do as your father tells you,’ she said. ‘I
need you to be big and brave and grown up.’
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Henry
gave a stout nod. ‘Can I come to <st1:city w:st="on">England</st1:city> soon
too?’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘As
soon as you are old enough. One day you
will be king there, and it will be very important for you to know the place and
the people.’ She crouched to his level and smoothed his vibrant hair. ‘Look
after your brothers. I will write to you
often and you father will tell me of your progress.’ She kissed him on both cheeks and stood up,
her pride swelling to almost unbearable proportions because Henry was not
crying or making a fuss. Even in the small boy, she could see the king he might
one day become – but only if she gave him that chance.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Finally as an eight year old with his father, learning of his mother's success</b></div>
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Henry FitzEmpress, almost eight years old,
was testing the paces of his new mount. The
dam’s Spanish breeding had given the little chestnut fire in his feet. Henry
loved the feel of the wind streaming past his face, even though it was cold
enough to sting his eyes because it gave him a feeling of speed. On a swift horse,
he was invincible. <o:p></o:p></div>
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His father had started taking him hunting,
and Henry had also begun his military training, fighting with a shield made to
suit his size, and a wooden sword. He loved every minute. Indeed, the only thing he ever found difficult,
was staying still. It was always a trial
when he was in church and expected not to fidget in the presence of God. By
contrast, flying on a horse was easy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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His father was waiting in the stable yard
to greet him when he returned from his ride, his groom following several paces
behind. Henry showed off by drawing rein in a dramatic slide of hooves, and leaped
from the saddle almost before the pony had stopped. He flashed his father a broad smile, exposing
gaps at the front where new teeth were growing in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Geoffrey’s lips twitched. ‘That was fine
riding my son.’ He plucked a burr out of Henry’s cloak.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Henry flushed with pleasure. ‘Yes, sire.’
Much as he was enthralled by the swiftness and grace of Denier, what he
really wanted to ride was a destrier like his father. His new pony was just another point on the
road towards that accomplishment. ‘I
could have made him go faster, but Alain wouldn’t let me.’ He scowled over his shoulder at the groom. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 22.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
‘Alain was wise, you should listen to him,’
Geoffrey said. ‘And to your horse.
Always be bold; never be heedless.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Henry pursed his lips and said nothing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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His father folded his arms. ‘I have been waiting for you because I have received
some great news from <st1:city w:st="on">England</st1:city>, from your mother. Stephen the usurper has been defeated in
battle and captured by your uncle Robert and others of your mother’s kin and
allies. Your mother is to become Queen.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Henry stared at his father while his
stomach gave the same kind of swoop that it had done while he was galloping
Denier. He had not seen his mother in
almost a year and a half and memory of her features had blurred at the edges,
but she wrote to him often and sent him things from <st1:city w:st="on">England</st1:city>
– a writing tablet with an interlaced design on the ivory cover, and a fine pen
knife. Things she had sewn, which held
her scent. Bells for his harness. Numerous books. And always the promise that one day he would
be a King because <st1:city w:st="on">England</st1:city> was his. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Can we go there?’ He was suddenly consumed
with eager impatience. Had a ship been present in the courtyard, he would have
boarded it there and then. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘No, no, no,’ his father laughed. ‘Rein
back your horse a little. It is early
days yet. Your mother will send for you
when it is time.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘But when will that be?’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Soon,’ his father
said. ‘But not quite yet.’ He ruffled
Henry’s hair. ‘One battle does not a victory make, even when the enemy has been
captured. Once your mother has been
crowned, she will send for you.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 22.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
Henry frowned and
wondered how close ‘soon’ actually was.
When adults said such things, it was usually by way of platitude and it
was always a long time. He did not see
why he could not go immediately because he knew he could help and it was his
destiny. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 22.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
His father said, ‘My first task now your
mother has succeeded is to go into <st1:city w:st="on">Normandy</st1:city> and
secure that. Many barons will want to pay
homage to the winning side.’ He looked at Henry. ‘And no, you cannot come there
either for the time being. Your task is
to stay safe and learn and become a man.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 22.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 22.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 22pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Henry grimaced, but knew better than to
protest.</span><span style="line-height: 22pt; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span><span style="line-height: 22pt; text-indent: 36pt;">As far as he was concerned, he
was a man, and years were only numbers.</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-6318764027045477792015-02-24T11:24:00.002+00:002015-02-24T11:24:12.533+00:00REVIEW OF LOST LETTERS OF MEDIEVAL LIFE.For my February turn on The History Girls I have reviewed this marvellous book by historians Martha Carlin and David Crouch. Well worth reading.<br />
<a href="http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/lost-letters-of-medieval-life-some.html">LOST LETTERS OF MEDIEVAL LIFE</a><br />
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<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-22284165909671844252015-01-29T00:55:00.001+00:002015-02-25T10:37:00.954+00:00A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY? Perhaps and perhaps not: A reply to Catherine Armstrong's essay on the Marshal Effigies.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Elizabeth Chadwick</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Some time ago I read a post on the Castle Wales site by Historian Catherine Armstrong where she laid out her case for the purported Marshal effigies in the Temple Church, London, being of debatable identity and perhaps not the Marshals at all. While I agree with her that precise evidence doesn't exist and the effigies could indeed have been mis-identified because after all, none of them have inscriptions, I do disagree with her assessment of the arms and armour of the effigies. I believe that at least one of them can be circumstantially identified as Gilbert Marshal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wrote to Catherine setting out my case for disagreeing with her on the issue of the arms and armour some years ago, and received a thank you note, but nothing more. I've been intending to write out my refutation argument and put it in the public arena for several years now, and I have finally got around to it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is Catherine's highly detailed article. <a href="http://www.castlewales.com/mistaken_identity.html">Catherine Armstrong on the Marshal Effigies</a> I must emphasise I don't disagree with her on the point that these effigies cannot be identified with absolute conviction and I applaud her diligent research into the life of the effigies before the 21st century. That in itself is a fascinating, wonderful and sometimes horrifying story!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I do, however, vigorously disagree with her on the issue of the dating of the arms and armour for which I can make a strong case. I also believe I can make a good case for identifying the effigy of Gilbert Marshal despite lack of written evidence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Catherine Armstrong uses engravings of the Marshals by Edward Richardson to state her case. The work was published in 1843. So it's good to look back to a historical context a hundred and seventy years closer to the construction of the effigies, but at the same time we are relying on engravings, and also with the knowledge that Victorian antiquarians were extremely inquisitive but not always on the ball with their historical accuracy. You can read the book here for free. <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VHpFAAAAcAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s">Edward Richardson Temple Church Effigies</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Catherine's argument is that the effigy of William Marshal I cannot be him since it is older in the style of armour than the ones purporting to be his sons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Catherine says of the effigy below, now thought (erronously or not) to be William Marshal Junior (died 1231) "<i>The effigy was described by Richardson as wearing a chain mail coif and a hauberk of chain mail to his knees. However he is wearing what appears to be chausses of leather or some reinforced material from his waist to just below his knees. Lankester describes this covering as possibly gamboised cuisses which were quilted tube-like padded armour worn to protect the thighs, but they are show without covering of full chain mail which would have been the usual practice."</i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richardson's effigy engraving of the effigy now known as<br />
William Marshal's son William II</td></tr>
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The thing is that the without covering of full chain mail was the usual practise in the military styling of the mid thirteenth century. The leather covering from the knee upwards seems to have arrived in the thirteenth century. It overlapped with the mode of wearing full mail chausses, the latter being in evidence throughout the 12th and 13th centuries. It wasn't a case of one or the other. Military historian David Nicolle in his Medieval Warfare Source book tells us that mail chausses date from t<b>he mid 12th century</b> and covered the leg from 'mid thigh to foot.' He tells us that cuisses appeared in the <b>late 13th century</b> (p 138). Mail chausses from foot to thigh were the norm in the 12th and early 13th, not the cuissed style. Robert Curthose, son of the Conqueror is kitted out in cuisses - dateline mid or late 13th century, so the same period as the purported effigies of William Marshal II and Gilbert Marshal.<br />
Before anyone protests that Robert Curthose died in the early 12th century, let me say this is an effigy created in the 13th century and not at the time of Robert's death, so it's in the style of that later time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit Nilfanion Wikipedia</td></tr>
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Tomb of Robert Curthose, Gloucester Cathedral. Mid 13thC. Same legs as on the Marshal effigy.<br />
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This guy prefers his cuisses. He dates to 1250<br />
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This one's in chausses. Before 1225. British Library.<br />
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And here's Thomas Becket being murdered from a manuscript dating to circa 1200. British Library. Mail chausses again on the far left knight.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo Elizabeth Chadwick</td></tr>
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And then William Longespee earl of Salisbury - died 1226 and the first effigy to be buried in Salisbury Cathedral. We have a dateline for him. He's opted for chausses too a la William Marshal I. No cuisses for him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apocalypse. British Library 1270's</td></tr>
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Above we have an apocalypse scene from the British library and the knight on the horse is sporting cuisses. Dateline 1270's.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Westminster Psalter circa 1250<br />
Another knight wearing Cuisses - drawn by Matthew Paris.<br />
Wikipedia<br />
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Above we have an interesting one dating to 1230, 11 years after the Marshal's death and one year before the death of his eldest son. Here you can see the transition kite versus the shorter shield and the knight with the transition is wearing a mail glove. Both men are wearing mail chausses without visible cuisses and are a prime example of the ongoing changing interface of military styles taking place in the early to mid 13th century.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knight from Wells Cathedral circa 1230. Mail chausses, no cuisses<br />
By kind permission of Paul F. Walker, author of The History of Armour 1100-1700.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuisses dated to c1300. An Innocent being massacred from The Ruskin Hours<br />
France. Los Angeles. The J. Paul Getty Museum. Ms. Ludwig IX 3 fol. 85v<br />
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The above illustrations state my case. You can see that cuisses often appear later than mail chausses although there is an overlap nevertheless. This chap below from the Temple Church - purported early 13th likes to wear his with suspenders!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo Elizabeth Chadwick</td></tr>
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Onto the next point.<br />
Catherine Armstrong tells us that on the William II effigy the guard on the sword is relatively small and not as wide and visible as on the other effigies. <br />
<br />
Yes. That would be because the ends have broken off... - see further down for evidence of it happening to Gilbert's effigy.<br />
<br />
Catherine comments that smaller guards appear on the seals of Robert FitzWalter and Richard the Lionheart but swords had long lives and forty years isn't a hill of beans anyway in terms of that particular style. It's only a minor point though. The chausses/cuisses question immediately tells us we are probably dealing with mid 13thc, especially when combined with other details. The shield for example. If you look at the effigy purporting to be William Marshal I, his shield is of an older style that had gone out by the mid 13th. It's a shield in the process of transitioning from the old style kite shield into the smaller triangular shield but not there yet and a massively telling detail. The William II and Gilbert Marshal effigies both have the new style of smaller shield. Indeed the Gilbert effigy has them in decoration on his baldric strap. You can see the older transition kite in the 1200 illustration above of Becket's murder. Add the shield style to the leg fitments and the more raised style of the William Junior and Gilbert effigies and it's as clear as daylight that the William I effigy is older.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg-zU3oRq1rVXT4syzvU2cSoP6jb-u0-JzewyFzXttX5kEYkS-vreHRHJJYLJVN1O6lVGDXJ50rgIousyvMFPN2I-H7c9eBchzJbKBSLOsU5NbTUvWIEHZCK9j4Lmy6QjsfU1/s1600/Copy+(3)%2Bof%2BP1010004%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg-zU3oRq1rVXT4syzvU2cSoP6jb-u0-JzewyFzXttX5kEYkS-vreHRHJJYLJVN1O6lVGDXJ50rgIousyvMFPN2I-H7c9eBchzJbKBSLOsU5NbTUvWIEHZCK9j4Lmy6QjsfU1/s1600/Copy+(3)%2Bof%2BP1010004%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo Carole Blake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here I am paying my respects to the William I effigy, lying beside his son. Note the length of his transition shield. It comes down to his knee. Check too the Becket drawing above and you'll see it in use. Now look at the William II effigy. His shield only comes to his hip. It's what the transition kite becomes in the mid to late 13th century. Even if William II's shield is a little higher on his shoulder, it's still quite a bit shorter an a different shape to the William I effigy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWe3MklzGADpSstYzejUVMehJLEU4GTQ2p8XsmlOhvKvBXe9sUT7IZSN_gBzKQGxRJH2Qs-ZT5rPaxmuWgBiBTVJGGgzwhW3oclXzFtDgS6ib7qNM-PwRLkrqy_YzF2zqV9Rk/s1600/P1010977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWe3MklzGADpSstYzejUVMehJLEU4GTQ2p8XsmlOhvKvBXe9sUT7IZSN_gBzKQGxRJH2Qs-ZT5rPaxmuWgBiBTVJGGgzwhW3oclXzFtDgS6ib7qNM-PwRLkrqy_YzF2zqV9Rk/s1600/P1010977.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Elizabeth Chadwick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Note the new style smaller shields on the strap on Gilbert Marshal's effigy.<br />
<br />
Now to the matter of Gilbert Marshal's scallop shell sword. This is one of the identifiers that tell me this is likely to be Gilbert.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQbMUCXZjgjwIjYIgk_jMnnWuvpdKxXKXNUKOOYzdeYbhi6DLy7d9CIq0bRRxhTm_L1varx8UDhksIBcd7zB_afil-bTv1u0IWzkCFM8dENB5LHWyXpJyoUXsLh_AaIwb2ebT/s1600/P1010972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQbMUCXZjgjwIjYIgk_jMnnWuvpdKxXKXNUKOOYzdeYbhi6DLy7d9CIq0bRRxhTm_L1varx8UDhksIBcd7zB_afil-bTv1u0IWzkCFM8dENB5LHWyXpJyoUXsLh_AaIwb2ebT/s1600/P1010972.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Elizabeth Chadwick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is the sword hilt in question. Looks a bit like a scallop shell doesn't it?<br />
Catherine Armstrong observes that she has 'found no record that states that Gilbert Marshal made a pilgrimage to St James de Compostella (scallop shell was a symbol of such a pilgrimage) or that a scallop shell was any part of his coat of arms, She says it's an unusual design and basically we should be looking for someone other than Gilbert Marshal to be wielding it.<br />
<br />
However, sword expert Ewart Oakeshott tells us that it's a common design in the North of England in the mid 13thc and there has actually been a find of one at Cartmel - and who were the patrons of Cartmel Priory? Yep, the Marshals. It's nothing to do with Compostella. And note that the sword guard has broken off re the comment on short guards.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbm8-v33Q1epVNWGmAgkhyphenhyphentmNrpR5OIsnaBafe0_cY9doRvpV9Y0WGNApqOi3r-mCmsLZqnJmVx7__IUYQU-1oCjEFzkH1NQPktomMOwHrWtjvq3pfbgzsrfQQUNTeqOV7oAuS/s1600/earl-of-pembroke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbm8-v33Q1epVNWGmAgkhyphenhyphentmNrpR5OIsnaBafe0_cY9doRvpV9Y0WGNApqOi3r-mCmsLZqnJmVx7__IUYQU-1oCjEFzkH1NQPktomMOwHrWtjvq3pfbgzsrfQQUNTeqOV7oAuS/s1600/earl-of-pembroke.jpg" height="203" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now then.<br />
Here's Gilbert Marshal suffering his fatal accident at a tournament when his reins were cut by his enemies and his foot caught in his stirrup and he was dragged to his death. Note the sword hilt. Not exactly the same, but a darned good approximation for a chronicler. So we have circumstantial ID that this effigy IS Gilbert Marshal. On this illustration he's wearing full mail on his legs, demonstrating the overlap of armour styles. One size doesn't fit all.<br />
<br />
What further nails the identity of this particular effigy as Gilbert Marshal is that the serpent he is trampling, the symbol of evil, is actually chewing on his spur strap. I was told by a guide at the Temple Church that this was a comment on the way he had died. Add in the sword hilt and the style of the armour and circumstantially we have our man. It is highly likely that the effigy of William II was carved by the same hand, so for my money it's very possible that we are looking at the two Marshal brothers William II and Gilbert.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEffu8pPXVuJeLtbBl4UntR4n-revnoZO0OlYAOIOHQ9Cj_FvK_IpqPnUNG0ZIba6_S0hRMMNoLNgv2l8f4VO42VGWW_27EmWcQrhsXgAQlQT6QyFdl-mX6IMEHP2qZqJpX4AH/s1600/Richardson+Gilbert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEffu8pPXVuJeLtbBl4UntR4n-revnoZO0OlYAOIOHQ9Cj_FvK_IpqPnUNG0ZIba6_S0hRMMNoLNgv2l8f4VO42VGWW_27EmWcQrhsXgAQlQT6QyFdl-mX6IMEHP2qZqJpX4AH/s1600/Richardson+Gilbert.JPG" height="400" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richardson - Google Books</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Richardson's engraving of Gilbert Marshal. As you can see the sword had more of its guard when this was made in the mid 19th century compared to now (see my photo above of the scallop shell hilt). The same has happened to William II's guard. They're not shorter, they're just broken off.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAyAMwrszCZQ-94cWROdRTbh6Bip7Z5nbNA9tbd31qAxrdgHavDqnQog2ewCjToyRXHWqQqrIh565l-spjkD8hCJsUABQHAhtHohm7hrWlQbx3Iy3-LgsPlx3bxURCtgYdIRe/s1600/P1010974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAyAMwrszCZQ-94cWROdRTbh6Bip7Z5nbNA9tbd31qAxrdgHavDqnQog2ewCjToyRXHWqQqrIh565l-spjkD8hCJsUABQHAhtHohm7hrWlQbx3Iy3-LgsPlx3bxURCtgYdIRe/s1600/P1010974.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spur strap munching serpent. Photo Elizabeth Chadwick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Catherine Armstrong makes the point that the William Marshal I effigy is wearing mailed gloves which are of a later date than mail mittens. However, mail mittens continue well into the 14th century. Nicolle opines that gloves are late 13th, but that they were being used in Byzantium much earlier. So it's not beyond the scope of reason that if William adopted crusader designs when remodelling his castles, he also may have returned from the Holy Land with mail gloves too. The illustration of the fighting knights above shows what looks like a mail glove dating to 1230. Or it could just be a stylistic conceit on the tomb and illustration aimed at showing the shape of his hand around the sword grip. <br />
<br />
Conclusion: While it is impossible to say whether these are the effigies of William Marshal and his sons William and Gilbert it becomes very clear that we can say:<br />
1. The effigy claimed as that of William Marshal I is older than the other two in terms of armour style and of overall effigy type (it's not as raised, it doesn't have the vigour that came in later or the finesse. It has an older style shield and tried and tested mail chausses that had been around for most of the 12th century as opposed to the cuisses which didn't arrive until later). Historian H.A. Tummers considers that the 'lively martial attitude' of effigies (such as Robert Curthose and the Marshal sons) was a 'limited late development.' i.e. well into the 13thc. So the William I effigy is of the right dateline to have been created circa the time of William Marshal's death.<br />
<br />
2. Of the two effigies purported to be the sons, there is at least circumstantial evidence that the one with the scallop shaped sword hilt and the serpent attacking his spur strap is, in fact Gilbert Marshal.<br />
<br />
I do hope that Catherine Armstrong will reconsider her essay in the light of this information.<br />
<br />
Thank you<br />
Elizabeth Chadwick.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudDM2vtfiK-sk1S3osI_WmLbLJj99mLSsB-F85LVomBOEOu9991mBF3ZbMDyDtlDdSArdRQW59NbW7QsRUmekJISJF-JKi3cfUdZaIB9z_6MmfCGdLFs8qHLOyrRNFFzhyphenhyphen-Jh/s1600/P1020025+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudDM2vtfiK-sk1S3osI_WmLbLJj99mLSsB-F85LVomBOEOu9991mBF3ZbMDyDtlDdSArdRQW59NbW7QsRUmekJISJF-JKi3cfUdZaIB9z_6MmfCGdLFs8qHLOyrRNFFzhyphenhyphen-Jh/s1600/P1020025+(1).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of the face of 'the effigy known as William Marshal II<br />
Photo Elizabeth Chadwick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKpDHz8qgt9-p_BqL_W2PHpxzMIqPZevhGKBhe8GFx77AThxjCGUN7TjjpPliEcNVyYGP3g8laycQ0oTD9nPPSvmq8QigurJ16HrLkZUZA9E3F7lzX8GIi-8HrfYPfCIlMBfR/s1600/wILLIAM+MARSHAL+EFFIGY+FACE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKpDHz8qgt9-p_BqL_W2PHpxzMIqPZevhGKBhe8GFx77AThxjCGUN7TjjpPliEcNVyYGP3g8laycQ0oTD9nPPSvmq8QigurJ16HrLkZUZA9E3F7lzX8GIi-8HrfYPfCIlMBfR/s1600/wILLIAM+MARSHAL+EFFIGY+FACE.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of the face of the effigy known as William Marshal. Note the<br />
detail is not as fine as on the son's effigy, suggesting a less developed<br />
sculpting style in keeping with earlier tomb sculptures.<br />
Photo Elizabeth Chadwick<br />
<br />
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-align: center;">You can see more effigies for comparison on these sites:</span></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://effigiesandbrasses.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">Effigies and brasses</a></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
And here <a href="http://www.themcs.org/armour/14th%20century%20armour.htm">12th and 14th century combat society</a><br />
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</tbody></table>
Books for further reading:<br />
Medieval Warfare Source Book vol 1 by David Nicolle 1995<br />
The Sword in the Age of Chivalry by Ewart Oakeshott - Boydell revised 1994<br />
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<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-41072071029952170482014-12-24T11:12:00.000+00:002014-12-24T11:12:17.445+00:00MAGNA CARTA by Dan Jones. My review for The History Girls. I've just reviewed Dan Jones' book MAGNA CARTA for The History Girls. Here's the url. I thought the book was excellent and would recommend it for anyone's bookshelf. <a href="http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/magna-carta-by-dan-jones-some-thoughts.html">My review of Magna Carta by Dan Jones</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfJoRa8qFqxsuPbpsnSh8Q7tJ0wcfTxetFm7zo0-OYvTDetFSgBoIQNwoo6eI4gVqPgWRRZhkId-JP6y83d9-nxHNq6kkno9bRTcdbEQ-hPK2kP878pK6aSpa1HdxS7yk5jAk/s1600/img294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfJoRa8qFqxsuPbpsnSh8Q7tJ0wcfTxetFm7zo0-OYvTDetFSgBoIQNwoo6eI4gVqPgWRRZhkId-JP6y83d9-nxHNq6kkno9bRTcdbEQ-hPK2kP878pK6aSpa1HdxS7yk5jAk/s1600/img294.jpg" height="400" width="393" /></a></div>
<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-5284659489707793132014-12-23T15:52:00.000+00:002014-12-23T15:52:10.749+00:00IF IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHINON: The festive itinerary of Henry II.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokG_G-TFhR3fWddAbMc5llGXoTDUMuespCrGFFFWG2576MM4Y27FMh2nEo8S7d6qcXaPhFSwTmO85_oc0wmg7KJVeEItm3pV2VCgnESSc9rBq022sVcqNa8-XGgWhZW2fKi5W/s1600/hENRY+IN+SNOW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokG_G-TFhR3fWddAbMc5llGXoTDUMuespCrGFFFWG2576MM4Y27FMh2nEo8S7d6qcXaPhFSwTmO85_oc0wmg7KJVeEItm3pV2VCgnESSc9rBq022sVcqNa8-XGgWhZW2fKi5W/s1600/hENRY+IN+SNOW.JPG" height="315" width="320" /></a></div>
I post over at <a href="http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/">THE HISTORY GIRLS</a> blog on the 24th of every month. I thought I'd give you all a link to a blog post I wrote for them last Christmas eve about King Henry II and his whereabouts on every Christmas of his reign. <a href="http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/if-its-christmas-it-must-be-chinon.html">IF IT'S CHRISTMAS IT MUST BE CHINON</a><br />
<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-64169956881973802852014-10-06T21:00:00.004+00:002014-10-06T21:05:06.033+00:00INVENTING ELEANOR By Michael R. Evans: My thoughts.<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Inventing Eleanor: the mediaeval and post-mediaeval image
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Michael R. Evans.
Bloomsbury Academic ISBN 978 1 4411 6900 6</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5RdIAU35CfrVWd3r6FZmjJ5gMCT4bjtNU_8XJiGohNy5ayf35WSXgyF-EFcMkKLrIBfyKOcwWjkR7yIUeB-VPn-e8hocNSFfQta0AdmEU5M2qUTqBwqXOjlXYCKS0d-6yUnN/s1600/img122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5RdIAU35CfrVWd3r6FZmjJ5gMCT4bjtNU_8XJiGohNy5ayf35WSXgyF-EFcMkKLrIBfyKOcwWjkR7yIUeB-VPn-e8hocNSFfQta0AdmEU5M2qUTqBwqXOjlXYCKS0d-6yUnN/s1600/img122.jpg" height="400" width="261" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While browsing the Internet for research, I came across a
reference to this book and feeling it would be a really useful addition to my
shelves, I went ahead and bought it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During my research into
Eleanor of Aquitaine, I constantly come across misconceptions and false
information in secondary sources including biographies. I also come across comments about Eleanor being a great feminist icon and a woman way ahead
of her time, and then I want to bang my head on the desk
(metaphorically speaking). So it was
great to come across a work that aims to set the record straight and that tells
us just where these odd notions about Eleanor originate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
From the back of the book: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
‘Eleanor of Aquitaine (1124- 1204)
Queen of France and England and mother of two Kings has often been described as
one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages. Yet her real achievements
have been embellished - and even obscured - by myths that have grown up over
eight centuries. This process began in her own lifetime, as chroniclers
reported rumours of scandalous conduct
on crusade, and has continued ever since. She has been variously viewed as an
adulterous queen, a monstrous mother and jealous murderess, but also was a
patron of literature, champion of courtly love and proto-feminist defender of
women’s rights. <i>Inventing Eleanor</i>
interrogates the myths that have grown up around the figure of Eleanor of
Aquitaine and investigates how and why historians and artists have invented an
Eleanor who is very different from the 12<sup>th</sup> century queen. The book
first considers the mediaeval primary sources and then proceeds to trace the post-mediaeval
development of the image of Eleanor, from demonic Queen to feminist icon, in
historiography and the broader culture.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
This is exactly what the book does in a very readable form that
still remains scholarly and detailed in its sources. The
contents include an introduction where the author sets out his reasons for
writing the book and argues that she was <i>‘far
from unique amongst 12<sup>th</sup> century royal and noble women.’ </i>Professor
Evans seeks to unravel how she acquired her reputation for exceptionalism. He remarks
on the opening page that Eleanor’s biographers
must take some of the blame for this. <i>‘In
the absence of hard evidence (these) biographies have often been fleshed out by
speculation and the creation or perpetuation of myths.’</i></div>
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWH5QHtRAnLAsfciXC0GZoRW2yTrG1BEKX7NHnk4E7r4sQxSFN0-HuPJKAjTiIUG0OZNKCoPV3GXFAstyAecTxa_RyizEII78ciXxF8-jsUh3wgVqG8C5JakAOne6dr9RtPMzg/s1600/Eleanor+books+for+blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWH5QHtRAnLAsfciXC0GZoRW2yTrG1BEKX7NHnk4E7r4sQxSFN0-HuPJKAjTiIUG0OZNKCoPV3GXFAstyAecTxa_RyizEII78ciXxF8-jsUh3wgVqG8C5JakAOne6dr9RtPMzg/s1600/Eleanor+books+for+blog.png" height="225" width="320" /></a></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Following a detailed introduction, Professor Evans traces
Eleanor’s reputation, through the blackening of her name during her own
lifetime and the time soon after her death.
He explores too the legends surrounding Rosamond de Clifford and how
both women’s reputations have suffered at the hands of myth and legend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Chapter 2 looks at Eleanor in historiography and how
realistically she is portrayed. He observes that <i>‘historians may have striven to create (in the words of Edmond-René
Labande) ‘a realistic image of Eleanor of Aquitaine’, but that image has
struggled to replace that of the more colourful meta-Eleanor in the public
consciousness. Hence an online author in 2013 is still able to write of Eleanor
in stereotypical terms that would have been familiar to a mid-19<sup>th</sup>-century
readership of popular history.’</i> He
goes on to explore the way in which Eleanor’s reputation has been distorted to
suit the ideologies of particular historical periods and historians with axes
to grind. So <i>‘In the late 20<sup>th</sup>
century, second wave feminist movement gave birth to a new interest in Eleanor
of Aquitaine as a female hero, but often at the expense of exaggerating her
deeds and influence, and reinforcing the myth of her exceptionalism.’ </i> He also explores Eleanor’s depiction as a
new-age neopagan type! He comes the
conclusion that <i>‘historians of Eleanor
have created an image of her, and mediaeval women as a whole, that is
misleading. </i> My thoughts exactly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The third chapter deals with Eleanor the woman of the South
and very quickly puts paid to the notion of the original Eleanor as
propitiating a great Southern cause. He
says that Eleanor is <i>‘arguably a northern
as much as a southern figure…It was
Poitou, not the south-west that was the heartland of Eleanor’s realm and where
the Dukes of Aquitaine held the greatest concentration of demesne lands.’ </i>…. He also explores a suggestion from a
recent set of essays about Eleanor that claims she didn’t actually speak Occitan at all. The courts of love and literary patronage are
shown to be relatively insignificant in Eleanor’s life. He comes to the
conclusion that Eleanor of Aquitaine <i>‘can
in no way be considered a southern figure in an alien and hostile northern
world. Her native duchy straddled the divide between the North and the South,
and its main power centres were closer to Paris than to the Mediterranean.’ </i> Bam, another dearly held myth bites the dust.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next chapter deals with Eleanor’s portrayal in drama before
1900 and goes into great detail via Shakespeare, operas and sundry plays and
dramas. From there it’s onto Eleanor in drama post-1900, and of course the iconic
Lion in Winter. TV series such as Robin of Sherwood also receive a mention for how
Eleanor is portrayed in cameo roles.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Professor Evans then takes an overview of how Eleanor is
portrayed in fiction and there is a fine accolade for author Sharon Kay Penman.
Jean Plaidy’s take on Eleanor is discussed too and there are some ‘interesting’
quotes from Alison Weir’s the captive Queen. There’s also a section on Eleanor in young adult
fiction. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then it’s onto Eleanor in the visual arts including
mediaeval images. This was particularly interesting for me because Professor
Evans discusses the mural at Chinon that is often said to portray Eleanor and
Henry. Indeed many novels and biographies feature this portrait on the cover
with the middle crown figure depicted as Eleanor. However, it ain’t necessarily
so, and it seems,according to art historian Ursula Nielgen who
has examined the work in detail and dated it to the late 12<sup>th</sup> century that the figures are all male and more likely to represent Henry II and his four sons. I was also pleased in this section to find that Evans had picked up my research on various
biographer’s beliefs on Eleanor’s appearance and I receive a mention at the
beginning of the chapter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Having thoroughly explored Eleanor in the visual arts, right
up to modern ‘headless’ covers in historical fiction, Professor Evans goes on to
make his conclusion, which is basically that finding the real Eleanor remains
an uphill struggle because of all the myths perpetuated. However, with
continuing scholarship that doesn’t pander to these myths and stereotypes we
may gradually begin to see a more nuanced Eleanor than of yore.<o:p></o:p></div>
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During his summary he
remarked that while historians may shake their heads at the likes of certain recent
works of historical fiction about Eleanor, <i>‘historical novelists such as Sharon
Kay Penman and Elizabeth Chadwick are seeking to apply modern scholarship to
their fiction, and consequently avoid the most egregious of the legends
surround Eleanor.’</i> That’s nice!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Highly recommended for those who want to take a look under
the surface and who are prepared with an open mind to have their perceptions
and preconceptions challenged.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I would add that it is rather expensive - which seems to be the case with most academic books these days.</div>
Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-31087264975706174992014-09-30T12:22:00.003+00:002014-09-30T12:22:56.124+00:00HISTORY GIRLS COMPETITION TO WIN A COPY OF THE WINTER CROWNJust a note to say that THE HISTORY GIRLS blog where I post once a month is running a competition, open internationally, to win a copy of THE WINTER CROWN. Ends October 7th<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0secSJRnqnr7k-efHMnzi0cYCDfjKLr0LTWgmZTDOeWDvzijReRbyhhkKXfaIWfFQ1BQiy5-O5C1BsQQMO_Uy-Pg723Pw09IPxf7l7t8YrRaEOb0ZGkyQBaefT3tRJ2qQM4K/s1600/The+Winter+Crown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0secSJRnqnr7k-efHMnzi0cYCDfjKLr0LTWgmZTDOeWDvzijReRbyhhkKXfaIWfFQ1BQiy5-O5C1BsQQMO_Uy-Pg723Pw09IPxf7l7t8YrRaEOb0ZGkyQBaefT3tRJ2qQM4K/s1600/The+Winter+Crown.JPG" height="400" width="255" /></a></div>
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Here are links to a couple of recent reviews of the novel: </div>
<div>
<a href="http://forwinternights.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/the-winter-crown-by-elizabeth-chadwick/">http://forwinternights.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/the-winter-crown-by-elizabeth-chadwick/</a><br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And <a href="http://www.lep.co.uk/what-s-on/reviews/books/book-review-the-winter-crown-by-elizabeth-chadwick-1-6854304">http://www.lep.co.uk/what-s-on/reviews/books/book-review-the-winter-crown-by-elizabeth-chadwick-1-6854304</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Go here to enter the competition - it's international!</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/september-competition.html">tHE HISTORY GIRLS WINTER CROWN COMPETITION</a><br /></div>
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-67352210316368905912014-09-05T21:00:00.000+00:002014-09-05T21:00:00.709+00:00THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY INDIE FICTION AWARD 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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SO THERE I WAS back in July, minding my own business at a writers' event bringing together both Indie and traditionally published authors when my excellent friend and fellow speaker Helen Hollick drew me aside for a gentle little chat. She explained that she was organising an award to celebrate, recognise, and encourage the best of independently published historical fiction through the auspices of the Historical Novel Society of which we were both long-standing members. </div>
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Helen co-ordinates the online editorial reviews for Indie historical fiction, the best of which are awarded an 'Editor's Choice' accolade. Books receiving this accolade are automatically forwarded onto a longlist for the the award. Orna Ross, founder of The Alliance of Independent Authors had very generously offered a prize for the award winner and runner up and had agreed to read the longlist of selected novels and whittle them down to a final four. More details of how it works <a href="http://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/hns-indie-award-2014.html">here</a><span id="goog_117207849"></span><span id="goog_117207850"></span></div>
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Helen<strike> twisted my arm</strike> asked me I would read the final four and choose a winner and a runner up. Now, those of you who know the, kind, enthusiastic and generous Helen Hollick, also know she is a force to be reckoned with when she wants something and that her lovely nature is only one facet. She outdoes John Wayne for true grit and bloody minded determination when she wants to get something done.</div>
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Somehow I found myself agreeing to read the shortlist, and then wondering just what I'd let myself in for.</div>
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I soon discovered that what I had let myself in for were four wonderful meaty reads, all very different that whisked me away to other times and places with such skill and involvement that while reading them, I was lost to the here and now. </div>
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But how to choose a winner. Helen told me that I should take presentation into account because that's one of the steep learning curves for an Indie writer to face. You can't just write the words onto a PC and then let the publisher do the rest. You are own publisher, marketing director and Public relations person. To stand a chance in an overcrowded market your work has to be presented both inside and out in a thoroughly professional way.<br />
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All of the novels were of a high standard in this department. Some could have been tweaked, but truly they were only nitpicks.</div>
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I organised a score sheet with 5 marks for the cover and another 5 marks for the internal presentation. Then scores out of 10 for historical feel, characterisation, plot, language and pace. So, a total of 60 marks.</div>
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I am an avid reader and this is how I looked at these four novels. As a keen reader rather than an academic literary critic. What I wanted was something that absorbed me so completely that I couldn't put it down. I wanted the sustenance of a superb story that would transport me to another time, make me think, create wonderful paintings in my mind and keep me turning the pages until the last one, where I would feel sorry it was over but satisfied too, and most importantly for the author, make me want to dash out and buy everything else he or she had written. I love books. As a reader I don't care whether they are Indie or mainstream. Just give me the story already and the words to make me live with your characters.</div>
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All of the novels had some of this element and I loved reading them, but when it boiled down to it, there was one outright winner, even though the second place gave it a run for its money. </div>
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I must add the caveat that I am only one person and others may disagree with me. It does come down to what each individual reader enjoys too, but since I was the individual asked to judge the contest this year, this is my choice.</div>
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THE WINNER OF THE 2014 HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY INDIE AWARD GOES TO:</div>
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VIRGINIA COX for THE SUBTLEST SOUL.</div>
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The novel is set in Italy at the time of the Borgias and is based in part of events in Machiavelli's Prince. Indeed, Machiavelli has a cameo role in the novel as does Leonardo da Vinci. It tells the story of Matteo de Fermo, a young man struggling to survive into the violent world of the closing years of 15th century Italy.</div>
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Matteo's story is told with pace, panache and many intriguing twists and turns that are complex without ever being convoluted. The history felt real and right. It was an immersive experience. It was one of those books where I needed to know what happened next and kept having to go back and pick at it - you know like when you have that opened bar of chocolate in the fridge! How does he get out of this scrape? Oh my goodness, what's he doing now! I don't believe what just happened! The characterisation was stunning. It was a fairly long book at 450 pages, but they flew past and although it's a pity the author's name isn't on the book's spine, the internal layout and font size made it the easiest on the eyes of all the shortlisted novels.</div>
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I was also a little bit frustrated when it ended - like eating that last piece of chocolate. I now need to go out and get another bar. I sincerely hope that Virginia Cox is writing a sequel, and I shall be waiting in line to buy it!</div>
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RUNNER UP: A GIFT FOR THE MAGUS by LINDA PROUD</div>
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Before anyone says that I must have a fan thing for Renaissance Italy - I don't! Honestly I don't! It's just that the winner and runner up happen by coincidence to be set in 15thC Italy with A Gift For The Magus beings set a little earlier than The Subtlest Soul.</div>
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This is the tale of the notorious Fra Filippo Lippi, an artistic friar of supreme talent and dubious morals. His mistress, a nun and the mother of his children, was the model he used for the Virgin Mary. I knew nothing of Lippi's paintings before I read A Gift for the Magus but by the end of the novel I was eager to go exploring and discover his work. I loved the humour in the novel and the scenes of everyday life that put me right there in the heart of Padua and Florence, in the household of the Medici, in nunnery, chapel and hovel. I learned a great deal about Renaissance art, and I came to be very fond of Fra Lippi, his eccentricities and human failings, and his genius.</div>
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SAMOA By ROBERT SCHAFFER</div>
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and THE JACOBITE'S APPRENTICE By DAVID EBSWORTH<br />
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were also very worthy shortlistees (mentioned here only as they enter my brain and not as 3rd and 4th, but as equals) I loved the Mitchener-esque scope of Samoa and some of the descriptive language was breathtaking. </div>
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I enjoyed the coloured maps and the illustrations too and found them very useful for getting around in the novel. The sense of history in The Jacobite's Apprentice was palpable and it was useful to have a glossary to refer to at the back. It's told in first person present tense which gives it a strong sense of the here and now too, even though the characters are magnificently of their time. The book was also very professionally produced.</div>
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All opinions are obviously my own but I hope readers will take a chance on these books and enjoy the stories they have to tell. Congratulations to all four authors, but especially to Virginia Cox.</div>
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And a thank you too to Helen Hollick for asking me to read the shortlist. I may have thought about running away at the outset, but at some point over the course of the conference I am going to hug her!</div>
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<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-68152360186756489062014-08-10T00:30:00.000+00:002014-08-10T00:30:00.031+00:00THE SPLINTERED KINGDOM. Author interview with James Aitcheson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Those of you who have been acquainted with me for a few years know that I rarely give quotes or endorsements for novels. Even so, 'rarely' does not mean 'never.' My pact with myself and my readers is that I will only endorse novels that I have read under my own steam and that I have thoroughly enjoyed and would love to share.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A couple of years ago, I picked up a debut novel at the library called SWORN SWORD by James Aitcheson and was immediately hooked. Here I should say that I often try out new to me authors at the library and if I love them then I go out and buy their work. This is what happened with SWORN SWORD. I loved the rendition of post Conquest England and seeing it through the eyes of its personable hero Tancred a Dinant, an ambitious young Breton hearth knight. I've since gone on to buy, read and love the second novel THE SPLINTERED KINGDOM and the third KNIGHTS OF THE HAWK.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THE SPLINTERED KINGDOM is just being published in the United States by Sourcebooks and so I asked James if he would like to be interviewed on my blog and give me and other readers some insights into these fine works of historical fiction - how they came to be written and just what it entails behind the scenes. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Over to James:</span></b><br />
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<b style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1. James, I’ve
thoroughly enjoyed your novels ever since picking up SWORN SWORD when it was
first published and THE SPLINTERED KINGDOM was no exception. I have become something of a fan of your hero
Tancred a Dinant. I’d love to know how
his character and his story came to you in the first place?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tancred’s
evolution was a gradual thing. I didn’t start out with a fully formed protagonist
in mind, but rather the sketch of an outline of an idea that then grew and
developed as I began writing what later became <i>Sworn Sword</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Right
from the beginning I decided that I wanted to tell the story of the Norman
Conquest from the unconventional perspective of the invaders rather than from
that of the native English. My main character should be a man of action, I
thought, and what better than a knight serving in William the Conqueror’s army?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Still,
though, Tancred remained something of a blank canvas, and in those early drafts
of the first few chapters, he wasn’t terribly well defined. It was only when I
made the switch from writing in the third person to writing in the first person
that I really began to probe his character and find out what made him tick. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
soon as I began writing in Tancred’s voice, things began to click. I found it
easier to get inside his head and discover not just what drove him, but also
his fears, doubts and dreams. Over time this intriguing individual emerged: ambitious,
principled but tortured by guilt; an experienced warrior with a keen sense of
honour, who nonetheless a maverick streak that often lands him in trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
he continues to develop in each new book according to the various struggles and
triumphs that he undergoes. Thus the Tancred we see <i>The Splintered Kingdom</i>, the second book in the series, is a
different man in some respects to the one we saw in <i>Sworn Sword</i>. He’s maturing as he acquires new responsibilities but
at the same time growing more ruthless in pursuit of his goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2. Have you written
anything before and if so was it historical? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ve
always written stories since I was very young, and for as long as I can
remember I harboured ambitions of being a professional writer, although back
then I never imagined myself as a historical novelist. As a teenager I read a
lot of science fiction and fantasy, and so I used to write a lot in those
genres. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It
was only when I went to study History at Cambridge, where I became hooked on
the Middle Ages and the Norman Conquest in particular, that I started to consider
turning to historical fiction. Since then I’ve never looked back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3. I particularly like
the way you paint the characters as individuals with dilemmas that a modern
reader can immediately identify with, but at the same time your people are
firmly grounded in the 11<sup>th</sup> century.
Is this something you consciously thought about while writing? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">One
of the biggest challenges that the historical novelist faces is getting inside
the heads of his or her characters. To write convincingly about the Middle
Ages, you need to try to get yourself into a medieval mindset. Understanding
their thought-world – that is to say, their attitudes towards religion, family
and society – is vital, since all of those things will have an impact on how
your characters reason, speak and behave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately
there are no shortcuts you can take towards achieving this; I think it only
comes through deep immersion into the period and extensive research into all
the small details of life at the time. For me, it’s also essential that I go</span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">
back to the primary sources – the original chronicles, poetry and other
writings that provide us with the voices of the past – since these offer useful
glimpses into the preoccupations of people living at the time.</span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0VjyuSUCMZAPrpCSWDrfmUYIbo8SqbaNtmLyYJXcuqh3WKTizhSrgyO1zU6uXfU6_gildBkr8Pgf8bHWFw4qslNCKTAaNu5xDVAaL43yzEBteaddZCDIvCEMV4g84f4LEp1l/s1600/Offa's+Dyke+Path+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0VjyuSUCMZAPrpCSWDrfmUYIbo8SqbaNtmLyYJXcuqh3WKTizhSrgyO1zU6uXfU6_gildBkr8Pgf8bHWFw4qslNCKTAaNu5xDVAaL43yzEBteaddZCDIvCEMV4g84f4LEp1l/s1600/Offa's+Dyke+Path+2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Offa's Dyke path overlooking the Teme Valley near<br />Knighton, Powys, which is only a few miles to the west<br />of where Earnford, Tancred's fictional manor is sited.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4. You have a very firm
and visual sense of time and place. It’s so evocative that whatever it is, mist
or moonlight, or the wide fenland marshes, it’s there with me in the room. Did
you visit any of the locations or similar landscapes? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
research takes many forms, and while I love nothing more spending time in the
library engrossed in the literature surrounding the subject, I also enjoy getting
out in the field. When it comes to visualising and recreating landscapes in the
novels, I find that there’s no substitute for going and treading the very soil
that my characters would have stood upon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
travels have taken me all over England, and I’ve used my on-the-ground research
to help construct a virtual guide to the country <i>c</i>.1066, which you can find on my website. It’s called Tancred’s
England, and it features mini-histories of several of the principal locations
featured in the series, for readers who are interested in finding out more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs9cDc7Wmm645mVIeuO79MChXYCOsfjLaN3HCIfa4_DQCH-nAX2QssJ_vtpK0jBuTqG7m5skaeQ3RDKzQ1wJ0KTha0Po-AlK9Qd8ikeehTXUNM1Xxe_UhFlEsqUUeG1sE4_JN/s1600/IMGP5403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs9cDc7Wmm645mVIeuO79MChXYCOsfjLaN3HCIfa4_DQCH-nAX2QssJ_vtpK0jBuTqG7m5skaeQ3RDKzQ1wJ0KTha0Po-AlK9Qd8ikeehTXUNM1Xxe_UhFlEsqUUeG1sE4_JN/s1600/IMGP5403.JPG" height="209" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Members of Regia Anglorum in 11thc Norman kit<br />Photo courtesy of Rosemary Watson</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">5. And you must have
intensively researched the weapons, warfare and tactics of the time to be able
to write such convincing battle scenes?
I got a real feel for being in the desperate thick of it that showed
emotional investment that went well beyond the technical blow by blow. These were always real people with too much
to lose. How do you do that element of
your research?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
learn about the various elements of arms and armour and how they were used, I
not only turn to books but also speak with re-enactors. But when it comes to
trying to capture something of the feel of a medieval battle, that’s not
something that can be easily recreated in today’s world, nor would anyone want
to! However, reading and listening to interviews with modern soldiers are very
useful for getting an insight into how individuals deal emotionally with
fighting and killing. The historian John Keegan’s pioneering book <i>The Face of Battle,</i> an absorbing study
of the psychology of battle, was also an eye-opener for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">6. The politics of the
time between the different factions was pretty complicated but you explain them
very well in THE SPLINTERED KINGDOM – no mean feat. I assume you had to do a lot of reading
around the subject in order to distill it for the readers? In broad brush strokes can you tell us about
some of the factions in play at the time.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
you say, there were many different factions competing for power and territory
at this time. In the wake of the Norman victory at Hastings, everything
suddenly became very uncertain, and the invaders battled for several years to
consolidate their hold on England and put down various waves of native risings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Taking
advantage of the uncertainty were the Welsh kings, who launched repeated raids
across the border, and the Danes, who saw in the chaos an opportunity for
plunder, and whose king, Sweyn Estrithsson, had long had designs on the English
crown. Meanwhile, the last in the ancient Anglo-Saxon royal line, Eadgar
Ætheling, who also believes he is the rightful king, is marching at the head of
a Northumbrian army to which the king of Scots has also lent his support. So
within a few years of their arrival in Britain, the Normans suddenly find
themselves in a very precarious position, under attack on all sides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
researching this particular episode of the Norman Conquest I had to open myself
up to completely new avenues of research. My specialism until then had been
largely in Anglo-Saxon and early Norman England, and so in order to write about
the Welsh March where the novel is largely set, I needed to become acquainted
in fairly short order with the complicated and turbulent history of early
medieval Wales. Naturally only a very small fraction of all my research made it
into the book, but without it I wouldn’t have felt properly equipped to begin
writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">7. You clearly have a
love for language and I enjoy the light seasoning you use in your novels
including THE SPLINTERED KINGDOM. A
little allied to the above question, can you explain (in short!) about the
languages that would have been spoken in Britain at the time of the Norman
Conquest.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
the Normans extended their reach throughout the British Isles, they found
themselves in contact not just with English, but with Welsh, Norse and Gaelic
speakers too. One of the key things I wanted to show in the series was how
disconcertingly alien the cultures of Britain would have seemed to the Normans
when they first arrived, and how strange its languages would have sounded to a
French-speaker. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That’s
one of the reasons I chose to refer to places by their contemporary names –
Eoferwic (York), Lundene (London) and Brycgstowe (Bristol), for example – and to
use old forms of personal names in favour of modern ones – thus Eadgyth instead
of Edith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
time, many of the conquerors, especially those who had been granted land under
the Norman kings, did learn to speak the native tongues, if only so that in
everyday life </span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">they could converse with the folk who lived on
their estates without needing an interpreter. But French remained the language
of the elite and continued to dominate court life for several generations after
1066.</span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">8. If you could go back
in time and do your historical research on the ground so to speak, what would
be the things you would really like to know?
I know the reply is probably all of it, but could you give a couple of
examples? I know, from my own work that
I would love to go back to a 12<sup>th</sup> century tournament and see just
how they grabbed each other by the bridles in the thick of the fight. What would be on your wishlist?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That’s
a difficult question to answer! I think what I’d most like to see is how the
Normans went about constructing the castles and cathedrals that you see across
England today, and which are among their greatest legacies. They were well
practised in the art of building fortifications quickly, and indeed
contemporary chronicles suggest that the first castle at Dover (1066) and the
second at York (1069) were thrown up in just eight days, which if true is quite
incredible, given the scale of the work involved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UK cover for Knights of the Hawk</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">9. I understand KNIGHTS
OF THE HAWK is coming to Sourcebooks next year, and Tancred has more adventures
in store I am pleased to say. Can you
say a little about that?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, the third book in
the series, <i>Knights of the Hawk</i>, is
due to be published by Sourcebooks in summer 2015. (It’s already out in the
UK.) </span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: AJensonPro-Regular;">Set in autumn 1071, one year after <i>The Splintered Kingdom</i>, it sees Tancred
waging war in the Fens, where a group of rebels, including perhaps the most
famous outlaw of them all, Hereward the Wake, are making one final, desperate
stand against the Normans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: AJensonPro-Regular;">There will be further adventures for Tancred – I’ve got
plenty more ideas for where his travels might take him in future. In the long
term I’d very much like to send Tancred on the First Crusade, although by that
point he’d be in his mid-fifties, so perhaps a little bit old for front-line
fighting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: AJensonPro-Regular;">For the time being I’m working on a new project, which is also
set during the Norman Conquest but which features an entirely new set of
characters. It’s slightly different in style and tone, but (I hope) equally
exciting. I can’t say too much about it just yet, but I will be posting updates
on my website in the following months.</span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">10. Can you suggest a
good reference book for someone to read if they wanted to find out more about
the period?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anyone
seeking a general introduction to 1066 and its significance would be
well-advised to try Marc Morris’s <i>The
Norman Conquest</i>, an up-to-date and accessible study that combines a
historian’s scholarship with a storyteller’s flair and narrative drive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For
a more in-depth view of life in England during this period and the changes
wrought by the Conquest, I can highly recommend <i>A Social History of England, 900–1200</i>, edited by Julia Crick and
Elisabeth van Houts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">11. And for fun, what
was a fiction read you’ve recently enjoyed?
Any subject, doesn’t have to be historical.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0cm;">Recently
I’ve very much enjoyed reading </span><i style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0cm;">Gentlemen
of the Road</i><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0cm;"> by Michael Chabon. A light-hearted, swashbuckling novel, it
features Zelikman and Amram, two Jewish bandits and swords-for-hire, who are plying
their trade in the Caucasus </span><i style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0cm;">c</i><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0cm;">. 950 and
find themselves drawn into a campaign to restore the rightful heir to the
Khazar throne. It’s a slim volume – only a couple of hundred pages long – but
crammed with twists and turns, ploys and deceptions and feats of derring-do,
written in a grandiose and captivating style.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you very much for those detailed and enlightening answers James. I shall certainly be looking up <i>Gentlemen of the Road. </i>The Marc Morris book is on my TBR; I'm definitely a fan of his.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everyone, do add James Aitcheson's terrific novels to your TBR pile if your interest has been piqued!</span></div>
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-24226231818123364392014-06-05T20:46:00.002+00:002014-06-05T20:46:33.837+00:00THE SUMMER QUEEN THE BOOK TRAILERWith the paperback copy of THE SUMMER QUEEN due any day for publication in the UK and the USA, I've had a lovely book trailer done by Cathy Helms at Avalon Graphics. I hope everyone enjoys it!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zanzfQz0FQ0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-43497674655991430282014-05-14T09:47:00.003+00:002014-05-14T09:47:55.240+00:00ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF WILLIAM MARSHAL: THE GREATEST KNIGHT Circa 1147 - May 14th 1219<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKP0QDSUlYI7-5TpMqMD-5gJQeg-kmySpJ_zUlgiP7p-88yebi07VasOifWI-masvD-7J-o_hZb1a37nDTuOug8F6mNwN_WOG5dWoYg6qZhS_CdnikZl_wmTGM96Y8frHiocE/s1600/Arms+of+William+Marshal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKP0QDSUlYI7-5TpMqMD-5gJQeg-kmySpJ_zUlgiP7p-88yebi07VasOifWI-masvD-7J-o_hZb1a37nDTuOug8F6mNwN_WOG5dWoYg6qZhS_CdnikZl_wmTGM96Y8frHiocE/s1600/Arms+of+William+Marshal.JPG" height="400" width="327" /></a></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The son the countess, and all the knighs appeared, vying with one another to be the first on a scene which sorely distressed them. He spoke these words to all present:</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">'I am dying, and commend you to God, I am no longer able to think of your needs, for I cannot fight against death.'</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The son came up, sat where John of Earely was sitting, and took his father in his arms. He wept tears of pity, as was natural, quietly and openly. The Marshal was brought a cross, to which he gave his adoration. As best he could he prayed God to have compassion on him and bring him to a good end. Once he had adored the cross, the abbot of Notley, in his straightforward way, came to his side; there were many other men of religion who came with him. I do not know what else to say, except that he leant against his son once more. The son was very distressed for his father, who could say no more words, having lost the faculty of speech. It is not the right time now to ask whether there was ever any greater reason to shed tears for any prince on earth that there was in the Marshal's household.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">My lords, it is the very truth that in this world the Marshal experienced many fine and splendid adventures. His dying was the best amongst them as you will hear shortly. All those of you who ever rejoiced in the great deeds you heard that he had done, will rejoice in that too...</i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The above comes from the closing lines of the Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal, completed in 1226, just seven years after William Marshal's death. It was a piece commissioned by his eldest son, William to be read out on family occasions to commemorate his father, and runs to 19,212 lines.</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Today, the 14th of May, is the anniversary of William Marshal's death, but as the Histoire says, it is a time to celebrate his memory. and the entire, wonderful adventure of his life. I am also positive that he is still very much around!</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">I an reposting my notes from the talk I gave at Cartmel Priory for their Founder's Day lecture. </b><br style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><b>Cartmel Priory Founder's Day Lecture May 15th 2011</b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #215670; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">We don't know William Marshal's date of birth only that it was probably in 1146 or 1147, and that he was born somewhere in Wiltshire or<st1:place w:st="on">Berkshire</st1:place>. He may have been born at Marlborough, or Ludgershall, at Winterbourne or Tidworth. He was the second son of his father's second marriage. His father John Marshal, had put his first wife aside in order to take a second wife and seal peace between himself and his neighbour Patrick of Salisbury, with whom he was at war at the time. William’s mother Sybilla, was Patrick’s sister.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">When William was about five years old, King Stephen came to besiege John Marshal at<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Newbury</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place> and demanded surrender. William’s father said that in order to do that, he would have to do ask permission of his overlord, the Empress Matilda for whom he was fighting against the King. Stephen agreed to let him do this, but said that he would have hostages of him to make sure he kept his word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Little William was turned over to the King as surety for that word of honour. When the appointed day arrived for John Marshall to surrender <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Newbury</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place>, he refused. Instead of sending word to the Empress, he stuffed the castle to the rafters with men, equipment and supplies. Stephen was furious but probably not surprised, and he sent word to John that William’s life was forfeit and he would be hanged. John retorted with that now infamous reply. ‘H<i>e said that he did not care about the child, since he still had the anvils and hammers to produce even finer sons<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William was manhandled to the gallows, but on his way saw the Earl of Arundel holding a very fine javelin and asked to play with it. The King apparently was so struck by William’s charm that he couldn't bring himself to have him hanged. However, William's ordeal wasn't over. He was also threatened with being squashed on a large round shield that was pushed under castle walls, and being flung from a catapult. Seeing the catapult William said: <i>‘Gracious me! What a swing! It will be a good idea for me to have a swing on it.’He went right up to the sling, but the King said: ‘take him away! Take him away! Anyone who could ever allow<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">him to die in such agony would certainly have a very cruel heart; he comes out with such engaging childish remarks.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Saved from various sticky ends, William continued to exert his charm on his royal jailer.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The King settled down to the siege. One day he was sitting in his tent, strewn with grasses and flowers of a variety of colours. William looked at the flowers, examining them from top to bottom. Happily and cheerfully he went about gathering the knights growing on the plantain, with its broad pointed leaves. When he gathered enough to make a good handful, he said the King: ‘My dear Lord, would you like to play knights?’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘Yes.’ He said ‘my little friend.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The child immediately placed some on the King's lap, and then he asked: ’who has the first go?’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘You, my dear little friend,’ replied the King.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">So he then took one of the knights and the King placed his own against it. But it turned out that in the contest the King's knight lost its head which made William overjoyed.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can see from this amusing incident, what a little charmer William the child was, and it has the ring of truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Williams survived to return home and grow up. A few years down the line…<i>William had grown into a tall boy. His body was so well fashioned<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">that, even if he had been created by the sculptor’s chisel, his limbs would not have been so handsome. </span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Etc etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">This is a work wholly in praise of William Marshal and the chronicler puts in all the stock in trade descriptions of the ideal mediaeval man. However there are a couple of personal moments. We are told that<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">his hair was brown and his face was swarthy</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. So basically Brown hair and an outdoor complexion. The Chronicler is hasty to add <i>‘but his features were so much like those of a true noble that he could have been Emperor of<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city>! </i> He is also described as having a large crotch, but that was a reference to having the deep hips to be able to sit properly in a saddle rather than a reference to anything more intimate!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In his teens William was sent to train with a family relative William de Tancarville, Chamberlain of Normandy. ‘<i>as is fitting for a nobleman setting off abroad to win an honourable reputation.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Once in Normandy William got stuck into his training, and there are some lines here that remind me how nothing changes in human nature. As the mother of two sons and having endured their teens I can so identify with some of the habits of a rapidly growing adolescent youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">People thought is a great pity that he stayed up so little at night and yet slept so late ,that he ate and drank too much, and those scoundrels would laugh at him behind his back, asking of one another ‘this greedy gorger William in God's name, what good is he doing here?’ And they asked William de Tancarville his Lord ‘just how are you being served by this troublesome fellow, this devil of a glutton, who's always sleeping when he's not eating? The man is a fool who feeds him.’… The Chamberlain was much displeased with such words but he smiled and kept quiet, and then replied with a few well chosen words: ‘You will see, he'll set the world alight yet… You have no idea of the quality of the man I'm keeping</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.’ <i> </i>Indeed so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William became a knight at around the age of 21<i>. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">At Drincourt, William the Marshal was dubbed a knight, and he willingly accepted the honour accorded to him by God which he had been so long waiting for. The Chamberlain girded on his sword with which he was to deal many a blow. And God bestowed on him such grace that he never went anywhere to perform feats of arms without his exploits being covered in glory</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">From the start he was eager to join in the fray and prove his worth. When the town of<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Drincourt</st1:place></st1:city> was attacked by the French not long after his knighting, the Chamberlain and his knights rode out to defend it and William wanted to be in the forefront.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Marshal came up so far as to be able to ride alongside the Chamberlain who spoke as follows: 'William get back; don't be so hotheaded, let these knights pass.’ William withdrew a few paces, downcast and ashamed, his face the picture of gloom; he wished he had never been born, since he thought he was indeed a knight. He let three men pass in front of him and he quickly spurred on his horse and he was right in front of those crossing the bridge. Whatever happened, if there was to be a skirmish or battle, if knights were going to be locked in combat, he would make sure he was up there at the front.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">He lost his horse in that battle and had to sell one of his cloaks to buy a new one. The Histoire observes that <i>It is well-known that poverty has brought dishonour on many a nobleman and been the ruin of them; such was the case with the Marshal, for he had nothing to give and no source of wealth. He had to sell one of his cloaks,(to buy a horse) which he had when he was made a knight for the sum of 22 shillings in cash in Angevin currency.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">So William had to deal with the harsh realities of life. It was all too easy to become penniless knight if you did not have the full support of a patron, or if you did not shift for yourself. I think what happened in his early years had a bearing on how good he actually was with money in his later years as a great magnate and Regent of England. He knew how to spend it, but he was no spend thrift and he knew how to make it as well and how to make do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Anyway his bacon was saved because the Chamberlain wanted to attend a tournament with all his household and he provided horses for the young men. William was last in the queue when it came to dishing out the animals and so found himself with a reject beast that no one else wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘<i>The horse was brought out, a horse fine and valuable, had it not been for one flaw that was a terrible drawback: the horse was so wild that it could not be tamed. The Marshal mounted it. Not once did he use his elbows; instead he pricked it with his spurs and the horse, flying faster than a hawk, bounded forwards. At the point where it should have been reined in, it turned out that it pulled incredibly hard: never had it had a master been able to make it pull less, even if he had had 15 reins to restrain it. The Marshal gave the matter thought and came up with a brilliant scheme: he let out the bridle at least three fingers’ length from the bit and so released the lock of the bit that it went down into its mouth so it had far less to bite on than was usual. For no amount of gold or other riches could he have reined him in any other way. He considered that he had been very clever. The horse was so improved by this new bridle that he could have been ridden around in half an acre of land as if he were the tamest on earth,’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">So William showed that he understood horses and that he was a master of adapting to adversity. As the saying goes today. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It appears to be one of Williams guiding principles. Do the best with what you have and turn it to your advantage by thinking outside the box.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William went on to gain experience in the tournaments and did very well for himself. However, his time with the Chamberlain was over. De Tancarville had enough knights to fulfil his quota and William was basically made redundant. He returned to <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> and joined the service of his uncle, Patrick Earl of <st1:city w:st="on">Salisbury</st1:city>who was preparing to go to <st1:place w:st="on">Poitou</st1:place> as its governor. Once more employed, William headed to the South of France, where, while in his uncle's entourage he came into contact with Eleanor of Aquitaine, and went on to save her from ambush when she was attacked by members of the rebel de Lusignan family. William’s uncle was killed in front of his eyes by being speared through the back. Eleanor managed to escape but William was wounded in the thigh, captured after putting up a tremendous fight and taken for ransom. At the time of the attack Eleanor's escort had not been wearing their armour. Later in life William always stayed close to his armour, and would put it on long before a battle situation arose, and I think it was something that was impressed on him that day in <st1:place w:st="on">Poitou</st1:place> when they were attacked. This is a line from later in the Histoire, illustrating this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The King said: ‘Go on, take that Armour off, Marshal. Why are you armed?’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Marshal replied: ‘If it's so please you, sire, so much will I say, that I am very happy to be armed and my arms don't cramp my style in the slightest. I shall not remove my armour for the rest of this day until I have discovered what burden we shall have to shoulder. An unarmed man cannot last out in a crisis or a grave situation and we don't know what their intentions will be.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In gratitude to William, Eleanor paid his ransom and <i> arranged things for him as behoved her, given the quality of the young man: horses, arms, money, she readily gave him.</i> William became the tutor in chivalry to her eldest son, Henry. His father Henry II, had had him crowned King in his own lifetime to assure the succession of the throne and William’s star continued to rise as he became established as one of young Henry's household Knights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The King took great pleasure in advancing his son, and he sought outstanding companions for him, the most proven men to be found throughout the realm. At that time the Marshal was summoned, a man most brave and true; he was endowed with all the fine qualities, to the extent that there was nothing lacking in him. The King put him in the company of his son; he promised to do the Marshal much good in return for his care and instruction.</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <i>The King ‘ asked and commanded William to take care of Henry, for he trusted no man as much as him. The Marshal replied: ‘Know this for sure, I shall do all within my power.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Histoire tells us that during this time ‘<i>He led such a very fine life that many were jealous of him. He spent his life in tournaments and war and travel through all the lands where knight should think of winning renown in <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region> and in the low countries, through Hainaut and<st1:place w:st="on">Flanders</st1:place>, came his high reputation for great exploits.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William remained in the Young King's household as a career knight for more than a decade and in that time moved from young whippersnapper into full manhood. Young Henry although charming and handsome, was not always an easy master to serve. He wanted the power and the money, but did not particularly want to have to work for it at the mundane task of government, and quarrelled with his father on the matter quite seriously on occasion. One such time, he went to seek succour from the French, and asked William, who was ever loyal despite whatever personal misgivings he had might have been harbouring, – to knight him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Before the assembled counts and barons, and before other men such high rank, he girded the sword on the King of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region> and yet he had not one strip of land to his name or anything else, just his chivalry.</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Matters were patched up for a while between father and son and William and his young charge took to the life of the tourney with a vengeance. Sometimes William went off jousting of his own accord, and on one such occasion which is often mentioned in the biographies he managed to get his head stuck inside his helmet because of all the blows he'd received in the fight. The tournament officials had adjudged him the ‘man of the match’ and came to find him to present him with the prize which happened to be a large pike on a platter as in the fish!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They came to the forge, where they saw him with his head on the anvil. It was no laughing matter, far from it, for the smith with his hammers, wrenches and pincers, was going about the task of tearing off his helmet and cutting through the metal strips, which were quite staved in, smashed and battered. The helmet was so tight around his neck that it was freed with great difficulty. Once the helmet was prized of – and it was pulled off with great difficulty – the knights who had come to forge greeted him graciously. </span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> I am sure that back in the day William was delighted to receive the honour of being champion of the tourney, but my imagination furnishes me with a picture of a red-faced William gasping for fresh air and rather sore around the ears, being faced with a crowd of people bearing a large fish on a plate (that’s been doing the rounds for some hours) and I have to laugh!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William certainly seemed to enjoy his life on the tourney field and to have been ideally suited to it. The Histoire is so joyous when describing this part of his story, and really gives a feel for the sites sounds and smells of the tourney round. I think it was Prof Crouch who compared it to something of a large Gymkhana! We know that one year between Lent and Whitsuntide William and a companion took 103 knights prisoner. When a knight was captured in the tourney, he had to pay a ransom to his captor as a forfeit. It was basically a contact sport for prize-money – it would make great television today! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Allied to his prowess William had a mischievous sense of humour and this is one of the reasons why I like him so much. This is an example of incident from his tourney days. The men are hanging around, waiting for the tourney to begin and some ladies arrive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The knights rose up from the ranks to meet them, as was fit and proper. Th</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">ey <i>were convinced that they had become better men as a result of the lady's arrival, and so they had, for all those there felt a doubling of strength in mind and body, and their boldness and courage. One of them said: ‘come on, let us dance while we are waiting, we will be less bored.’ So they took one another by the hand. One man asked: ‘who will be kind enough to sing for us?’ The Marshal who had a good voice but who in no way boasted about it, then began to sing a song in a pure sweet tone. He gave much pleasure to those present and they willingly joined in his song. And when he had finished his song, which gave them much pleasure and delight, a youngster, recently made a herald at arms, began to sing a new song. I do not know who was the subject of it, but the refrain contained the words: ‘<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Marshal</st1:city></st1:place>, come on, give me a trusty steed!’ When the Marshal heard it, he stayed there not a minute longer, but left the dance without saying a word to anyone. A squire brought him his horse, and he beckoned to the young herald. The herald saw the gesture and ran after him as fast as he could. At this point the jousters rode up, those who were in the front rank of the initial contests. The Marshal, a man who had no wish to bandy words, rode straight at one of them. He had such faith in his prowess and in his firm and sturdy lance, that he knocked him off his horse without further ado. Then he had the young herald mount the horse, and he, without uttering a word, galloped back into the dance, and said to all: ‘Look what a fine horse! The Marshal gave it to me.’ Many were greatly surprised by this, as they were under the impression that the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Marshall</st1:place></st1:city> was still at the dance, and they spoke much of it.<o:p></o:p></i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">While William was in service to the young King, some jealous enemies at court accused him of having an affair with the young King's wife Marguerite, daughter of the king of</span><st1:place style="font-size: 14pt;" w:st="on">France</st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. William Staunchly denied this, but nevertheless he was banished from court. Given William’s life compass which was always one of honour, duty and truth, I personally don't think he would have done this. The discovery of such a liaison, would not just have brought shame upon the Marshal, it would have cost him his life. It was treason. As it was just the accusation almost cost him his career and he was ousted from court He took the opportunity to go to </span><st1:place style="font-size: 14pt;" w:st="on">Cologne</st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> and visits the shrine of the three Kings.. He was offered employment by various magnates throughout </span><st1:place style="font-size: 14pt;" w:st="on">Europe</st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, but declined. As far as he was concerned, he only had one Lord, the young King. As it happened young Henry and his father fell out again for various detailed political reasons and William was recalled to serve his master.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">This was not a particularly happy time in William’s life. He was now well into his 30s, and perhaps approaching a crossroads. The behaviour that was appropriate to a younger man, now no longer sat so easily on his shoulders. His young Lord, had taken to robbing churches and shrines to gain money for his war, including the shrine of our lady of Rocamadour, and although it does not say so in the Histoire, I gain the impression that William was very unhappy with such a state of affairs. Indeed when he founded the Priory here at Cartmel,, he had a curse written into the foundation charter that was to fall upon anyone who did anything to the detriment of the priory. Although many priories and abbeys have this type of clause written into their foundation charters, I do wonder if William was thinking of Rocamadour when he had this one written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Shortly after the young King had robbed the shrine, he fell ill dysentery and it became obvious that he was going to die. William was with him on his deathbed and the young King had a particular request to make of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And when it came to the reading of his will, he said this: ‘Marshal, you have ever been loyal to me, a staunch supporter in good faith. I leave you my cross so that on my behalf you can take it to the Holy Sepulchre and with it pay my debts to God.’ The Marshal replied: ‘sire, I give you my most grateful thanks! Since that is your provision in your will and you have chosen me for this task, I shall certainly do it gladly, for that man is no loyal friend who is found wanting in help in a great moment of need</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I think this visit to the holy land was the moment at the crossroads he had been travelling towards. I think he went there in some sort of spiritual crisis and whatever happened, he returned a man who had grown in all areas of his life. The Histoire tells us very little about his time out there, although there are some pertinent points made and one very important one that comes later in his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">So he went away and stayed two years. In Palestine he showed himself to be so generous, he performed so many feats of bravery and valour, so many fine deeds that no man before had performed so many, even if he had lived there for seven years.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">When he left that land, he went to seek leave of King Guy, all the men in the King's household, and of the Templars and Hospitalers, who loved the Marshal very dearly because of his many fine qualities and were very displeased about his returning home. </span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> We also know from later on in the tale that he obtained his own burial shrouds while abroad, and showed them to no one, and that while in the holy land he vowed his body to the Templars at his death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Once home, he took up service with Henry II again, who was pleased to see him and gave him lands here in Cumbria, along with the wardship of Heloise, heir of William of Lancaster, Lord of Kendal, who hd died in 1184 while William was in the holy land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The lady of Lancaster, a lady of great elegance, together with her land, he gave to the Marshal, and the Marshal did her high honour and kept her from dishonour for a long time, as his dear friend, but he never married her.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William could indeed have married her and made his life in this area as a baron, certainly with the same standing as his father, but he preferred not to. However he did spend some time in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cumbria</st1:place></st1:country-region> on his return from the holy land, perhaps to recuperate from all the travelling, and to settle himself spiritually. It was while here that he made plans to found a Priory on the land that King Henry had given him, although building did not start until after his marriage to Isabelle de Clare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In 1186, William left <st1:country-region w:st="on">Cumbria</st1:country-region> to go to Henry II who had summoned him to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Normandy</st1:place></st1:state>, promising him an even greater heiress and Heloise of Kendal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The King promised the Marshal in return for his service, the hand of the maiden of Striguil, a worthy, beautiful girl.</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Isabelle de Clare, was heiress to lands in<st1:state w:st="on">Normandy</st1:state>, in Berkshire, the Welsh borders,<st1:country-region w:st="on">Wales</st1:country-region> and Leinster in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. She was just about of marriageable age, a blond beauty and immensely wealthy. Not that it was certain William was going to claim his prize, because Henry was on the back foot. He was fighting both the King of France and his son Richard the Lionheart who was in rebellion against him. It was a vicious, bitter campaign, that saw the burning of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Le Mans</st1:city></st1:place>, Henry's birthplace. Henry himself, sick and distraught, fled the town as Richard entered through the gates. Riding rearguard, William sought to defend his ailing Lord, and showed what he was made of, when it turned out that those pursuing were led by none other than Richard the Lionheart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Like the prudent and wise man he was, he took up his shield and his lance, and spurred straight on to meet the advancing count Richard. When the count saw him coming, he shouted out at the top of his voice: ‘God’s legs,<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Marshall</st1:place></st1:city>! Do not kill me that would be a wicked thing to do, since you find me here completely unarmed.’ The Marshal replied: ‘Indeed I won't. Let the devil kill you! I shall not be the one to do it.’ This said, he struck the Count’s horse a blow with his lance, and the horse died instantly; it's never took another step forward. It died, and the count fell to the ground. It was a fine blow, which came at an opportune moment for those riding ahead.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Henry was very unwell, and died soon after. His body was borne to the Abbey of Fontevraud by his household Knights, and while they were holding vigil there, Richard came to view his father's body, and talk the men were with him. The last time he had seen William, had been at the other end of a lance, and the Histoire gives us this conversation between them at the church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘<i>Marshal, fair Sir, the other day you intended to kill me, and you would have, without a doubt, if I hadn't deflected your lance with my arm. That would have been a bad day.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He replied to the count ‘My Lord, it was never my intention to kill you, never did I put my effort into that: I am still strong enough to direct a lance when armed and even more so on that occasion, when I was unarmed; if I had wanted, I could have driven it straight through your body, just as I did with that horse of yours.. And I do not consider it a wicked thing for me to have killed it, nor am I sorry for doing so</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Richard did not bear William a grudge for this. To the contrary he valued his steadfastness and loyalty and to that end, granted him permission to take Isabelle de Clare to wife. William went immediately to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>. Isabelle was being kept in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Tower</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">London</st1:placename></st1:place>because she was such a great prize. William knew that although Richard was King, the situation when a new king took the throne was always volatile and he made haste to marry Isabelle straightaway. It was a political match. As far as we know they had never met before. He was in his early 40s; she was 18 at the oldest. What they thought on first seeing each other is not recorded, but they seem to have made a very strong and affectionate marriage that lasted for 30 years. William set the tone of their marriage from the beginning. It was celebrated in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>at the house of his good friend Richard FitzReinier, who offered to provide what was necessary: William said that<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘now that he had her in his possession he had no wish to lose her, so he said that he would go to her lands and marry her there. Hearing this, Richard FitzReinier, his host, who loved him very dearly said ‘Upon my soul my Lord! You will not you shall not marry her anywhere else but here, and in this house your wedding will be so well arranged that you will lack nothing of what a worthy man needs for his use.’ The Marshal replied: ‘I have made no provision for such a thing.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘But I have, and very well too,’ said his host, ‘and nothing will be wanting. Thanks to God I have so much of my own that there will be no need of anything of yours.’ That said, there was no further delay: she was married under favourable style, that worthy, beautiful lady of good breeding, that courtly lady of high birth… Once that fine, splendid wedding ceremony had taken place, in a manner that was fitting, I know that the Marshall took the lady to stay with Sir Engelram D’Abernon at Stoke, a peaceful spot, well appointed and a delight to the eye.</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px;">cartmel Priory</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Knowing that he was going to be very busy in the future, William nevertheless took the time out to have a honeymoon in a secluded spot and get to know his wife. At this point in his life, he also took a moment to think of his proposed foundation at Cartmel, and sent a colony of Augustinian monks from the mother house at Bradenstoke Priory, to be the founder colony at Cartmel. The first prior of Cartmel was called Daniel and had charge from around 1194 until 1204.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William and Isabelle were blessed with children almost straightaway. Their first son William was born probably in April 1190 possibly at Longeville in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Normandy</st1:place></st1:state>. Richard, their second child arrived about 18 months later, and this set the pattern. William and Isabelle would have 10 children- five boys and five girls because William believed in balance after all. William and Richard came first, then the first daughter Mahelt or Matilda, then Gilbert, Walter, Isabelle, Sybilla and Eve, followed by Ancel and Joanna. By the time Joanna was born William was around 64 and Isabelle into her 40s. None of the boys were to have children, but all the girls had sons and daughters whose descendants are scattered round the world today, some of them properly here listening today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Williams spent the reign of King Richard bringing up his growing family, serving Richard in a military capacity, and also assisting to rule the country during Richard’s absence on Crusade. He spent most of his time in<st1:state w:st="on">Normandy</st1:state>, with short occasional returns to<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>. When Richard died from an arrow wound sustained at a siege in the <st1:state w:st="on">Limousin</st1:state>, William was in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rouen</st1:place></st1:city> and one of the first to receive the news. In fact he was on his way to bed but but ‘<i>he put his boots back on’</i> and went to consult with Hubert Walter the Archbishop of Canterbury about what to do. The men had a long discussion about whether they should back John to be King, or offer the throne to his teenage nephew Prince Arthur. In the end William Marshal persuaded the Archbishop that they should sign up for John because <i>the son is indisputably closer in the line of inheritance than the nephew is, and it is right that that should be made clear.’</i> The Archbishop agreed but with caveats. He said <i>‘You will never come to regret anything you did as much as what you're doing now.’ </i> To which William replied ‘<i>thanks for the warning! Nonetheless my advice is that it should be so.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In hindsight but perhaps William did wish that he hadn’t argued for John, but be that as it may, John was offered the crown, and for his aid in the matter, William was awarded the Earldom of Pembroke and custody of the Castle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px;">William Marshal's castle door at Chepstow Castle</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">John's reign proved to be a tricky one. John had inherited political difficulties from Richard, not all of Richard’s doing, but the result of general political pull and push throughout <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>, but it has to be said that John's personality did nothing to mitigate circumstances. <i>The King's pride and arrogance increased; they so blurred his vision that he could not see reason indeed, I know for a fact that as a result he lost the affection of the barons of the land before he crossed to England.</i> He did not have an easy character. His biographer WL Warren says of him that he had the mind of a great King and inclinations of petty tyrant, and as a form of shorthand that statement says it all. He was suspicious of everyone including William. That suspicion of William was exacerbated during the fight for <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Normandy</st1:place></st1:state> which John was eventually to lose. Seeing the French overrunning the Norman lands, knowing that his own lands were under threat, William made a pact with the King of France, saying he would do him homage for his Norman estates. John not surprisingly took exception to this. William claimed that John gave him permission to give his oath to the French king for the Norman castles, but one suspects at that point in his life William was sailing close to the wind. John decided to take one of William sons hostage as security for William’s good behaviour. <i>The eldest son who was most dear to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Marshall</st1:city></st1:place>. The latter surrendered him readily to the King, being as he was a man who would have nothing to do with evil-doing or ever thought of such. The saying goes that a man who bandages his finger when it is whole will find it so again when he chooses to take the bandage off.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William further blotted his copybook by seeking permission to go to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> and sort out his land there. John had interests in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> and didn't want William meddling. However, he allowed William to go, but demanded William second son Richard as a hostage too. Isabelle was very loath to let their second boy go into John's custody, but William was willing to hand him over because he knew that was the only way he was going to get to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> without being adjudged a rebel. So he handed over Richard too. At the same time he arranged a marriage for his eldest daughter Mahelt with Hugh Bigod, eldest son of Roger Bigod earl of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Norfolk</st1:place></st1:city>. This kept Mahelt safe in <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> under the protection of a powerful family, owners of almost half of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">East Anglia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <i>The marriage was a most suitable one and pleased both families involved,’ </i>The Histoire tells us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William duly sailed to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> with his family all but his hostage sons and his newly married daughter. Once there he set about organising his lands, and founding a town on the River Barrow that today is known as New Ross. The family were to stay there for the next five years. William’s last two children, Ancel and Joanna were to be born in <st1:place w:st="on">Leinster</st1:place>. King John was enraged to learn that William had gone to<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. He had been hoping that the demand for the second son would keep William in<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>. He summoned William back to<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region> along with the Justiciar of Ireland, one Meilier Fitzhenry who was William’s sworn enemy. Indeed Meilier had left instructions that the moment he and William departed <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>, his men were to start making war on William’s interests there. The Histoire says of a meeting held between William and his men before he departed for the English court: <i>they greatly feared the King’s sending for him was a trick and that he was acting more with a view to harming him than for his good. This view was expressed in the presence of the Countess, who had every fear as regards the King's word. The Marshal knew very well and was very aware that the King had not sent for him for his good and he had no doubt once he had left the land there would be strife and war.</i> William made contingency plans, but when his men suggested that he himself should take hostages against the behaviour of men of whom he was uncertain, William refused very strongly. He said: <i> enough of that! I would not wish just now even for the price of 100 marks in silver that they came to know for certain that you had said such a thing, for it would be recorded to our eternal shame. Instead I shall send for them to come to me and I shall tell them to uphold the peace and integrity of my land. </i>This then perhaps is a leftover from William himself being taken hostage as a child, and what he felt inside about having to give his sons away to John. He might have had to give his boys as hostages because he had no other choice in order to save the rest of his family, but he would not take other men’s sons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William had a difficult time in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>, because King John proceeded to give him the cold shoulder and treat him with suspicion and contempt. He told him a concocted cock and bull story about William’s best men having been defeated and killed in battle in Ireland and Isabelle (who was heavily pregnant at this time) being left alone and without help. William was very surprised at the news because the weather was bad and no ships were sailing between<st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> to bring such details to the court. However he said: <i>‘I can tell you in truth that the death of those knights is a loss. There is nobody here, be here full wise, who does not know, in a word, that they were your own worthy men, and for that reason this business is an even sorrier affair.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">This put John in his place, and later the news arrived that William's men had actually prevailed over the aggressors, although the town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Ross</st1:place></st1:city> had been burned to the ground. John's anger with William lowered to a simmer and he allowed him to return to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Ireland</st1:country-region></st1:place>, where William set about putting things to right and dealing with the opposition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">It was not all over in a day, and John had not finished with William or with <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The King came there himself to deal with rebels, and take a grip on the country. William played the game cannily and did all that the King asked. Around him he saw other barons being destroyed by the king's anger, most notably and spectacularly, William de Braose. There is not time here to go into the whole de Braose situation, but he too had been asked for hostages. In his case, his wife had refused to give up their sons, saying she would not hand them over to a King who would murder his own nephew. This was a reference to Prince Arthur who have mysteriously vanished while in John's custody in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Rouen</st1:city></st1:place>. No one knew what had happened to him – supposedly, although it is likely that de Braose did, and so might William who was de Braose’s ally. It's something we will never know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William did manage through diplomacy and sound political decisions to weather the King's displeasure. John went home, and William settled down with his family in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Ireland</st1:country-region></st1:place>. However that wasn't the end of matters. In 1212, John summoned William back to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region> because the political situation was dire. The Pope had excommunicated John over a long-running dispute concerning who should be Archbishop of Canterbury. In some ways it was reminiscent of the Becket crisis of his father's reign, in that the King wanted one thing and the church wanted the other. The barons had taken John's excommunication is a general sign to rise up in discontent - and they had a lot discontented about, including the marrying of heiresses to John's favourites, the bad behaviour of his mercenaries, the fact that he was selling justice for money to name just a few. William was put in a predicament because once he swore his loyalty, he kept it, but he too had fallen victim to Royal caprice and tyranny. When summoned he came, The Histoire says: <i> He was sorely grieved by the outrages committed by both sides, once he had been informed of them: he had no wish for them, nor did he agree to them. </i> The Histoire also says <i>when the King ran out of resources, very few of the men stayed with him who were there for his money; they went on their way with their booty in hand. However, the Marshal at least, a man of loyal and noble heart, stayed with him in hard and difficult circumstances; he never left him, he never changed that steadfast heart of his, serving him in good faith as his Lord and King… What ever the King had done to him, he never abandoned him for anyone. </i> That absolute loyalty and honour was one of the the underpinning values of William Marshal's character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Williams eldest son had joined the rebels. What William thought of this, we don't know. Unless it was a deliberate political move, it must have caused some ructions in the family. The Histoire is silent on the matter. What we do know is that the barons involved in working out the details of Magna Carta, and designated as sureties to see that its terms were carried out, included William Marshall senior and junior and their relatives by marriage William Earl of Salisbury, and Roger and Hugh Bigod, to whom William Marshal's daughter Mahelt was married. William was honour bound to take John’s part in these negotiations, but through family ties he had a foot in each camp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">John died in October 1216, leaving the country in turmoil. There was Civil War, the French had invaded and had control of <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city>, were threatening <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dover</st1:place></st1:city>, and had taken several other important towns. John's eldest son was only nine years old; war had brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy, and there were deep divisions between people who had once been friends and allies. The barons who had stayed loyal to John, including William brought the nine-year-old Henry to Gloucester Abbey. <i> The high-ranking men there carried him between them to the Abbey, where the gift of succession was passed on through the anointing and the coronation.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Then the matter of who was going to rule the country had to be discussed. There were only two men in the running; William Marshal, and Rannulf Earl of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chester</st1:place></st1:city>. The latter was known to be a bit prickly, and not everyone was willing to follow him even though he had the ability to lead. In the end the vote went William who was by now around 70 years old. Having been given the job of running the country, William retired to his chamber and the enormity hit him. <i>He called his closest advisers, and then leant against one of the walls. It will not take long to list the members of the council: the three who were with him the previous night, were now with him at these talks. He said to them ‘give me your help and advice, for by the faith I owe you, I have embarked upon the open sea, where no man, where ever he sails or where ever he sounds the depths, can find bottom for sure, and from which it is a miracle if he reaches port and a safe haven. But may God if it please him, sustain me! I have been entrusted with this task, which is already close to coming to grief, as you know and sense. And the child has no wealth, which is very damaging and a source of grief to me, and I myself am an old man.’ Then his heart became full to overflowing and his eyes began to fill with tears. Tears streamed down his face, and those present there, who loved him and were entirely devoted to him, began to weep out of pity for him. And he, after looking up, said: ‘Have you no more to say than this?’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> As it was his former Squire and now fellow baron and companion Jean D’Earley comforted him, and did the equivalent of giving him a stiff drink and encouragement. And William shook himself , squared his shoulders, and went to get on with the task of governing <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> and setting thngs to rights. By various hand to mouth methods, including breaking up the King’s treasure what was left of it, he managed to keep control of the troops and maintain the economic functioning of the country. He got people talking to each other, opened up avenues of debate and issued pardons and truces. He would fight if he had to, but diplomacy came first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The French army had split up, and one division had gone up to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lincoln</st1:place></st1:city> to try and take the Castle from its doughty Castellan, a lady called Nicola De la Haye. William seized the moment, and swept his army up to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lincoln</st1:place></st1:city> to take on the divided French. By this time William’s son William Jr had returned to the fold, as had the Earl of Salisbury. It seems that with John's death, the matter of rebellion was finished for them. William wanted the enemy to think that his army was larger than it was and to be intimidated, so one of the things he did was to have all the noncombatants in the baggage train brandish spears and shields on high, so that as they approached they looked to be massive numbers. The French troops chose to stay behind <st1:city w:st="on">Lincoln</st1:city>’s walls and not come out, so William had his trebuchets batter down a sealed up doorway in the town walls, and brought his army into <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lincoln</st1:place></st1:city> itself. His life has come full circle. As a young knight he had fought his first battle in the streets of Drincourt. Now an old man, his final big engagement was to be in the streets of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lincoln</st1:place></st1:city>. He was so eager to enter the fray that he forgot to put his helmet on, and had to go back for it. Once it was on his head the histoire says <i>‘he appeared more handsome than all the rest. As swiftly as if he were a bird, sparrowhawk or an eagle,he pricked the horse with his spurs.’ </i> Once again the cry of ‘God is with the Marshal!’ was heard on the battlefield.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The French were utterly defeated at the Battle of Lincoln. William’s own cousin the Count of Perche was leading them and was killed when a sword pierced his brain through the eye- slit of his helm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The final clinching victory was a sea battle in which William took no part save to watch from the shore at Sandwich, as the French supply ships, that would have bolstered the remaining half of the French army at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Dover</st1:city></st1:place>, were either seized or destroyed by English ships. Francis Drake’s glorious moment, was actually pre-empted by the Battle of Sandwich. Many vessels full of riches were captured, and great lords taken for ransom. William used some of the booty to build a hospital dedicated to St Bartholomew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Prince Louis who was leading the French troops and who at one time had hoped to become King of England, now sued for peace. Negotiations were opened, and he agreed to leave <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>, although he had to be paid to go away. Some barons protested at this, but William viewed it as a necessary sweetener to diplomacy, and with the French gone, putting the country to rights would go much more smoothly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William continued with the task of Regency for another couple of years, and although there were still choppy seas to be negotiated, at least the ship was no longer in danger of sinking. However the effort involved had taken its toll on him. <i> Two years from the feast of St Michael, when Louis left the land, it was no longer than the following Candlemas when the Marshal began to be plagued by an illness and pain which resulted in his death.’</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">He had physicians come to tend him in <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city>, but there was nothing they could do and he decided to go home to his favourite manor at Caversham near <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Reading</st1:place></st1:city> to die. <i>His view was that he could more easily put up with his affliction on his own ground if, in the nature of things, death was to be his lot, he preferred to die at home than elsewhere. </i> So he was put in a boat and rode upriver to Caversham. Once there he set about making his will and putting his estate in order. He made plans to hand over the country to some of the other people he had been working with, and he sent for the young King Henry, now 11 years old. When the boy was brought before him, he said ‘<i>I can tell you in truth that I have served you faithfully and to the best of my ability in safeguarding your land, when it was a difficult task to do so, and I would serve you, if I could, if it please God that I had the capacity to do so, but there is no man can plainly see that it does not please him that I should be in this world any longer.’ </i> He also spoke to the boy, warning him against behaving like his father King John. <i>Sire, I beg the Lord our God that, if I ever did anything to please him,that in the end he grant you to grow up to be a worthy man. And if it were the case that you followed in the footsteps of some wicked ancestor, and that your wish was to be like him, then I pray to God the son of Mary, that he does not give you long to live in that you die before it comes to that.’ </i>So despite having served John and his son in full loyalty and to the end of his tether, Williams feelings on the matter come through strongly here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The matter of the country sorted, William turned to his own concerns. He sent his good friend and companion Jean D’Earley on a mission. <i>Bring me the two lengths of silk cloth which I gave Stephen to look after; </i> Jean D’Earley went and fetched the cloths and brought them back to William’s bedside. <i>Here are your lengths of silk, my Lord, which I was instructed to bring to you.’ When he heard this, he took them, and he said to Henry Fitzgerald ‘Henry, look at this fine cloth here!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘Indeed my Lord, but I can tell you that I find them a little faded, unless my eyesight is blurred.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Earl replied ‘Unfold them, so that we might be in a better position to judge.’ And, once the lengths of cloth had been unfolded, they looked very fine and valuable, choice cloth good workmanship. He called for his son and his knights to come before him, and once they had all appeared he said :‘ my Lords, just look here! I’ve had these lengths of cloth for 30 years; I had them brought back with me when I returned from the holy land, to be used for the purpose which they will now serve; my intention has always been that they will be draped over my body when I am laid in the earth;; that was the destination I had in mind for them.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘My Lord,’ said his son ’there is one thing we are wondering about which is a closed book to us we cannot tell nt what place you wish to be laid to rest.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8HOHhj9IeVTZMwpR-bh1VP2yVYrK49N_HZEEiMd0SkbDrey0mTIrr6gZATnrKL4Y34OfwqE34UhnsGLzF5RkcUk-VFOdVwJcef_pjR_Lyl4U07hCN-wKk8nn1KHcbjX7Ve9p/s1600/P1010967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #9d1961; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8HOHhj9IeVTZMwpR-bh1VP2yVYrK49N_HZEEiMd0SkbDrey0mTIrr6gZATnrKL4Y34OfwqE34UhnsGLzF5RkcUk-VFOdVwJcef_pjR_Lyl4U07hCN-wKk8nn1KHcbjX7Ve9p/s400/P1010967.JPG" style="border: none; padding: 0px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px;">The Temple Church, London.</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘My dear son.’ He said’I shall tell you, without a word of a lie: when I was away in the holy land, I gave my body to be buried by the Templars at the time of my death, in whatever place I happened to die. That is my wish, that is where I shall be laid to rest.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">And that is what happened, and why William’s body is in the <st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city></st1:place> not here at Cartmel or in the main house at Bradenstoke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William continued to give detailed orders about what he wanted to happen after he had died. His illness was such that he had time to organise his funeral and make his farewells. As well as having kept his burial shrouds for 30 years, he had been keeping another more recent secret. He had had a Templar cloak made in secret and stored in his wardrobe and now he had it brought out for all to see, because he intended now to take the vows of a Templer knight. <i> He had that cloak made for him a year before, keeping it in his possession without anyone else knowing of its existence. The Earl, who was generous, gentle and kind towards his wife the countess, said to her\; ‘Fair Lady kiss me now, for you will never be able to do it again.’ She stepped forward and kissed him, and both of them wept. The good folk present there are also wept out of affection and compassion.</i>’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Even amidst the moments of terrible grief and preparing to leave the world, there were still moments of joy and comfort. One day towards the very end of his illness William declared to Jean D’Earley that he had a sudden desire to sing, but that he would feel foolish doing so. Henry Fitzgerald who was also with him suggested that he send his daughters to sing to comfort him and William agreed. The girls arrived, and William perked up a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘Matilda, you be the first to sing,’ he said. She had no wish to do so, for her life at the time was a bitter cup, but she had no wish to disobey her father's command. She started to sing, since she wished to please her father, and she sang exceedingly well, giving a verse of the song in a sweet clear voice.’Joanna you sing as best you can!’ She sang one verse from a rotruenge, but timidly. ‘Don’t be bashful when you sing,’ said the Earl, ‘for if you are, you will not perform well and the words will not come across in the right way.’ So the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Marshall</st1:place></st1:city> taught her how to sing the words. Once the song was finished, he said to them ‘My daughters go in the name of Christ, who guards and protects all who believe in him; I pray to him to grant you his protection.’ As was fitting they took their leave:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Another incident involved the supernatural. William was being attended by Jean D’Earley and said to him. <i>‘Can you see what I can see?’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘My Lord, I don't know what we're looking at.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘Upon my soul, there are two men in white here, one of them here by me on my right and the other on my left; I never saw more handsome anywhere.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">‘My Lord, the company of Angels has come to you, and if it please God, will come again to be by your side. God has sent his company to you to lead you along the right pass.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Earl then said:’blessed be the Lord our God, who has given and imparted his grace to me here.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I believe that indeed the company of Angels had come to him rather than it being caused by the flickers of the dying mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">William died at Caversham on a May morning with the windows open and his grieving family around his bed - this very week 792 years ago, and as evidenced here in this gathering he is still remembered and honoured at Cartmel, the priory he founded on his return from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Histoire finishes: <i>here ends the story of the Earl's life, and may God grant that his soul rest in eternal glory in the company of his angels! Amen<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">But the story doesn't end there, because William’ memory, like Cartmel itself, has lived on down the centuries. His name has become a byword for honour and chivalry, for loyalty in the face of all odds, for decency, compassion and balance. He was a great man in his time, and he remains a great one even now, perhaps even more so because the global population is so much bigger today, and in reading about him, people all over the world can reach out and be inspired by his values. In writing my own novels about his life, I have learned so much, and I hope I have done him justice. William Marshal. The Greatest Knight. The finest man. May his story live on for many more centuries to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-64989136652173110332014-04-28T15:17:00.001+00:002014-04-28T20:39:08.026+00:00THE KNIGHT WHO SAVED ENGLAND By Richard Brooks: Review<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osprey Books UK £12.99 $17.95<br />
ISBN 978 1 84908 5502</td></tr>
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As the country heads towards a date with destiny and the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta in 1215, it's inevitable that the movers and shakers of that age will see their history step into the spotlight, and perhaps none more so than the great William Marshal. Largely unknown outside the circles of medievalists and re-eanactors until recently, he is now beginning to enter the mainstream consciousness as evinced by a couple of recent BBC2 documentaries about his extraordinary life and some new biographies to add to the three already out there - We have to wait until December for Thomas Asbridge's offering, but this one by Richard Brooks is available now.<br />
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Despite the title's sub-text that it's about 'William Marshal and the French invasion of 1217', the book is actually a fairly thorough biography of William's life. It does concentrate on the pivotal campaign of 1217 for approximately the last third of the book, but that leaves plenty of room to write a substantial biography to bring William to that point. The author has plenty of scope to explore the making of the man who was destined to lead the battle against the French invaders and begin the process of reuniting the country and setting it back on its feet after years of devastating unrest during the reign of King John. Had the Battle of Lincoln been won by the French in 1217, the country would have had a very different story today. William Marshal's victory was one of those destiny moments, something that Brooks squarely acknowledges and keeps at the forefront of his narrative.<br />
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Not including a glossary, bibliography and index, the book is 300 pages long and details William's story in succinct but never skimpy detail from cradle to grave. There are some excellent and unusual colour plates mid book, which add value and interest to the narrative and are a cut above the usual suspects. There are some very useful tables with content such as lengths of marches undertaken, the number of campaigns William fought in, his known tournament record. The straight narrative details of William's life are interspersed with fascinating facts. I did not know for example that soap was used as a weapon in medieval warfare - to make the decks of enemy vessels slippery, or that a live bear was presented as a prize at at tourney in 1215. Personally I love whimsies like this and it added enormously to my enjoyment of the work and kept me turning the pages.<br />
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I have read all of the Marshal biographies out there,including the 13th century <i>Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal,</i> and have studied the man in depth myself for 10 years, albeit to recreate him in novel form. This work is a very fine addition to the oeuvre. Richard Brooks understands the Marshal and brings out facets largely ignored by his other biographers. Brooks' Marshal is a talented military commander, shrewd, and well able to grasp the complexities of a situation from all angles. He's a statesman too. It's not war for war's sake but he will not shirk from fighting if he must and he understands tactics very well, including subterfuge. Reading Richard Brooks' fine, lucid and erudite prose, one is given a view of the Marshal in full, sharp clarity. Personally I feel that this biography of the Marshal comes the closest of all of them to understanding the man. There is not a great deal about his family life, but that is perhaps a facet for another biographer to tackle. The main thrust of this book is his military and diplomatic career and it is written with vivid, insight.<br />
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It is not without its moments of questionable history, however, and outright gaffs and it is a case of being wary and not taking everything as gospel. I was irritated by Brooks' constant referral to William's father as a 'weathercock' and 'disreputable baronial backwoodsman'. Indeed, I underlined the latter and wrote NO! in capital letters beside it. . John the Marshal changed sides just once in the war between Stephen and Matilda and in the early stages - rather like Matildine stalwart Brian FitzCount and all the others who swore to Stephen at the outset of the reign. That's not being a weathercock. He put his life on the line for the Empress at Wherwell and lost an eye, and then again at Newbury where he sacrificed his son in order to buy time for Wallingford. The lord of Wallingford, Brian FitzCount had vanished to become a monk, leaving John Marshal to stand alone. And as to being a backwoodsman - he was the King's Marshal. He controlled the Kennet Valley. Professor Crouch says of him <i>'He was no coarse bandit. He was more of a baron than a robber...He played the great game of politics with talent and perception...a preudhomme or 'man of standing' in his son's eyes.'</i> With his marriage to Sybilla of Salisbury, he became brother in law to a French prince, the man next in line to the French throne.<br />
There's also the perplexing remark that William spoke English at home and didn't learn French until he went to train as a squire. That's blatantly wrong. The nobility spoke a version of French - Anglo Norman and it was William's first language. How on earth would he have managed in Stephen's camp among all those French speaking nobles if it wasn't his native tongue too? He possibly had a smattering of English but his first language was French. So that's one detail to take with a huge pinch of salt.<br />
Brooks says that William was called William to curry favour with his more illustrious relatives on his mother's side. He doesn't seem to have noticed that John Marshal had a brother called William, the vicar of Cheddar in Somerset who was actually Empress Matilda's chancellor, so it was a family name on both sides. Again, it indicates that the research might have been more thorough in this area.<br />
He also seems to think that William's father thought it a waste of time for William to learn to read and write, but that seems a strange conclusion to arrive at when William's father himself is indicated to be a literate man and would have known very well the value of literacy.<br />
Several times it is mentioned that William spent decades as a household knight. Literally speaking that might be true, but he was much more than that. A royal marshal was more than just a household knight. He was head of his employer's military office and responsible for the logistics of transport and security. Lesser men answered to him. To all intents, William became the Young King's Marshal in 1170 and developed from there, so I feel that the idea is to emphasis William's humble beginnings in an effort to show to what heights he rose, but in fact, while not exactly graced with privilege he didn't have to work in the bilges for all that long, and he came from good money, not the 'backwoods.'<br />
I would also say that William is not dreaming at peace in the Temple Church, although it's a nice fancy. He and his Templar colleagues are there armed and ready for battle. They are alert and on guard, waiting to fight at the Last Judgement because they are lying in a satellite of Jerusalem on earth where that battle will begin. If colour and paint remained, their eyes would be wide open.<br />
A final item I cannot let pass even if it is a nitpick (there are others but I've let them be) is the comment that William addresses the young future Louis VIII 'amorously' by calling him a 'demoiselle.' However, a 'demoiselle' in Anglo Norman is just a young person - in the male case an untried bachelor knight. So William isn't addressing him amorously. He's an old, wise man, calling the other one a young whippersnapper - a different nuance entirely!<br />
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Despite the above caveats and nit-picks THE KNIGHT WHO SAVED ENGLAND is going straight onto my keeper shelf and will be referred to and re-read. When Richard Brooks is on solid ground and covering the military aspects, this work shines a light into areas no other Marshal biographer has illuminated in the same way. The insights hold the ring of truth and Richard Brooks obviously understands his man very well indeed - and I would venture to say better than any of the Marshal's other biographers have done. He recognises the Marshal as a competent, gifted soldier and statesman through to the core against whom other national heroes 'appear hollow in comparison.' Exactly.<br />
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This is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in history and a must for the legions of William Marshal fans out there.<br />
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Disclaimer. Osprey books were kind enough to send me a review copy. I don't usually review ARCS but I wasn't going to say no to this one - and I'm glad I did read it!<br />
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<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-56132726737541168262014-03-26T20:00:00.000+00:002015-07-10T21:30:33.507+00:00NEWBURY CASTLE - The Where and and the Where Not!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">The whereabouts of Newbury Castle Berkshire has long been a conundrum. Did it exist, and if so, where is it? No one knows for sure; there are only theories. As far as my own theory goes, I would say it's staring everyone in the face, but let's explore the subject.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18px;">William Marshal's biography the Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal is the only source to mention a castle at Newbury. The writer calls it 'Neubere' in his narrative, and has this to say: I'll quote it in full in translation:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18px;"><i>"As it is known to all, the King besieged Newbury at the head of a mighty force of men. But he did this that so much by surprise that those inside the castle were not aware at all of it until they saw the soldiers, their archers and their scouts, indeed the whole army, which dismounted and set to pitching tents. When those within the walls saw them, they knew full well that they had been taken unawares. This is a surprise attack was particularly the disagreeable since they had little in the way of provisions. The King sent a formal request by messenger, ask in the constable whether he was prepared to surrender the castle aor wished to defend it against him. No time was lost in reaching a decision:</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18px;"><i>"We are not so beleaguered that we have no wish to put up a stout defence; we have no intention of surrendering the castle. Things have now gone so far that's there will be many a blow received, many a skull, and many otherwise wounded by blade or spear or lance, and many trampled underfoot so that all that will be needed after that are the biers."</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18px;"><i>The King had directed his anger against their side, and swore by the birth of Christ. " I'll be sure to take my revenge on the low villains, they will fall into my hands. Now to arms, my valiant squires, my valient men at arms and archers! Snarl as they might, we'll capture them. To the first man to get inside I shall give such wealth that he will never be poor again in his lifetime."</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18px;"><i>You should have seen those squires start to clamber with great daring over the ditches and up the embankments. And those within the walls defended themselves courageously and furiously; they hurled down slabs of stone, sharpened stakes, and massive pieces of timber to knock them to the ground. They made them pay a horrible price for their attempt on them; if it was in their power they would thwart them. Many could be seen to topple upside down and fall headlong onto their backs; many were wounded and many knocked unconscious. Those in the castle could not be blamed for defending themselves for they expected no immediate help.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Those outside had the worst of it. Thereupon the assault was suspended, an assault that had been very dangerous. The King was greatly troubled by events, and swore that he would not let things rest there and that he would never leave that place until he had taken the tower and punished those within.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18px;"><i>The people in the castle decided, good folk that's they were, they would ask for a truce, and in the meantime would relay to their ord and master all the information about their situation. They asked for the truce and were given it, and as fast as they could, they informed their lord that they had only one days truce (so wherever John was, it was nearby for requests and answers to come within a day). So therefore, if he could, would he come and rescue them, for inside they had nothing to live on."</i></span><br />
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Newbury itself is in West Berkshire, a short distance from the Hampshire border. The town is situation in the flood plain of the River Kennet near the junction of the River Lambourn at a point where the Oxford to Southampton road crosses the river and the London to Bath Road passes to the north. It's a site of some strategic importance. <br />
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Saxon settlement there is known of from the 10th century with charters existing for nearby Speen and Thatcham. By the late 11th century a manor called Ulvritone was listed in the area by the Domesday book and it belonged to one Arnulf of Hesdin. The name of the town is first mentioned in a grant of 1080. Evidence suggests that Newbury was created as a planned town on the site of Ulvritone. The town seems to have developed steadily during the 12th and 13th centuries. By 1204 it had a market as well as town bailiffs and in 1225 was represented at assize by its own bailiff and jury. So, it was a developing townscape at this time, but the only mention of a castle comes from the Histoire.<br />
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Puzzled by this, archaeologists undertook excavations in Newbury between 1979 and 1990 in the course of which between 1988 and 1990 they searched for evidence of a castle at the site traditionally acknowledged to have been the most likely place. The evaluation of the area by the Trust for Wessex Archaeology in March 1990 concluded that the tradition of a stone built castle standing on the site and surviving into the late medieval period was unsupported by fact. 'The balance of evidence would tend to suggest a location other than at Newbury Wharf' the report concluded.<br />
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That's that one put to bed then, but what of other sites?<br />
A big favourite with historians is the site at Hamstead Marshall in south-west Berkshire, 4.7 miles from Newbury, where a manor once owned by the Marshals, has three mounds or Mottes in the grounds, and earthworks. Here is what the Heritage Gateway for West Berkshire has to say on the matter:<a href="http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MWB1549&resourceID=1030">Motte mounds at Hamstead Marshall</a> It's a theory but inconclusive. At least one of the mounds is Neolithic, but may have been used as part of the defensive works.<br />
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We don't know when Hamstead Marshall became a Marshal possession. It didn't gain the name 'Marshall' until the 13th century. Before that it was simply 'Hamestede' meaning 'Homestead.' At the time of Domesday it had land for 5 ploughs of which the lord was entitled to 2 ploughland's worth. It had 4 villagers and 8 smallholders with 3 ploughs. It also had 10 slaves, a mill worth 20 shillings and 6 acres of pastureland. There was sufficient woodland to fatten 10 pigs and the whole was valued at £4. How and when did it become a Marshal possession? The hard evidence according to the Victorian County history dates to the early 13th century.<br />
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<i>'It is returned about 1241 as held</i> <i>de marescangia. In 1270 as held by the service of the marshal's wand. And in 1283-4 per serianciam mareschallic. In 1306, however, it is said to be held by knight service and Mr Round (historian j.H. Round) expresses a doubt as to whether the marshalship was ever really held by serjeantry in connection with the manor of Hampstead Marshall as this manor is not returned among recognised Berkshire serjeantries.</i><br />
<i>Hampstead Marshal <b>is first found in the possession of the Marshals in the early 13th century</b>. That William Marshal held the manor of Hampstead Marshall seems probable, for in 1218 while he was acting as protector of the young King Henry III, the latter gave five letters patent at Hampstead Marshall, four of which were witnessed by the earl. </i><br />
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Who know, perhaps the earthworks and mottes derive from that troubled period rather than the anarchy. I think it's just as likely.<br />
What we know about Hamstead Marshall is that by 1218 they had a manor there, luxurious enough to support a king, albeit that that king was a child. And since times were precarious, that manor was clearly fortified. The site of Newbury Castle? Perhaps, but let's look at an interesting alternative.<br />
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A few years ago, I was invited to lunch by the then owner of North Lodge and we walked the grounds where the Marshal manor once stood. The owner had enjoyed my novels and had an archaeology qualification that had enabled her to excavate one of the Marshal stew ponds on the site. We examined the mounds and our opinion was that at least a couple of them were Neolithic. Naturally a medieval castle builder would use whatever he had to hand, and Neolithic mounds are as good as anything else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzuWvmkEDI8ncpeh5Mm8ouPu6-nCpl2EPjHaYt9FfQ0nSXVjsKS9MBevAKYLUUL-xYavPpWOAGilAWIcySHVePiRIXDzBSxd5N53c27WKMNIt6GG4YH-X-R3Gv8SATPyItHGf/s1600/41906_287254_IMG_00_0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzuWvmkEDI8ncpeh5Mm8ouPu6-nCpl2EPjHaYt9FfQ0nSXVjsKS9MBevAKYLUUL-xYavPpWOAGilAWIcySHVePiRIXDzBSxd5N53c27WKMNIt6GG4YH-X-R3Gv8SATPyItHGf/s1600/41906_287254_IMG_00_0000.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bounds of the manor at Hamstead Marshall</td></tr>
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I found it interesting that Hamstead Marshall should be pointed to as the site for Newbury Castle. Yes, it's near Newbury - just under 5 miles away, but it doesn't really guard anything massively strategic, even if strategic roads and rivers are only the distance of a short ride. It is as it the name says, a 'Homestead.' Why would King Stephen want to bother with besieging it? And his besiegers would have had to be pretty mediochre at their job to make such a dog's dinner of taking it.... Unless of course this isn't the site and really we should be looking elsewhere. Perhaps to somewhere nearer to Newbury and on a more strategic site.<br />
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My own feeling on the site of the elusive Newbury Castle is that archaeologists and historians should be looking to a suburb of Shrewsbury called Speen, just 1.4 miles from Newbury - which might make more sense of the castle title. There is a site now occupied by a large house (Speen House) built on the site of a dwelling that once belonged to the Bishop of Salisbury. The site is the highest point on a ridge overlooking the river Lambourn to the north and the Kennet to the south. The Roman road - Ermine Street coming from Cirencester to Speen must have been very close by. In ancient times the site had been an iron-age hill fort and the ramparts are still there. It's also postulated that a Roman station existed there too and there have been finds. Fortifications and ramparts are regularly adapted and reused and this site would have been an utter Godsend to John Marshal. He was renowned as a cunning builder of castles and Speen would have been tailor-made for his skills, especially if he was constructing defences in a hurry.<br />
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I have been to the site and the view from the top of Speen House are commanding and spectacular. You can see everything coming at you from here. It's strategically brilliant. King Stephen would have come by here on the way to try to take down Wallingford and John Marshal would now be standing directly in his path and in a commanding position. Stephen would have no choice but to batter him into submission. And while he was doing that, Wallingford remained safe.<br />
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Did the Marshals hold lands at Speen? Yes they did. They had the Grange at Speen for the right of holding the Marshal's Rod. They also have connections with the church and William Marshal had interests there from the late 12th which are listed on the Pipe Rolls. On the role of 1199 he his pardoned half a mark on land in Speen. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On the map, I have gone over the rampart lines in red. In purple the walking distance from Newbury centre is 1.4 miles. Contrast that with the less strategic Hamstead Marshall nearly 5 miles away.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrDFwkLBSXGEmxHqdvOJEBY6QUQZn0dIlzk5E0LpFL4Z81HsUgdAcqAv9gj37V28N12pfP2ge9xqu4x5jrjRHzirII2OxM5x31L2KkXX_i1WFHeb0yCJlekcV9Akurs40NTD_/s1600/Hamstead+Marshall+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrDFwkLBSXGEmxHqdvOJEBY6QUQZn0dIlzk5E0LpFL4Z81HsUgdAcqAv9gj37V28N12pfP2ge9xqu4x5jrjRHzirII2OxM5x31L2KkXX_i1WFHeb0yCJlekcV9Akurs40NTD_/s1600/Hamstead+Marshall+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing the distances between Hamstead Marshall, Speen and Newbury. </td></tr>
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The Marshals also have strong connections with the church there, which is cited as the first church of Newbury, even though it is in Speen. The church of St Mary the Virgin says on its website: '<i>a medieval church built on Saxon foundations and was the mother church of Newbury. In 1086 it was recorded in Domesday Book.' <a href="http://www.achurchnearyou.com/st-mary-speen/">Church of St. Mary The Virgin Speen</a> </i> The church stands about 200 yards from where I purport the castle site to have been. The Marshals had a connection with this church and there is a charter form Sandford Priory dating to 1206.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><i>Uniuersis etc Willelmus Marescallus comes Penbr[] salutem Nouerit uniuersitas uestra me concessisse etc deo et beate Marie et fratribus militie Templi Salomonis intuitu caritatis et pro salute anime mee et Isabelle uxoris mee et puerorum meorum et antecessorum omnium et successorum meorum in liberam et puram et perpetuam elemosinam ecclesiam de<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Spenes</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>cum omnibus ad eam pertinentibus et omnibus libertatibus suis habend et tenend et in usus proprios perpetuo possidendam Et ut etc Hiis testibus Edwardo abbate de Nottel<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><i><span class="apple-converted-space"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">My Latin is pretty terrible, but basically it's a salutation from William Marshal giving the proceeds of the church at Speen to the Templars for his soul, for the soul of his wife, Isabelle and for the souls of their ancestors and their heirs.</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> </span></span><br />
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None of this proves that there was a castle at Speen, or that it was the site of the siege mentioned in the Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal. At the same time there is also no proof that Hamstead Marshall was the site of the castle the author of the Histoire named as Newbury. The Speen site more than holds its ground against any other theory, and in my opinion it's the place where's John Marshal made his stand against King Stephen. <br />
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Interestingly, when my friend with the archaeology qualification spoke to the county archaeologist on the subject, he commented that he would not be at all surprised to find that the remains of Newbury Castle were indeed at Speen.<br />
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-75301216947207209532014-03-24T22:15:00.000+00:002014-03-25T16:45:56.391+00:00ANVILS AND HAMMERS: Why John FitzGilbert Marshal's speech shouldn't be taken at face value.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With William Marshal being in the news again via Thomas Asbridge's BBC2 documentary which is to be broadcast on the 26th March, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03z2l6l">William Marshal The Greatest Knight</a> I thought I'd write about the famous and infamous 'Anvils and Hammers' remark made by John FitzGilbert Marshal which is so often cited as a shocking example of how not to be a father!<br />
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There are the facts, and then the underlying facts, and one can't get a true reading of the first without an awareness of the second.<br />
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So lets have a look at the facts.<br />
In the mid 12th century there was civil war in England. King Henry I had died and his only legitimate child was a woman, Matilda, who had but recently returned from widowhood in Germany. Henry had promised her the throne when he died. Indeed, he had made his barons swear to uphold her - twice. During the period between her return from Germany and his death, he married her to the 15 year old Geoffrey, son of the count of Anjou. The count himself was about to head off to Jerusalem to become its king. What the 26 year old Matilda, an Empress, thought about marrying such a youth is not documented, although the couple separated shortly after their marriage for a while before getting back to together. Eighteen months later, Matilda produced her first son, the future Henry II, closely followed by Geoffrey and William. <br />
Had Henry I lived, all would have been well in the world of the medieval monarchy. Little Henry would have grown to manhood under his grandfather's tutelage and eventually have inherited the crown. Unfortunately for all concerned, his grandfather died when Henry was only two and a half. Matilda was in Anjou, pregnant with her third son, and in her absence, her cousin Stephen, who had also been in Henry's pocket so to speak as a candidate for the crown, claimed England and Normandy. Most of the barons backed this move; they had no desire to be ruled by a woman, and even those who might have stood loyal to Matilda could do nothing because she was in Anjou having a baby.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6mwLCrWRcDFQ3VJviSUm8AD6Xo-MI_0CfVILmA66Nbmx3G247hIsVPeS-4uDBSr4Oz4mQ4NchbGAZoO1ENNr5ICtsdWnZrMVbBf_ZG9Q3QodYc-kIRKZp7i7WIWrUO8E7KIr/s1600/Picture+120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6mwLCrWRcDFQ3VJviSUm8AD6Xo-MI_0CfVILmA66Nbmx3G247hIsVPeS-4uDBSr4Oz4mQ4NchbGAZoO1ENNr5ICtsdWnZrMVbBf_ZG9Q3QodYc-kIRKZp7i7WIWrUO8E7KIr/s1600/Picture+120.jpg" height="276" width="320" /></a></div>
John FitzGilbert was the royal marshal at the time of Henry I's death, and he was one of the majority of barons who swore for Stephen. John would have been around the age of 30 at this time. His task and dignity at court marked him out as a baron of middle rank. He was married to a local Wiltshire heiress Aline Pipard whose wardship he had purchased, and he had two sons by her, Walter and Gilbert. Stephen favoured John, granting him privileges and the royal town and castle of Marlborough and at Ludgershall to beef up his standing.<br />
In 1139 <span style="font-size: 12pt;">the Empress came to England, landing at Arundel, and made her bid
to take the crown that she claimed Stephen had usurped. For whatever reason,
Stephen suspected John Marshal of duplicity and besieged him at Marlborough. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A digression into speculation here: My
personal opinion is that John had fallen foul of the factions at court who
thought he had been receiving too many favours, and felt that he should be put
in his place. He had no strong affinities at Stephen’s court and a man isolated
was a man who could be picked off and brought down. I think John jumped before
he was pushed. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Back to the facts: What is known is that
John swore for the Empress and adhered to her cause for the rest of the war. His brother William joined her entourage as her chancellor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Unfortunately for John, the Empress’s attempt to
regain the throne was not plain sailing. To cut a long story short she lost
her advantage and while besieging the Bishop of Winchester at his palace of
Wolvesely, she was almost captured. John was a few miles out of Winchester,
dealing with a supply problem, when he heard that the troops of William
D’Ypres, a Flemish mercenary in the pay of Stephen’s queen, were coming down
the Andover road straight for him. If D’Ypres managed to break through, John
knew Winchester would be encircled and the Empress seized. He could either run and save his own skin, or stand hard and give the others a chance to escape. He chose to stand at Wherwell where there was a ford over the river Teste.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuLC-jVVCVgpdpb6XGLlpNiNuqhkItALzC_MsD5-R_N-xbKBAkKnepZ3D4CE7LkYNcezyGSrKGNIfXDxuKZW4tAB3nwBN-WNpvy3LROUzCX5NokwNhmSmHyx-kcPagezs_LOc/s1600/R+Test+at+Wherwell.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuLC-jVVCVgpdpb6XGLlpNiNuqhkItALzC_MsD5-R_N-xbKBAkKnepZ3D4CE7LkYNcezyGSrKGNIfXDxuKZW4tAB3nwBN-WNpvy3LROUzCX5NokwNhmSmHyx-kcPagezs_LOc/s1600/R+Test+at+Wherwell.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tranquil river Teste at Wherwell today</td></tr>
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When D'Ypres arrived, fresh from sacking Andover, John engaged his troops and fought for as long as he could, but with D’Ypres’ numbers too great to
withstand, John was eventually forced to retreat into the nunnery where he barricaded himself in. D’Ypres
knew he couldn’t leave a man like John Marshal to create mayhem in his rear, so
he ordered the nunnery to be burned along with the men inside it. There was destruction and chaos. Some of the troops fled the burning church only to meet their
end on the edges of the mercenary’s swords. John barricaded himself in the
tower with another knight and refused to come out. When his companion feared
for their lives and wanted to surrender, John told him he would kill him
with his own hands if he mentioned that word again. They stayed put, but John
paid the price when molten lead from the church roof landed on his face and
burned out his eye. Once D’Ypres’ force had moved on, John staggered from the
church with his companion, and the two of them made their way to safety. This
must have been something of a feat because that safety was twenty five miles
away at Marlborough; they were on foot, and John had suffered a terrible facial
injury. Nevertheless, they made it and once recovered, John set out to recoup
and regroup.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">John’s most powerful neighbour in the region was Walter
of Salisbury, hereditary sheriff of Salisbury (nowadays called Old Sarum). When
Walter died, his son William replaced him, but died not long after the battle
of Wilton in 1143. The second son, Patrick became lord of Salisbury and he
supported Stephen. Looking to curtail his forceful neighbour in the Kennet
valley, Patrick took up arms against John. John ably defended himself, although
he had fewer resources than Patrick, and even if often on the back foot, it was
never defeat. Eventually Robert Earl of Gloucester stepped between the men. He
offered Patrick an earldom if he would come over to the Empress and he
suggested that John divorce his wife and marry Patrick’s sister to make peace
between them. The men agreed and sometime between 1144 and 1145, John Marshal
annulled his marriage to Aline and took Sybilla FitzWalter to wife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSaij7MvfP5QtorcizP9dsFtj4RwACChQZHGQlXrePD3nJvKDP_pAw7rM-AELa6IbAmtrKZdXwoh4Z3qd8aCq6POFXnmFUe2T0FHOdGK7BS0KmEi0wpMUbDRmCtlBy-metKAA/s1600/DSCF0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSaij7MvfP5QtorcizP9dsFtj4RwACChQZHGQlXrePD3nJvKDP_pAw7rM-AELa6IbAmtrKZdXwoh4Z3qd8aCq6POFXnmFUe2T0FHOdGK7BS0KmEi0wpMUbDRmCtlBy-metKAA/s1600/DSCF0441.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep grazing the Marlborough Downs not far from<br />
John FitzGilbert's manor of Rockely.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">John and Sybilla swiftly began a second family. It’s
perhaps telling that he only had two sons by his first wife in the course of
fifteen years and six (and perhaps seven) offspring with Sybilla over the same
period. The first was born within a year of the marriage and christened John
for his father. The second, (the fourth over all) destined for fame and legend was William, born in
either 1146 or 1147.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The fighting continued and the Empress’s position grew
more desperate as her adherents either gave up or died. She lost her stalwart
supporter Miles of Gloucester when he was accidentally shot by one of his own
men whilst out hunting. Her half-brother Robert of Gloucester died, and another mainstay Brian FitzCount retired to a monastery. The Empress herself
departed England in 1148 and did not return, but her son Henry was waiting in
the wings and growing up fast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">For John Marshal the period covered by the late 1140’s
up to 1153 was a continuing dark time when he was involved in a war of slow
grinding attrition. His lands were burned and ravaged by Eustace, the son of
King Stephen and the best that John could manage was to grit his teeth and
endure. He was known as a man of great cunning, a builder of
castles ‘designed with wondrous skill’ and a man well able to attract men to
his banner. <b><i>‘He
built castles designed with wondrous skill, in the places that best suited him;
the lands and possessions of the churches he brought under his own lordship,
driving out the owners whatever order they might belong to.’ </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At some point in the early
1150’s John built a castle at Newbury. The whereabouts of this place is now
unknown and there has been much speculation as to where it was, including the manor at Hampstead Marshal which contains earthworks. As far as I’m
concerned, the answer is staring everyone in the face. It’s at Speen 1.4 miles from the centre of Newbury, standing on a high ridge overlooking the River Lambourn to the north and the Kennet to the south. The Roman Road - Ermine street coming from Cirencester to Speen would have been close, and from the ridge viewpoint one can see for miles and miles. Interestingly the site used to be occupied by a house belonging to the Bishop of Salisbury. (see above quote in italics for why I find it particularly interesting). More on that in a blog post to follow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Be that as it may, John fortified a position in the
Newbury area and held it for the Empress. In the summer of 1152 King Stephen
besieged it on his way to try and take Wallingford. The first assault battered
John’s troops badly but they didn’t give in. Stephen didn’t want to sit down to
besiege it. I suspect he knew how hard John Marshal could stand and that he
would sell the castle very dearly. John in his turn, knew he was in a dire
situation and couldn’t hold out for much longer. He didn’t have the men and
supplies necessary. He asked Stephen for time to gain honourable permission
from the Empress to surrender the castle. Stephen agreed, but told John that he
must provide hostages and pledges for his good word. John agreed to do so and
handed over as one of them, his small son William, who would have been around
five or six years old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">With the time he had been given, John set about
stuffing his keep to the rafters with men and supplies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Stephen duly came on the appointed day to demand the
surrender of the castle and John refused him and told him he would fight. When
threatened with the execution of little William by hanging, John uttered those by
now infamous words. <i>‘<b>Il dist ken e li chaleit de l’enfant, quer encore
aveit les enclumes e les marteals dunt forgereit de plus beals.</b>’</i> ‘He
said that he did not care about the child, since he still had the anvils and
hammers to produce even finer ones.’ That statement, taken in modern context is utterly shocking to readers. What a callous father. What a vile parent. Who could say that about their own child! Horrific!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfRCiZ7TPJ-ijM7aIORvSz_cf8RytVzaFRCyZNQn_Y1RmglWi2hWCipFalyjyIpKPo6I7HTnyNqVW46odRc8mDyPkkfxDCb037iowyWt6p-uzcUyiqR0wrtQ-k6L44ncPrmMN/s1600/IMGP7009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfRCiZ7TPJ-ijM7aIORvSz_cf8RytVzaFRCyZNQn_Y1RmglWi2hWCipFalyjyIpKPo6I7HTnyNqVW46odRc8mDyPkkfxDCb037iowyWt6p-uzcUyiqR0wrtQ-k6L44ncPrmMN/s1600/IMGP7009.JPG" height="320" width="303" /></a></div>
Stephen <span style="font-size: 12pt;">could not bring himself to hang the
boy, although for a time William became the plaything victim of the royal camp as
he was also threatened with being flung from a catapult and squashed whilst
strapped to a hurdle intended to attack the castle gate. This is often not
mentioned in the various secondary source narratives concerning the incident.
From what I have garnered elsewhere, young squires and captive sons were
frequently subjected to such torments – rather like the traditional ‘punishment
details’ for youths at public school.Stephen took William into his household
and John Marshal’s son seems to have settled well in his new life. He was happy
and confident enough despite his ordeal to want to play a game with King
Stephen, involving jousting with plaintain leaves. A servant was sent to keep an eye on William</span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">, ‘<b>because
his family had great fears that he would come to harm’</b></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Histoire de
Guillaume le Mareschal) but was caught in the act and chased away.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">John’s castle at Newbury eventually fell to Stephen,
but John had managed to buy that extra time for Wallingford. Stephen moved up
to invest the latter and Henry came from Normandy to oppose him. Eventually a
treaty was agreed whereby Stephen would keep the throne in his lifetime and
Henry would inherit it on his death. Althought there were a few more
skirmishes, the long civil war was in essence over and little William returned to the bosom of his family where he was to remain until being sent away in his teens for military training with the great Norman magnate William de Tancarville who was a distant relative of William's mother. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Those are the facts. Now for the deeper facts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1.That 'anvils and hammers' speech is only reported in a single source - The Histoire de Guillame le Mareschal. The work is a poem of 20,000 lines detailing William Marshal's life story from cradle to grave -including some scene setting before the cradle. It was intended as a work for the immediate family, to be read out on William's anniversary, or sung to music in the hall on appropriate occasions. It's a pro Marshal work with members of the Marshal family all cast in a highly positive light. So there are no gasps of shock issuing from that direction concerning John Marshal's behaviour. Rather, it's a celebration of his 'hammers and anvils' in the face of terrible odds. This was a man who had his balls and intended keeping them!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpyLlovCBj935icr6-qkS3XcTQ9ed8ZvaCEFnhkA2IojSMCS74NStHzzGaWCf1eZTB5eOfQhLNdkVZ0_IswkBVm-LODJMd-QHdK01uY-7TZhp8Y7Iz6thDDRHf3ltuHGGL2Bv/s1600/Con+104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpyLlovCBj935icr6-qkS3XcTQ9ed8ZvaCEFnhkA2IojSMCS74NStHzzGaWCf1eZTB5eOfQhLNdkVZ0_IswkBVm-LODJMd-QHdK01uY-7TZhp8Y7Iz6thDDRHf3ltuHGGL2Bv/s1600/Con+104.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">2. Since this is the only source of the story, there is no proof that it was ever actually said. The 'hammers and anvils' are symbols of the office of Marshal. It was another word for a blacksmith. If one looks at charters and town ordinances you will find a plethora of Marshals involved in the blacksmith trade - so it's a pun on the Marshal name, and one that would have raised a rich chuckle as it was read out. Indeed, if you know your Marshals, the Histoire is a joy to read because it's so full of secret Marshally puns!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">3. This child that John supposedly did not care about? William is protrayed in the Histoire as a confident, chirpy, happy little chap, eager to play games with adults. Confident enough to ask a grown man (the Earl of Arundel) if he could play with his lance. No neglected, unvalued child is going to have that breeziness and confidence around men of rank and standing. William is actively engaging with these men. He's full of himself and he likes their weapons!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">4. John Marshal had very little choice. If he'd yielded to King Stephen would have pushed through to Wallingford several weeks earlier than he did, and if Wallingford had fallen, then the entire Angevin cause would probably have toppled. Each day that John could withstand Stephen was an extra day gained for the Angevin cause. He was buying time. </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">John Marshal hadn’t backed down at Wherwell, where his stand had allowed the Empress to escape. He hadn’t backed down before the superior strength of Patrick of Salisbury, and he wasn’t going to back down now, even if it meant gambling with his son’s life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;">It's not just two sides to every story, but a case of multiple facets and complexity. First find the facts, and then dig for the facts behind the facts. Quite often the shell is not the same as the kernel, even though both are related.</span><br />
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Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-53199787714325544842013-12-24T23:05:00.000+00:002013-12-24T23:07:45.139+00:00IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF WILLIAM MARSHAL TOURSeasons Greetings everyone. May I wish all visitors to this blog peace, joy and harmony in their lives now and in the future.<br />
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During the Christmas break, I thought I'd post the url to the Footsteps of William Marshal Tour which is going to be taking place in October 2014. - Just in case any of you were planning a break!<br />
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The details are self explanatory in the url. But I've added some photographs taken on the same format tour in October 2012. It was so enjoyable. I loved meeting readers and people who were as keen to follow William Marshal's story as I was, and it was great to visit the places in England where he had lived, including parts of South Wales, which aren't always on the beaten path.<br />
Here's an url to the PDF information. <a href="http://elizabethchadwick.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/BestKnight_Final.pdf">Footsteps of William Marshal Tour 2014</a><br />
And also an url to ATA travel's website. <a href="http://www.academic-travel.com/region-country/europe/the-greatest-knight/">ATA Travel Footsteps of William Marshal</a><span id="goog_1724690442"></span><span id="goog_1724690443"></span><br />
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You don't have to live in the US to take advantage of this tour. It's open to all comers and last time around we had a lovely international community. We're still in touch now.<br />
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Here are a few photos taken from the tour. I've not included faces (cept one of me) for privacy reasons, but you can get the gist of the scenery etc. They're not quite in order due to the nightmare formatting on blogger. This is just a few of the many. I'd be here all day posting the lot!<br />
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All best<br />
Elizabeth x<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHq71Sjydy-PEepRQvaDscGDRNeG50ouZnZRnAO09fgFq9IELjD9vLcivJVE41vYYCNsKR8lYLeUXVdqpF3qMPZUtcEXGayUkZZWOsb-3r6BZ5RIU0DG5D8DsBPks_st3-pYXq/s1600/IMGP2386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHq71Sjydy-PEepRQvaDscGDRNeG50ouZnZRnAO09fgFq9IELjD9vLcivJVE41vYYCNsKR8lYLeUXVdqpF3qMPZUtcEXGayUkZZWOsb-3r6BZ5RIU0DG5D8DsBPks_st3-pYXq/s400/IMGP2386.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonehenge as we passed on the coach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CwV0UjWZfSmkJuzV2NT9pAyKe8XLf_Mp3Tr2BZlyc8AX7W-Rw7x-Bh97__ucChl7KrD4swX4xU__5adGH_qx3OyOGKGB6xk7KG_3qyAd_yI6400oNlFjyO5DvwWBzEe6geps/s1600/IMGP2408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CwV0UjWZfSmkJuzV2NT9pAyKe8XLf_Mp3Tr2BZlyc8AX7W-Rw7x-Bh97__ucChl7KrD4swX4xU__5adGH_qx3OyOGKGB6xk7KG_3qyAd_yI6400oNlFjyO5DvwWBzEe6geps/s400/IMGP2408.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the walls of Old Sarum where William was a frequent<br />
visitor and which he would have known very well as a little boy. This is<br />
'Marshal' country.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftbjr6phdftKy2LxjGp1ltqvR-tbbrRXChRRfBYvb65vLx-85u0AXq9s-VX9OtzEVCCrQE9SYUfwyPQ7bhkrbWzH2v-Q3naAZnytPiqtyuLuyepkpV9z4WFU6Z8jIrFULL4Cs/s1600/IMGP2410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftbjr6phdftKy2LxjGp1ltqvR-tbbrRXChRRfBYvb65vLx-85u0AXq9s-VX9OtzEVCCrQE9SYUfwyPQ7bhkrbWzH2v-Q3naAZnytPiqtyuLuyepkpV9z4WFU6Z8jIrFULL4Cs/s400/IMGP2410.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at Old Sarum. It was one of the few days that it rained.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsM1ntGJUJc4AzikEqdb6k_0wafMOHIlgzTZZ7rXeO7Eco9OE0_6X0LdHwASCld9mnLu7dzkRBPv9iQM96wPf0vay61Gawpy3ijD23RE3XjmRUCD784-u6m9l_5QSwLUNizaU/s1600/IMGP2423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsM1ntGJUJc4AzikEqdb6k_0wafMOHIlgzTZZ7rXeO7Eco9OE0_6X0LdHwASCld9mnLu7dzkRBPv9iQM96wPf0vay61Gawpy3ijD23RE3XjmRUCD784-u6m9l_5QSwLUNizaU/s400/IMGP2423.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banners at Salisbury Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdly-Pq5_FnzwrL-jR99DRGSPQxYRL0AnCMH-q1aBqSZ6llB4ISbU43T4dGbnWXGh2O8s9qucLqFpfFdRJA5Rs-N7tU9vGW2-BTEYnzKsN6hBWgZ6dPXgE0KH170IH5cP-FUI/s1600/IMGP2431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdly-Pq5_FnzwrL-jR99DRGSPQxYRL0AnCMH-q1aBqSZ6llB4ISbU43T4dGbnWXGh2O8s9qucLqFpfFdRJA5Rs-N7tU9vGW2-BTEYnzKsN6hBWgZ6dPXgE0KH170IH5cP-FUI/s400/IMGP2431.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceiling at Salisbury Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVwKQJgkCOMJLIwkZhowjS2cyptSUUbKUf5_vrlGnbewAeRMGWuSFluQ1YfP5CqdHNyvt37YmB9twajcxdE1Ix53p1jM_ePJrs6ZCvqKpjnANhW3Pn_nJorOBOG9M7OgqXCCP/s1600/IMGP2439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVwKQJgkCOMJLIwkZhowjS2cyptSUUbKUf5_vrlGnbewAeRMGWuSFluQ1YfP5CqdHNyvt37YmB9twajcxdE1Ix53p1jM_ePJrs6ZCvqKpjnANhW3Pn_nJorOBOG9M7OgqXCCP/s400/IMGP2439.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later period statue at Salisbury but I like it anyway!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqcctIAoNVv8_T6v4DzhOYb_W9MbyeThwASU3LMcXyDPLZ-_a24daQWjqkHq9pNTuwA4ZX9fl7j2mR0tRS-wc1_WWIvNeZBTyKHYxXwhNRNmgqJaAmYAoyXUJvy5bjilfYrSH/s1600/IMGP2447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqcctIAoNVv8_T6v4DzhOYb_W9MbyeThwASU3LMcXyDPLZ-_a24daQWjqkHq9pNTuwA4ZX9fl7j2mR0tRS-wc1_WWIvNeZBTyKHYxXwhNRNmgqJaAmYAoyXUJvy5bjilfYrSH/s400/IMGP2447.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tomb of William Longespee Salisbury Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwW17aPqQxIj_QYDcYJupPvrlHKhaa_LGQGHV_BBUc7eEcnh-NLfhu8rG31fHbpvaqsClkAJAqHJ-NL3CekkbjWXtPDUzDpc_DpHc5U4RycslbnEhia-C5qYxSCI-YW_cMR0lK/s1600/IMGP2370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwW17aPqQxIj_QYDcYJupPvrlHKhaa_LGQGHV_BBUc7eEcnh-NLfhu8rG31fHbpvaqsClkAJAqHJ-NL3CekkbjWXtPDUzDpc_DpHc5U4RycslbnEhia-C5qYxSCI-YW_cMR0lK/s400/IMGP2370.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dray horses as we drove through Marlborough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMt1KDZN5tQDPfdYXWSWjzDXUtsKUkNIWlZdxM4PptzETFsZ0aV1iJL64ixDR1MBP9ejF-TRQ7IdDHSg7qkg8qIjClRJFDAm3wDb96ED2sBB6DQp4ujSx5qbpPEC4ZH0M0kCw/s1600/IMGP2152+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMt1KDZN5tQDPfdYXWSWjzDXUtsKUkNIWlZdxM4PptzETFsZ0aV1iJL64ixDR1MBP9ejF-TRQ7IdDHSg7qkg8qIjClRJFDAm3wDb96ED2sBB6DQp4ujSx5qbpPEC4ZH0M0kCw/s400/IMGP2152+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chepstow Castle - fab weather here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O5jwcNkN7_1F4YBFuLJRwiE81LHfJdG6wCXGRK6m-EDeg4IfUnwpAhhhosFwR_SdV0bmvNb5gBWBTo66gXZN7LsNcx3ZijS9kehkbEydBvnmZ78f7HVw48QYmvbxFPEdeA5h/s1600/Manorbier+Castle+approach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O5jwcNkN7_1F4YBFuLJRwiE81LHfJdG6wCXGRK6m-EDeg4IfUnwpAhhhosFwR_SdV0bmvNb5gBWBTo66gXZN7LsNcx3ZijS9kehkbEydBvnmZ78f7HVw48QYmvbxFPEdeA5h/s400/Manorbier+Castle+approach.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manorbier Castle - home of the dreaded Gerald of Wales, chronicler and<br />
contemporary of William Marshal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SJmjjVaEWWrqHHR1fxbt2yyAeqycchDnfF-33Pa5m4uPEcxsLy2FWOwFPZaKoYMfUTQHdL97jt1jHmCkTu3HH7FV9T2Zx3_OkpZqh6f4TI2jOn3t7KBZIn29wJEDfimKMwGY/s1600/misericord.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SJmjjVaEWWrqHHR1fxbt2yyAeqycchDnfF-33Pa5m4uPEcxsLy2FWOwFPZaKoYMfUTQHdL97jt1jHmCkTu3HH7FV9T2Zx3_OkpZqh6f4TI2jOn3t7KBZIn29wJEDfimKMwGY/s400/misericord.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the wonderful misercords from Cartmel Priory. A mermaild</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumRdkKwcZt9SfwDtBKRJYqLvjAACM51NflqlD00EF1RcjIxhS6HmhZ3xlQsqf92B0_xH9eKcrOawnjbJ2XTI-zFkmEPTozA4GY1iqAPFA5F0xLrI4hCaA0MJDThbKa1JZMUJ0/s1600/Tintern+ruins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumRdkKwcZt9SfwDtBKRJYqLvjAACM51NflqlD00EF1RcjIxhS6HmhZ3xlQsqf92B0_xH9eKcrOawnjbJ2XTI-zFkmEPTozA4GY1iqAPFA5F0xLrI4hCaA0MJDThbKa1JZMUJ0/s400/Tintern+ruins.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tintern Abbey - a magical place. Burial place of Isabel de Clare, wife<br />
of William Marshal. Also of their children Mahelt, Walter and Ancel<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPQxdvRomRV48VEiEWeJsSYVn8EK-QeJc6Z8jbDc3XLbvrrJ8OjT8JBeeBx7HRRC5sIdiFZTf4qYSDrevMR_n6VlF5T1vRjfD14Ho7uThL9S3Gyw5IiS8QWJRjwVK6ZSmGFfb/s1600/Whittington+Today.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPQxdvRomRV48VEiEWeJsSYVn8EK-QeJc6Z8jbDc3XLbvrrJ8OjT8JBeeBx7HRRC5sIdiFZTf4qYSDrevMR_n6VlF5T1vRjfD14Ho7uThL9S3Gyw5IiS8QWJRjwVK6ZSmGFfb/s400/Whittington+Today.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whittington Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlaUYBeTSULa8RgyI3MtQlHEWdeSH9FywEk7RGSdSORQ9BX0qphif7-Lm98iiXPMZM3cq2xZ4v_ezR_IqkRaqDYNDGGaUGopUmOi6zqUqMD1sC6eczlBVJK5oMKZf1T9I2qoz/s1600/IMGP1768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlaUYBeTSULa8RgyI3MtQlHEWdeSH9FywEk7RGSdSORQ9BX0qphif7-Lm98iiXPMZM3cq2xZ4v_ezR_IqkRaqDYNDGGaUGopUmOi6zqUqMD1sC6eczlBVJK5oMKZf1T9I2qoz/s400/IMGP1768.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manorbier against a dramatic sky</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZq7D6JwNavUy7LR_oMNIRg_v7aptZhDQ-z8XG8X5cSqRTr9pvhqwt7fpdFlVRQcpeIkF9TqXqozhhx4jioDZEu8H2214fVgYerglnph86vHkGf9YKHKK5BGxfcmI4Y-DYoDI3/s1600/IMGP1769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZq7D6JwNavUy7LR_oMNIRg_v7aptZhDQ-z8XG8X5cSqRTr9pvhqwt7fpdFlVRQcpeIkF9TqXqozhhx4jioDZEu8H2214fVgYerglnph86vHkGf9YKHKK5BGxfcmI4Y-DYoDI3/s400/IMGP1769.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach at Manorbier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsDt4MOTc0kSxWawvJm2xijNV5zpY7wv01TRv914744zDfht_PCXce49ItDAUkpct7gT3o0mvm1eh5b2MJUcQps-Aj0mOk0f47m6P52lWdpGw8GcUH686A_5z9m1p9mslnyVl/s1600/IMGP2087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsDt4MOTc0kSxWawvJm2xijNV5zpY7wv01TRv914744zDfht_PCXce49ItDAUkpct7gT3o0mvm1eh5b2MJUcQps-Aj0mOk0f47m6P52lWdpGw8GcUH686A_5z9m1p9mslnyVl/s400/IMGP2087.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Tintern Abbey and the two below</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IrZUAu2AplHhhTiodb3Q-a1PcVmtOUtWY8hY8j_kej02cE4fhObfmqh1L5anWSgdOtJLvm3utNaZDFxGVMe3EC_IJMOCUD7P48OtaWahHUh20e61iN35hDF1CwhuACu9ZPo4/s1600/IMGP2118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IrZUAu2AplHhhTiodb3Q-a1PcVmtOUtWY8hY8j_kej02cE4fhObfmqh1L5anWSgdOtJLvm3utNaZDFxGVMe3EC_IJMOCUD7P48OtaWahHUh20e61iN35hDF1CwhuACu9ZPo4/s400/IMGP2118.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1V-7kY-FyXVhoR7KQos55ByKUUi0IoHmy1i4O7eVGg4ZqoqIb8IITO5qEIQY5UyNfIzEQI7YOINC0YIblf4jtRN2ZReEDOXCfEm-MoQ72oDEvpkzzgDV3-J1CckHhZo30H4P/s1600/IMGP2129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1V-7kY-FyXVhoR7KQos55ByKUUi0IoHmy1i4O7eVGg4ZqoqIb8IITO5qEIQY5UyNfIzEQI7YOINC0YIblf4jtRN2ZReEDOXCfEm-MoQ72oDEvpkzzgDV3-J1CckHhZo30H4P/s400/IMGP2129.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
PHOTOS FROM THE FOOTSTEPS OF WILLIAM MARSHAL TOUR 2012.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7V5k9qy6UjoeJRIM-9YOG5zRh9WzJ23uwxiAxxNTbziEavCxa0CL2xqJphquMMwI_yICYSWwc-F3rbY8XyINP1qqF-VmxQq4ndRiPP27EV9iCYDJ1HNnTy4Qo5OrLcuSUYKr/s1600/18421_10152223776395603_1900870424_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7V5k9qy6UjoeJRIM-9YOG5zRh9WzJ23uwxiAxxNTbziEavCxa0CL2xqJphquMMwI_yICYSWwc-F3rbY8XyINP1qqF-VmxQq4ndRiPP27EV9iCYDJ1HNnTy4Qo5OrLcuSUYKr/s400/18421_10152223776395603_1900870424_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Marshal's door at Chepstow Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaOUNrJf5aUtHuTWw7m1I11KwqIaBOqTGOsb6iGCkl2WJ0wgN8ib6-yv8uDT3difYMHu8DosUutgYagIF_dhK69Bbn0ZS7Ic-YOtyROUFnpbs0O8FRNVj6pje-KW4UieM2pHo/s1600/21281_10152223778290603_1332768152_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaOUNrJf5aUtHuTWw7m1I11KwqIaBOqTGOsb6iGCkl2WJ0wgN8ib6-yv8uDT3difYMHu8DosUutgYagIF_dhK69Bbn0ZS7Ic-YOtyROUFnpbs0O8FRNVj6pje-KW4UieM2pHo/s400/21281_10152223778290603_1332768152_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Cheptstow Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY36zBCmauSy8EfCAMqho-qKHdEF2qbD8AtPWjOfrw2CNIvUxEMy7qUB9XAw7EsB7Y6z1YSauJ74uqOg_jCfWg3nN0anLzXVu6ENNbdHPvSZ9Or7H-eRHa35oYEt1w1w-BznfJ/s1600/47527_10152183843160603_1410933607_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY36zBCmauSy8EfCAMqho-qKHdEF2qbD8AtPWjOfrw2CNIvUxEMy7qUB9XAw7EsB7Y6z1YSauJ74uqOg_jCfWg3nN0anLzXVu6ENNbdHPvSZ9Or7H-eRHa35oYEt1w1w-BznfJ/s400/47527_10152183843160603_1410933607_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Story board at Whittington Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglB1nRhNxEy4srTv3zqT0-kAflLQVEzZ7Tmu2o1gCfr_-kwmbMihoWKRdLGECABXV6X_I8X__iMgUIIhyphenhyphenzoy1egNumOhyphenhyphen4_aKobybXnEhdExae23ZA9tqrYdqd_EeeCuf-YnPW/s1600/65052_10152345323770603_376337657_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglB1nRhNxEy4srTv3zqT0-kAflLQVEzZ7Tmu2o1gCfr_-kwmbMihoWKRdLGECABXV6X_I8X__iMgUIIhyphenhyphenzoy1egNumOhyphenhyphen4_aKobybXnEhdExae23ZA9tqrYdqd_EeeCuf-YnPW/s400/65052_10152345323770603_376337657_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower of London</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4egL21dn6edIvhRAxyuxWdrGLhGsgi5tzDavd85Zk4dl349Nsuk_Rcpd0znERd-lCbtYEBuUtU6RBJ7_j3ZmnSLmLbzyKf-1yulpdzzAhrTAARcxn_bDJrtav08qISg6-sjF/s1600/223647_10152223770375603_1171988954_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4egL21dn6edIvhRAxyuxWdrGLhGsgi5tzDavd85Zk4dl349Nsuk_Rcpd0znERd-lCbtYEBuUtU6RBJ7_j3ZmnSLmLbzyKf-1yulpdzzAhrTAARcxn_bDJrtav08qISg6-sjF/s400/223647_10152223770375603_1171988954_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chepstow Castle Again</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGW-MdhGx-R52ToxZTlmi2B_EALdtImXdnrS3oDr2rz9xXgv4a7xeObrvk1Ey5XAFJhTA44mPl8AUHBg_iX_DeNdwIY33EFipWdZzZFxM1F1Wmt6Zsc8NuHeEmtyX2E-nLnXE/s1600/76613_10152208886155603_1154512704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGW-MdhGx-R52ToxZTlmi2B_EALdtImXdnrS3oDr2rz9xXgv4a7xeObrvk1Ey5XAFJhTA44mPl8AUHBg_iX_DeNdwIY33EFipWdZzZFxM1F1Wmt6Zsc8NuHeEmtyX2E-nLnXE/s400/76613_10152208886155603_1154512704_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feasting still life at Pembroke Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMyP9qAZftzzFoAMBLQU8Pj0po8t9rVktWwcpRrIEFTFGxtuVn67n-SxtT6CRgmME1Iyb0DQhNj5IfArRKIHg01GOwDRGVt99CpjRkMlD4oWH5HyxrPbG_XPACMLKwVnW-AzL/s1600/IMGP2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMyP9qAZftzzFoAMBLQU8Pj0po8t9rVktWwcpRrIEFTFGxtuVn67n-SxtT6CRgmME1Iyb0DQhNj5IfArRKIHg01GOwDRGVt99CpjRkMlD4oWH5HyxrPbG_XPACMLKwVnW-AzL/s400/IMGP2362.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hotel room when we stayed overnight in Wiltshire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdRCBC-LXvWg0zpz5vTokLB895bR-xvn1oowRfN4PlL4oToJirOy1Sc38s3_Lb4jLSfM0J2DAc2lTFsoF4jgI1vbXKyJ8cjANKeg_VR69UU8BRa9vY40bz8J0bbvhPYUi9hU_/s1600/548684_10152202049400603_1372627194_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdRCBC-LXvWg0zpz5vTokLB895bR-xvn1oowRfN4PlL4oToJirOy1Sc38s3_Lb4jLSfM0J2DAc2lTFsoF4jgI1vbXKyJ8cjANKeg_VR69UU8BRa9vY40bz8J0bbvhPYUi9hU_/s400/548684_10152202049400603_1372627194_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bishops' amethyst and gold rings in the treasury of St. David's South Wales</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSETCxAHEgUABPlqQQy-RJA2GFFXKt3CoUk4aw76JsWDjdLIQ4zn1H5Bu8tfIEww2MMJwPfdLVlQTf4mMdJ10QLnC_lx5oRDnn7r86AOUs7c9mn3EttgdJy6XoQQO7PaP-n3l0/s1600/563621_10152345325930603_1682885699_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSETCxAHEgUABPlqQQy-RJA2GFFXKt3CoUk4aw76JsWDjdLIQ4zn1H5Bu8tfIEww2MMJwPfdLVlQTf4mMdJ10QLnC_lx5oRDnn7r86AOUs7c9mn3EttgdJy6XoQQO7PaP-n3l0/s400/563621_10152345325930603_1682885699_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The effigies of William Marshal and his son in stained glass morning light<br />
at The Temple Church, London.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPYGAT-UtaMsa7SEIGJCYlNwkdyBRXUwtSC7XJ2PGExSqNGixW8D8JUErfHpIzt0e5wQM2MXmz_wWMdvbt401z7-mVcrh9kfPfdleX_RgDt3e9-Eth_bOAd0qWjlK3D9NVpD5/s1600/66389_10152202085885603_539715604_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPYGAT-UtaMsa7SEIGJCYlNwkdyBRXUwtSC7XJ2PGExSqNGixW8D8JUErfHpIzt0e5wQM2MXmz_wWMdvbt401z7-mVcrh9kfPfdleX_RgDt3e9-Eth_bOAd0qWjlK3D9NVpD5/s400/66389_10152202085885603_539715604_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. David's, South Wales</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1V9Wj90t5BqF_tdPzUjPGRQxoo1r68-bzA5DhFtJMM457Q1GR5lwNyes67uo5TraNq6i_Lbl8ip5Om1Yuelad6CcIoUsSxOX_Q4gOhrAww2PRHR2vuqIieP6PA7bkSYRYjVKd/s1600/253194_10152208915010603_1873954637_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1V9Wj90t5BqF_tdPzUjPGRQxoo1r68-bzA5DhFtJMM457Q1GR5lwNyes67uo5TraNq6i_Lbl8ip5Om1Yuelad6CcIoUsSxOX_Q4gOhrAww2PRHR2vuqIieP6PA7bkSYRYjVKd/s400/253194_10152208915010603_1873954637_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the tower at Pembroke Castle<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhOhpw46Pnl9PhuIzm5-g3p4VzU-wDn6MGwqN4iDSxA8D7V4IZX_p1XotZehgtlEgflZQzPgF0wYxGWC_xfpcHuHOux13YSMfxfP54orhQngpVA3J-2ejgzv7tfbgf1kFEq_5/s1600/IMGP1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhOhpw46Pnl9PhuIzm5-g3p4VzU-wDn6MGwqN4iDSxA8D7V4IZX_p1XotZehgtlEgflZQzPgF0wYxGWC_xfpcHuHOux13YSMfxfP54orhQngpVA3J-2ejgzv7tfbgf1kFEq_5/s400/IMGP1512.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the hotel balcony at St Bride's Spa Saundersfoot where we were<br />
based for our stay in South Wales. Decent weather again!<br />
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<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24348391.post-8583386324429734442013-11-06T11:40:00.001+00:002013-11-06T11:40:02.613+00:00THE GREATEST KNIGHT at THE GREATEST PRICE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXZ0LK4oiLOfNBJ-ExwS55YIZkQx19DFKVZnPuwzIyLgEkzUZOgk_wQWVZBsG_t7U-3t_WOm3kqRXQ2Rupc5N_9BWCyYHHw8SbMA_fYUvJbo4z0_IMMp5ujPUJoJRa7jN6kw7/s1600/Greatest+Knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXZ0LK4oiLOfNBJ-ExwS55YIZkQx19DFKVZnPuwzIyLgEkzUZOgk_wQWVZBsG_t7U-3t_WOm3kqRXQ2Rupc5N_9BWCyYHHw8SbMA_fYUvJbo4z0_IMMp5ujPUJoJRa7jN6kw7/s400/Greatest+Knight.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">For a very short while, my UK publisher has dropped the price of THE GREATEST KNIGHT on the Kindle to £1.49, so it's an opportunity to grab a bargain if you're in the UK. It'll be going back up in the near future. It's a bestseller both here and in the USA, where it made the New York Times best seller list. Click through url here: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Greatest-Knight-Story-William-Marshal-ebook/dp/B002TZ3CLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383737676&sr=8-1&keywords=The+greatest+knight">THE GREATEST KNIGHT KINDLE BARGAIN </a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you visit my website, you'll find out why I wanted to write about William Marshal. Here's an url to his biography from there. <a href="http://elizabethchadwick.com/william-marshal/">William Marshal's biography</a> There are also suggestions of other sources you can read to find out more about him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This blog has numerous articles about William, and if you type his name into the search bar on the right hand side, you'll be given a list. To get you going, here's one about the horses he rode: <a href="http://livingthehistoryelizabethchadwick.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/william-marshals-horses.html">William Marshal's horses</a> I especially loved the fact that we know he was given an unrideable horse, but he worked on the harness to improve the rapport between him and the stallion, and ended up with a magnificent destrier for the tournament. We even know that it was white and called Blancart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After William died, his son commissioned a poem to be written in detail about his father's life, and it still survives. I am gradually adding a translation to this blog in episodes, and you will find these too - as far as I have got. Like William Marshal, it's still a work in progress!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Best wishes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Elizabeth</span><br />
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<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.com0