by Griff Hosker
I shrugged, “I am in spirit but I cannot commit to a venture like this. I warn you, Master, that the Slavs will be a harder enemy to defeat than the Estonians.”
Reimar had kept back a little and, having seen Hermann welcome me, he stepped forward. “I have to thank you, Sir Thomas. You have avenged my uncle. He was my father’s younger brother and I loved him dearly. It pained me when I heard of the manner of his death.”
“I was just grateful to save his widow. At least her life and future will be assured with the manor of your uncle.”
I suddenly realised that he had not looked in Lady Margaret’s direction. His next words were delivered with neither compassion or kindness, “I have given the manor of my uncle to the order. It cannot be undone. I am afraid that even had my uncle asked me to return it to him I could not.”
Lady Margaret said, incredulously, “You would have had your father’s brother homeless?”
“Of course not. He could have stayed in the castle of the order.”
I stared at the German, “But not his wife, of course.”
“Of course not! We are a holy order.” Lady Margaret ran from the room. Reimar just shrugged, “Women!”
If he expected others to laugh with him he was wrong. They were as shocked as I was. I was also angry. I walked up to him and said, “You are a villain. You have no honour. If you are a man then face me sword to sword.”
He laughed, “You are distraught!”
I backhanded him across the mouth so hard that he fell over. “Face me or all the world shall know you for a coward!”
Hermann Balk stepped between us although his knight made no effort to rise. I saw, in his eyes, fear. In that moment, I saw all the battles of the order. I had never seen him in the front rank. “Sir Thomas, we cannot fight amongst ourselves.”
“Master, I believe in honour. Lady Margaret was made a promise by this snake’s kinsman. He is honour bound to fulfil that promise.”
Reimar stood, “And I will not! She bewitched the old man. Why else would he marry her?” He suddenly seized upon the idea, “That is it. She is a witch. We should have a trial!”
That was the point at which he lost Bishop Albert and the Master. Bishop Albert shook his head, “There will be no combat, Sir Thomas! I forbid it. Unless you wish to quarrel with the church then you will withdraw. You have already shown a scant regard for priests. Do not undo all of your good work.” He paused and I could see the idea forming. “In fact, as you were going home at the end of the fighting season I send you now. I will pay you and your men for their service and thank you for what you have done.” He nodded as though agreeing with his own idea, “And you can escort the Lady Margaret back to England. You are both English after all.”
“You will not order him to fulfil his uncle’s promise?”
Bishop Albert shrugged, “We only have her word that the old man made the promise. Perhaps he was coming here to join the order. Whatever the reason the gift to the order will bring God to the godless and that is worth more than the tears of a young girl. She is young enough to find another man.”
I could not help it and my hand went to my sword.
Bishop Albert said, “And you, Sir Thomas are forbidden to ever come to Riga again… on pain of death!” Knights’ hands went to their swords. I was alone and although I would kill the Bishop and many of his knights then I would die.
Hermann Balk said, “Go my friend. I am with you in this but bloodshed only helps the heathen. Go I beg of you. I will do what I can for Lady Margaret.”
Ignoring him I pointed to Reimar, “If I were you, I would stay here in the east for if you every breathe the same air as me then you die. That I swear. And I never break an oath!” I watched as he physically recoiled. He was terrified of me.
I sought Lady Margaret but I could not find her and then Bishop Albert’s brothers appeared. They had a chest with our gold but they also had armed men. Brother Harald said, “Sir Thomas, leave. I would not wish to order these men to put you in irons but I will do so unless you leave quietly. There will be two ships ready to take you and your people in the morning. Bishop Albert insists that you leave quickly and quietly. Lady Margaret and her people will join you.” He put his hand on my arm. “It is for the best.”
I shook my head, “You are a good man but I am afraid there is something rotten here in Riga. I saw this in the Holy Land and I see it here. I will go and I will not return but I fear this venture will end badly.”
Word had spread of the confrontation. By the time I reached the hall there were rumours and exaggerations.
The Jarl Birger Brosa said, “What has happened?”
I took the horn of ale Edward held for me and I told them all, word for word. My men, Petr, Birger Persson were outraged. The Jarl Birger Brosa appeared more pragmatic. “You have been well paid and you can now take the lady to England. Marry her. You were going to leave anyway.”
Petr and his brother turned to their leader. Their faces were filled with anger tinged with disappointment. Birger said, “I will not return here. My brother and I will stay in Sweden. I thought you had honour. I can see that you have not if you side with them.”
The Jarl Birger Brosa reddened, “You go too far cousin.”
“Stop!” My roar silenced them. “I will not have blood brothers fight over me. I will return to Stock Holm and take my leave of your wife. Then we will sail away from Sweden. I will never return. I thought I had come here to find myself. I have but I have also found things about other men that I like not. King John is not the only man to have disappointed me.” I put down the horn. “And now I have much to do. We leave this barren land in the morning and I, for one, will be glad to see the back of it.”
Epilogue
Herman Balk himself escorted Lady Margaret to the ships. “I have tried, Sir Thomas but Reimar and Bishop Albert will not be moved. Farewell. If you were to take my advice it would be to marry. I think that you have been thrown together for just this purpose.” He shrugged, “But what do I know?”
I stood with Lady Margaret as the ships left Sweden. She was stiff with anger. “I am not something to be passed around. I am not helpless! I need no man’s sympathy and pity!”
I smiled and put my arm around her. She fought a little but I am strong, “And you will get neither from me. We are both orphans now. Neither of us have a home. I ask you to marry me. I for one do not mind if you do so out of pity for Hermann Balk was right. We were thrown together for a purpose.” She looked up at me and there was a hint of a smile. “So what say you? Will you agree to marry a priest killer? An outlaw? Someone who sups with the devil?”
She laughed, “Aye I will. You are the finest man I have ever known. I will be honoured to marry you. We will find a new home together!” She kissed me and, as our lips met, I knew that this was the start of something good. “You have done more than enough already. I want you to live for me, not die for me.”
“I am not certain where we shall live.”
She had laughed, “I care not. I do not think that it will be dull!”
By the time we reached Stock Holm I had told her everything about me and we had discussed what we would do next. It was easy for we thought the same. She had been shocked to learn the lengths I would have gone to in order to protect her. She was unconcerned about the estates and more worried that my men and I might have risked our lives for her.
I was honest with Lady Brigida and told her all. I left nothing out including the bad feeling between her husband and Birger Persson. She had smiled, “That will pass. They need each other.” She shook her head, “And when my husband returns it will be to the sad news that our son died fighting for my uncle. Perhaps that will put this argument into perspective.”
“I am sorry, my lady.”
“I know you are for you do not know how to lie.” She had put her arms around Lady Margaret and me. “And we shall have you wed before you leave. My son is dead. Perhaps you can live the life I hoped he would lead.”
The End
Glossary
Garth- a garth was a farm. Not to be confused with the name Garth
Groat- English coin worth four silver pennies
Luciaria-Lucerne (Switzerland)
Nissa- Nice (Provence)
Wulfestun- Wolviston (Durham)
Maps and Illustrations
Courtesy of Wikipedia
The route of Richard’s Army. Courtesy of Wikipedia
Courtesy of Wikipedia By NielsF - Own work, based upon Image: Map of Italy (w.o. Labels).jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=510185
A map of the Holy Roman Empire superimposed over modern borders.
The Baltic after the Northern Crusades
Source: File: Scandinavia1219.png - https://en.wikipedia.org
The ordnance survey map of Hartness in 1860. West Hartlepool and the railway line did not exist but the other places were around in the 12th century. Thanks to Cassini for this tiny part of the map in question. I use it just to illustrate the land almost a thousand years ago.
Historical Notes
This series of books follows the fortunes of the family of the Earl of Cleveland begun in the Anarchy. As with that series the characters in this one are, largely, fictional, but the events are all historically accurate.
The Battle of Hattin took place on 4 July 1187, between the Crusader states of the Levant and the forces of the Ayyubid sultan Salah ad-Din, known in the West as Saladin. It is also known as the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, from a nearby extinct volcano.
The Muslim armies under Saladin captured or killed the vast majority of the Crusader forces, removing their capability to wage war. As a direct result of the battle, Muslims once again became the eminent military power in the Holy Land, re-conquering Jerusalem and several other Crusader-held cities. These Christian defeats prompted the Third Crusade, which began two years after the Battle of Hattin.
The battle took place just outside of Arsuf (Arsur), when Saladin attacked Richard's army when it was moving from Acre to Jaffa. Following a series of harassing attacks by Saladin, battle was joined on the morning of 7 September 1191. Richard's army successfully resisted attempts to disrupt its cohesion until the Hospitallers broke ranks and charged; Richard then committed all his forces to the attack. He regrouped his army after its initial success, and led it to victory. The battle resulted in the coastal area of southern Levant, including the port of Jaffa, returning to Christian control.
Estonia in the 12th Century equates to what is now Finland and not the modern state.
For the journeys in the Holy Land I used Orbis. (See below). It recommended travelling for part of the time down the coast. That is probably because the road to Jerusalem was more difficult than the sea voyage down the coast and then due east. The part sea and part land journey would have taken less than 2 days. The journey directly by horse would have taken 2.9. I did not think that knights would load their horses on to a ship and risk the vagaries of the sea unless they had to. Similarly, the journey from Caesarea to Pisa would have taken 27.8 days!
Birger Brosa and King Sverker
Birger Persson is fictional. There was a Birger Persson but he lived in the fourteenth century. Birger Brosa was real as was his wife. She was the daughter of the King of Norway. He was the leading Swedish jarl. His son died fighting for the King of Norway and his daughter married the King of Sweden. His title, which sounds awkward, ‘The Jarl Birger Brosa ’, identified him as the chief noble of the land. In a land where the king was elected this was a powerful concept. Warwick was called the King maker in England. Birger Brosa was even more powerful and more important. His family was called the House of Bjelbo. Around 1100, Folke the Fat became the first known Bjelbo jarl, and probably the first jarl of all Sweden, under king Inge I of Sweden. He was married to a daughter of King Canute IV of Denmark. According to legends, he was the first of his family so elevated. Nothing is known of any of Folke's collateral relatives, though it is well-established that several of his sons' descendants were important lords. Birger Brosa was the most famous of them. Sigtuna was sacked by Karelians.
When King Canute I of Sweden died in 1195 or 1196, his sons were young but not children. One of them had been appointed heir to the throne, but was passed over. Sverker was chosen as the next king of Sweden, surprisingly without quarrel. At some point, he had returned to his native country.. His uncontested election probably owed much to The Jarl Birger Brosa whose daughter, Ingegerd Birgersdotter of Bjelbo, Sverker married soon after his first wife had died. In his own letters, he emphasized his birth-right to kingship: "son of King Charles, King of the Swedes, possessor of the throne of the same kingdom according to hereditary right by the grace of God".
The idea of fighting. during winter was not normally regarded as sensible in Continental Europe, but in Scandinavia it was traditionally seen as a suitable season for any army that could cope with the cold. In a region with few decent roads and where most were dust well-established dirt ones, it was actually easier to campaign in cold winters than in summer, because the waterways were normally frozen and thus provided easy routes for travel by sleigh and on horseback. Even the forests tended to be easier to penetrate, because sleighs could operate in anything except the softest and deepest snow. The only practical alternative was to make at least part of the journey by coastal shipping.
There is a castle in Sweden called Kastelholm but it is not where I place it. For those who like maps and the detail of the times, I have used a small island some 50 miles to the north east of Stockholm. The nearest modern town is Hysingsvik. This was the period of castle building. It preceded the invasion of Estonia (modern day Finland). The Baltic Crusades began in Sweden and Denmark.
Bishop Albert was a real bishop who founded the Order of the Swords. They were a Swedish version of the Templars, Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights. Albert created a military order, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, and began to build his cathedral in 1215. King Philip made him a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, with Livonia for a fief, and thus Albert became a "Prince-Bishop". Albert headed the armed forces that forcibly converted the eastern Baltic region to Catholic faith, in the nature of a crusade that was undertaken while the Fourth Crusade was sacking Constantinople. In 1225 King Henry (VII) of Germany confirmed the title of Prince for Albert and his brother, Hermann. Albert declared his diocese independent of Bremen, and later Riga was raised to an archbishopric. His involvement with Birger Brosa and Sir Thomas is purely fictional.
In 1199, Albert of Buxhoeveden was appointed by the Archbishop Hartwig II of Bremen to Christianise the Baltic countries. By the time Albert died 30 years later, the conquest and formal Christianisation of present-day Estonia and northern Latvia was complete. Albert began his task by touring the Empire, preaching Crusade against the Baltic countries, and was assisted in this by a Papal Bull which declared that fighting against the Baltic heathens was of the same rank as participating in a crusade to the Holy Land. Although he landed in the mouth of the Daugava in 1200 with only 23 ships and 500 soldiers, the bishop's efforts ensured that a constant flow of recruits followed. The first crusaders usually arrived to fight during the spring and returned to their homes in the autumn. To ensure a permanent military presence, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were
founded in 1202. The founding by Bishop Albert of the market at Riga in 1201 attracted citizens from the Empire and economic prosperity ensued. At Albert's request, Pope Innocent III dedicated the Baltic countries to the Virgin Mary to popularize recruitment to his army and the name "Mary's Land" has survived up to modern times. This is noticeable in one of the names given to Livonia at the time, Terra Mariana (Land of Mary).
Treadmill crane
The medieval treadwheel was a large wooden wheel turning around a central shaft with a treadway wide enough for two workers walking side by side. While the earlier 'compass-arm' wheel had spokes directly driven into the central shaft, the more advanced 'clasp-arm' type featured arms arranged as chords to the wheel rim, giving the possibility of using a thinner shaft and providing thus a greater mechanical advantage.
Treadmill crane- courtesy of Wikipedia.
Albert the Bear was a real German, he was called Bear because of the emblem on his shield. He died in 1174. He had many sons. I have used the name of one who died after 1183. However, all else is fiction. I needed a German! Not often that you can say that!
Books used in the research:
The Crusades-David Nicholle
Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1097-1192- David Nicolle
The Normans- David Nicolle
Norman Knight AD 950-1204- Christopher Gravett
The Norman Conquest of the North- William A Kappelle
The Knight in History- Francis Gies
The Norman Achievement- Richard F Cassady
Knights- Constance Brittain Bouchard
Knight Templar 1120-1312 -Helen Nicholson
Feudal England: Historical Studies on the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries- J. H. Round
English Medieval Knight 1200-1300