The Throne

by Griff Hosker

  He held out his hand and I saw that he was younger than I was. For some reason, I had expected older men to be in the ranks of the Teutonic Knights. He spoke English. It was accented but it was English and that surprised me too.

  “I am Bengt Birgersson. In my previous life, before I found God, I was a jarl. We are all brothers in the order but if you wish to give me a title then I am happy for it to be ‘sir’, as I have been knighted by the King of Sweden.”

  “Thank you, Sir Bengt.”

  “I assume you are from the Earl of Northampton?”

  “I am. We were sent ahead. I am Sir William Strongstaff. Your English is good and I am relieved that I do not need my translator. Did you live in England?”

  He shook his head, “My family come from Sweden and one of my ancestors, Jarl Birger Persson, fought in the Holy Land with an English knight who came to fight for us against the Estonians. Some of his men remained in our land. Our family has a tradition of speaking your language. It is a useful skill. I went on crusade to the Holy Land and met many Englishmen there. My language aided me.”

  Just then Jack was led from the ship. “John, take Jack from Ralph and walk him along the quay to get his legs.”

  “Aye, lord.”

  “A fine horse but not a destrier.”

  I shook my head, “I prefer a courser and I believe we will not be fighting knights.”

  He gestured with his arm to lead me towards the gate into the tower. It allowed more room for the horses to be exercised. “There will be knights but you are right. We fight savages. I fought the Seljuk Turk and they are almost saintly compared with the Lithuanians. The Pope was quite right to demand a crusade to rid the world of these pagans. They are the last remnant of a savage past.” I hid my smile. Sir Bengt was a true zealot. I could see why he had joined the order. “Come with me, I will take you to meet the Komtur.”

  “Komtur?”

  “Our commander.” He turned and rattled off commands to his sergeants. “I have asked them to take your men and horses to the barracks. It is good that you arrived first. We have accommodation for the ten knights the Earl brings with him but we can only provide beds for forty of the men at arms and archers.”

  We headed through the tower gate and into the city. The castle and keep dominated the town and we headed towards it. As we walked, I told him of the encounter with the pirates. He nodded, “They are the bane of the Baltic. One day we will eliminate them. They are the Victual Brothers and are like a curse on the Baltic. Your ship was small enough to tempt them. If your Earl keeps all of his ships together then there should be no danger. We must first subdue the pagans before we can bring order to this sea.”

  “Your order has grand plans then?”

  “Aye, we are not like the Templars. We do not forget our purpose. They spent too much time accruing money and forgot why they began the order. We understand the need for discipline.”

  As we walked into the castle, I could not help but notice that the order’s surcoats and cloaks were all pure white. I knew from the state of my blue and red surcoat and blue cloak that they showed stains really quickly. I guessed that the order had an army of servants washing them to keep them so white. The armour and weapons were all of the highest quality. They wore the shorter surcoat which covered their hauberk. They had cuisse and poleyn for their legs. Their elbows and arms were well protected. Their helmets were all the open-faced bascinet. These were warriors. If the stories I had heard of the Lithuanians were true then they needed to be. If they were captured there would be no ransom.

  We entered the keep and went up a narrow stairway to the office of the Komtur. The interior of the square keep showed that it had been well designed. There was a sentry outside the office. He stood aside when Sir Bengt approached. The Komtur was a grizzled grey-haired knight. His face showed that he had fought. Ludolf von Feuchtwangen reminded me of Old Tom. I did not know him long but I liked him. He did not suffer fools gladly and he knew his business. For a warrior that is the best kind of leader. Had he been in command of the siege of Vilnius then events might have turned out differently.

  He nodded, “Ah, the English knights have begun to arrive.” He too spoke English. I guessed that many had been on crusade to the Holy Land where there were still many who spoke English.

  Sir Bengt said, “This is Sir William Strongstaff.”

  The Komtur leaned back and smiled, “Well, Sir Bengt, the ten knights the Earl brings should make all the difference, eh? I expect the Lithuanians are shitting themselves.” There was mockery in his voice. He looked at me, “Shitting themselves is the right word is it not?”

  I smiled, “It is and your English is also excellent, my lord. I am guessing that you did not learn it at court.”

  He shook his head, “I served in the east and learned it from the sergeants of the Hospitallers. They were good warriors. So, what is your story, Sir William? Are you a young lord who wishes to kill a few savages and go back to England to woo the women with your tales of heroics?” He nodded to a seat, “Sit, please. Sir Bengt, see to Sir William’s war gear. I would talk with him.”

  He poured me some wine and I raised the goblet to him. “I am a warrior, Komtur. I was one of the Free Companies in Gascony. I was made a gentleman and then knighted. I served as a bodyguard to King Richard. The Black Prince was my lord.”

  His face changed, “I am sorry, Sir William. I misjudged you. You have a fine pedigree. If you served with Edward the Black Prince and have been raised to a knighthood then that speaks well of you. We have time and I am interested. Tell me your tale.”

  There were things I could not tell any for they bordered on the treasonous but I told him the truth. I spoke of the victories and the disasters. I told him of de Vere and the attempts to destroy King Richard’s power.

  At the end, he nodded, “Then I have higher hopes than before I spoke to you. When the Grand Master, Konrad von Jungingen, asked for help from Europe, I think he hoped for more than ten knights.”

  “Komtur, it is my belief that the strength of English warriors lies not in their knights, for although they are brave enough and well-armed, it is the archers and sergeants who are the reason for our success on the battlefield. The English and Welsh archers decide battles and then we knights claim the glory.”

  He laughed and slapped his hand against the table, “Honesty! How refreshing! And does your Earl Henry share your belief?”

  I decided to be honest, “I doubt it, but he knows the worth of our archers. There will be fifty that we bring and they are fifty who will be mounted. My liege lord could have brought five hundred more men but they would not have been mounted. I know not the land over which we fight but I am guessing that it involves travelling over great distances and horses will make the journey easier?”

  “Aye. you are right and I had not thought of that. The King of France could have sent many men and by horse, for they could have travelled over land. He sent us his good wishes instead of men. It is no wonder they call him mad. I forget that you are an island.” He rose and held his arm out, “I look forward to the reports of your conduct. Sir Bengt will be travelling with you as well as von Plettenburg. Your Earl will have to leave almost as soon as he arrives.”

  As we walked down to the inner bailey the sentries snapped to attention This was a world I had not yet met. This was a world with order and discipline. It felt more like a monastery. Sir Bengt met us at the gate. John and Ralph had my chest between them. The Komtur nodded to me, “I will speak further this evening when we eat. Bring your squire. Here we use our squires and pages to serve us rather than servants.”

  “Thank you, Komtur.”

  Ralph’s eyes were wide. He had seen York of course but this was something totally different. The white Teutonic robes and the martial air were the difference. The white against the red brick seemed a stark contrast. This was a frontier castle. Sir Bengt said, “The Komtur is a great warrior. He was rewarded with the title of Komtur for his bravery in defeating the pa
gans. I am proud to be one of his knights.”

  Our chamber was cosy enough for John and myself but I sensed that Ralph also wished to stay with us rather than in the barracks. John confirmed it, “My lord, Ralph would be as a page to you and stay in our chamber.”

  The boy had none of the skills needed to be a page but I saw the pleading in his eyes. “There is no bed, Ralph, you will have to sleep on the floor.”

  He grinned, “My father trained me to sleep on the ground so that I could be close at hand when the mares foaled. I do not mind, my lord, and I will learn all that is necessary to be a page. I am raw clay but John has promised he will help me.”

  “To be a warrior you do not need such skills you know. Your father did not have them.”

  He nodded, “Before I left, my father said I was to emulate you and not him. You have risen above your station and I would too. It will be a long journey but I am content. All journeys start with a man putting one foot in front of the other. I am not yet a man but my foot is heading in the right direction!”

  “Then welcome to our chamber.”

  We took out the only decent surcoat and tunic I had brought with me. After almost twelve days in the chest, they both needed airing. When we had washed and bathed in the basin in the chamber John had to trim and comb Ralph’s unruly hair. If he was to wait upon me then he had to look a little less wild. John loaned him one of his surcoats and it did not look too big upon him. While I walked the walls of the castle John taught Ralph the rudimentary role he would have to play.

  I saw that the castle walls overlooked all of the city walls. As I wandered the fighting platform, I saw chests of crossbows. I did not see any bows. The Teutonic Knights would see a difference between the two weapons when our fifty archers were used. None of the sergeants I passed spoke English and I could see that they were less than happy with my presence on their fighting platform, but the fact that they had all seen me speaking with the Komtur seemed to make me acceptable. As the sun began to set, I headed down to the chamber. There was no sign of the other ships in our fleet but that was not surprising. Captain Peter had deliberately taken a short cut and he was travelling alone.

  I had not eaten in what was, to all intents and purposes, a monastery. This was a religious order and there were no women to be seen. There were no minstrels. The King and the Earl always had minstrels and musicians playing their instruments. This was an austere room. The knights entered in silence. The squires stood at attention behind the chairs. As the guest of honour, I was seated to the right of the Komtur. The Komtur and all of the knights bowed their heads and a priest began to speak in Latin. I understood not a word. The prayer seemed to go on forever. I kept my eyes open as I did not want to be standing by myself when all the rest were seated. As soon as the priest took his seat the knights sat.

  Sir Bengt was seated to my right. He smiled, “My squire speaks English. He will explain to your squires what they must do.”

  When the food arrived, it was plain. The food was almost grey and it was hard to tell what we were eating. The cooks seemed to have cooked any taste out of it. The Earl enjoyed his food and I knew that he would be disappointed if this was the staple diet. The Komtur saw my face and he laughed, “We are an austere order. We are dedicated to God. We suffer no distractions. The wine is watered, the food is bland and there are no women. We reserve all of our energy to destroy God’s enemies. When you are on campaign then you will cook for yourselves.” He saw the relief on my face and laughed again. “You English like your food. For us it is unimportant.”

  With bland food and watered wine, I found I was able to concentrate on the words of the Komtur. He and Sir Bengt explained to me the problems we would face. The Polish allies had only recently converted to Christianity and the alliance was not a firm one. The Komtur was honest. They did not trust the Poles and the Poles did not trust the Knights. It was not a marriage made in heaven. He told me that they had been besieging Vilnius for some months. The Hochmeister, the Order’s Grand Master, had decided to ravage the countryside around Vilnius to help bring the city to its knees. I gathered that would be our role. The Poles would continue the siege with the help of the order while the bulk of the order and the crusaders from England, Sweden and Denmark would, in effect, conduct a major chevauchée. It was a type of warfare I understood. The meal ended earlier than it would have done in England and we were abed sooner than we had expected. Ralph and John were both bemused and fascinated by the whole experience. I confess that, for me, it was a new experience. I was used to having meals with lords who plotted and planned. Some would be boorish drunks and others would be quietly plotting. The knights with whom we had eaten were dedicated to God and their order. Nothing else mattered.

  Being abed early meant I rose early. The Teutonic Knights were up earlier and had been at their services. I wondered how they would fare when they were on campaign. Perhaps they took priests with them. The Bishop of Hereford had sent priests to help the Earl. I broke my fast in the refectory and then I went to visit with my men. I spoke with Alan and Roger. “You were treated well?”

  “Aye, we were, lord, but the food was not to our taste.”

  Natty nodded, “And we didn’t understand a word they spoke but the ale was good.”

  “I have a feeling that we will not have better food on campaign. Let us go to the market and buy what we can, while we can. I will speak with Captain Peter.” I turned to Ralph, “You and John had better exercise the horses.” They looked disappointed but they had enjoyed the evening with the Knights and knew this was the price that they had to pay.

  I gave coins to Alan and Roger and left them to buy what they could. I went to the ‘Maid of Hart’. I smiled as I saw that they were still cleaning the hold of the detritus of the horses. Captain Peter gave me a wry smile as I approached. “It will be some time before we have rid the ship of the stench of horses. It is a good job we were well paid by the Earl. Now if this had been King Richard there would have been a set rate and not as profitable.”

  “Will it be you that take us home again?”

  “Perhaps. I am afraid that the sea is a cruel mistress. We have been chartered to return in six months but storms, pirates and the worm can upset plans. We often travel here for they have good timber and wheat.” He pointed to piles of timber and sacks of wheat which were being readied prior to loading. “We already have a cargo to take to Newcastle. Why do you ask, my lord?”

  “Because I have sailed with other captains. Some were good and some less so. I can trust you and would rather put my men’s lives in your hands than another.”

  That seemed to please him. “Then we shall do our best to survive for you, lord.”

  Just then one of his seamen shouted, “Captain, looks like the fleet is on the horizon.”

  The Captain nodded, “Aye, well I shall soon be in a fleet again. At least the pirates will have to give us a wide berth!”

  Sir Bengt arrived with his sergeants when the leading ship, the Earl’s, headed through the harbour entrance. “We had a messenger from the Hochmeister. He is anxious for your Earl to join him.”

  “That may be difficult. It takes some days for horses to acclimatise to the land after so many days at sea.”

  He shrugged, “Your Earl’s contingent is the last to land. The other foreign allies are all with the Hochmeister. I do not think your Earl would wish to be on the periphery of the action.”

  He was right of course. The whole purpose of this crusade was to get Henry’s name noticed. When he returned to England, he would be able to use the crusade to garner favours from the church and to hold the moral high ground. I watched the Earl’s ship dock close to the ‘Maid’. It dwarfed the tiny carvel. The Earl, his closest knights and his squires were waiting for the gangplank to be lowered and they strode off the ship as soon as it was secured. The Earl, Geoffrey and Edward had done this before. Sir Richard had done it before but Sir Hugo d’Avranches had not and his legs buckled as soon as he stepped onto the ground.
The sailors and those on the quay laughed. The knight tried to get to his feet quickly. I heard the Earl say, “Take it steady, Sir Hugo. You are embarrassing me.” Sir Bengt and I strode over to him. The Earl smiled, “All is in order?”

  I nodded, “It is, my lord. Your knights, priests and squires will be accommodated in the castle. There is room for thirty archers and men at arms. The rest will need to find rooms elsewhere.”

  “And my minstrels?”

  I shook my head, “I am not certain that the Komtur would approve, my lord. This is a religious order.” I gestured to Sir Bengt. “This is Sir Bengt Birgersson. He has been sent to smooth our passage. The Grand Master is anxious for us to join him.”

  Henry shook his head, “We need a week at least to get over the voyage.”

  Sir Bengt and I exchanged looks. The Swedish knight said, “The army is assembled, my lord, save for you and the men who will ride with us from this castle.”

  Henry Bolingbroke smiled. He was used to getting his own way. “Then they will have to wait!”

  In the end, we stayed but an extra two days in Danczik. The horses recovered quicker and the food was not to the taste of any of the men, especially the lords. In addition, we had a warning of winter when snow began to fall. It did not lay on the ground. We headed south and east. The siege of Vilnius needed more men and we were going to end the siege which had already lasted longer than the Hochmeister had expected.

  Chapter 5

  There were just two hundred and fifty of us in the column. The English archers were the only missile armed men who accompanied us. There were no crossbowmen with the Teutonic Knights. The commander of the column was a Hauskomtur, Siegfried von Plauen. His uncle was a powerful Komtur. It was said he had ambitions to be Grand Master. He was not impressed by the Earl’s titles nor his royal blood. To him we were swords. As we rode down the muddy tracks which passed for roads, I saw the Earl of Northampton changing. Hitherto he had been a powerful magnate and other lords took heed of his actions and his words. Here we rode behind the white cloaked Teutonic Order. None knew his name nor his heritage. He was here to kill pagans and that was all. He was not happy with his relegation to a sword for hire. He took some strange pleasure in the fact that their white cloaks soon became bespattered with mud. Our translator, Sir Bengt, also rode with his brother knights. Our priests and the minstrels were the unhappiest. None were horsemen and the sumpters they rode did not give the easiest of rides. I wondered if the Earl regretted bringing minstrels with him. Their horses could have been used for remounts. He had not really understood the nature of a crusade.