The Throne

by Griff Hosker

  King Richard replied, “God is with me! He will not allow me to die in this ungodly land!”

  I spurred my horse and it lunged at the knight. He was taken by surprise. As he turned to face me, I swung my sword at his head. He had no visor and, seeing the sword come for his eyes, he jerked his head back. His hands made his horse back off. My horse moved into the gap created by his movement. Hal had managed to disarm an Irish knight who turned his horse and fled. The departing knight stopped others from reaching us.

  The King shouted, “Thank you, cuz! That was bravely done!”

  I saw that Hal was grinning. This was something for which he was born. The knight who had called upon the King to surrender came at us again with three more knights. Their intention was clear. They would kill me and capture the King and Hal, who also wore royal livery. I smiled as I pulled my shield around. I had felt the same when I had defended Sir John Chandos in Spain. The difference then was that the knight was dying. Here King Richard could defend himself. The joy of battle was upon me. I spurred my horse and shouted, “God, King Richard and England!” I surprised them by riding at them.

  The leading knight thought he had the measure of me. As his sword swept towards my head, I lowered it and lunged. His sword flew over my head. The knight had a breast plate beneath his surcoat. My sword could not penetrate it but his swing had unbalanced him and my blow knocked him from his saddle. Raising my head, I stood in my stirrups and swung my sword at the back of the head of the knight who had been on my left. His helmet held and his arming cap afforded some protection but the blow was so hard that it rendered him unconscious. My horse took me deeper into the mass of Irish knights. My wild charge had unnerved them. They hesitated. All wanted the glory of capturing the King. There was no glory in falling foul of the blade of the mad knight with the staff on his chest.

  I am not sure how long I would have lasted had not a bodkin tipped arrow suddenly struck the knight before me. He looked in surprise at the goose feathers which sprouted from his breastplate. The arrows were carefully aimed and, soon, more knights and their horses were struck. As the Earl of Gloucester led our knights back towards us, the Irish fled. Their ambush had failed.

  I did not turn my back on the Irish. I watched them fall back and turned my horse to walk back to the King. I saw that Hal was safe. He had a dented helmet but he lived. The King, too, looked whole and when I saw my son, grinning at me, then I was content.

  The King had sheathed his sword and he held his arm out to me. I sheathed my own and took it. “Will Strongstaff, you have saved the life of your King, again! Right glad am I that my father chose you to be my guardian.”

  The Earl of Gloucester reined in, “Are you safe, Highness?”

  The King snarled, “Aye, and no thanks to you and the other lords who followed you. We ride to Carrickfergus Castle. Send a rider to the Uí Néills. Tell them I want to speak with them.”

  “Aye, King Richard.”

  As we headed towards the mighty castle on the shores of Lough Lee, the King turned to Hal. You earned your spurs this day. I shall dub you when we return to England.”

  “Thank you, King Richard. Can I ask you what you expect to happen next?”

  “Aye, you can for this is how you learn. I daresay that one day you will be King of England. I have no children and it is unlikely now that I shall ever have them. Here it is: the Irish thought to ambush and capture me. That tells me that they have no stomach for a battle with the large numbers of men I have brought. Carrickfergus is a strong fortress. By summoning them there we show them our strength. I will threaten to burn their homes, their castles and their lands. We have brought every English noble save for the Duke of York. We captured twenty of their knights this day. I have no intention of tramping around this God forsaken isle. It is not worth it.”

  “Then we return to England.”

  “We do but we keep the army together and we will cross to France. If the Duke of Orleans has taken the throne of France then we can go and help King Charles to regain it. We will have the help of half of France. This is an opportunity to regain the lands lost by King John. God has saved my life and given me a new purpose.”

  The King had read the minds of the Irish correctly. They did not want a repeat of the battle which had conquered the west of Ireland. The King was in no mood for concessions. He demanded a huge amount of gold and hostages. The Irish might rebel again but, if they did, then their families would pay the price.

  We returned to Dublin a month later. The King’s strategy had worked. We now had more hostages to join the ones we had taken years earlier. Any celebrations, however, would have to wait. The Duke of Orleans had shown that he was a clever man. He had allowed Henry Bolingbroke to return to England. Hal’s father had landed at Ravenspur. Was he back in England to claim the throne?

  Chapter 20

  When the King heard the news, Hal and I were close by. King Richard looked at Henry of Monmouth and shook his head, “If I was the tyrant they all assume me to be, then I would have you executed here and now.” My hand went to my sword. I could not allow that to happen. He smiled, “I am not and, besides, I have the nobles of England at my side.”

  The Duke of Exeter said, “Aye, King Richard! We will sail to England and join the Duke of York. We will quash this challenge to your authority!”

  The King nodded and turned to Henry, “But first, before we leave, I shall dub you. Your father’s actions are nothing to do with you for you have been at my side and as brave as any man!”

  And so, Henry of Monmouth was knighted by King Richard while Henry’s father sought to claim the throne of England. King Richard was nothing if not complicated.

  There were not enough ships in the harbour. Thomas le Despenser pointed out that Henry Percy had not sailed with us and that Ralph Neville was also a supporter of Henry Bolingbroke. He suggested using half of the ships we had to ferry the bulk of the army to Chester while the King, his household knights and the crown jewels sail to Milford Haven. The King agreed for he did not wish to lose his treasure and it would be safe in his castles in South Wales. I thought it a mistake but I was a lowly knight. I was just a bodyguard. The fateful decision taken, we sailed for Wales.

  As we sailed east the King was in ebullient mood. He teased Hal, now Sir Henry, “Your father risks death, you know? I banished him for ten years. He has been abroad but a single year. I hope he does not mean to take my throne and my crown.”

  Hal was nothing if not honest. “I cannot believe that he would seek the throne for himself. Perhaps he means to return in the hope that I might be named your heir.”

  The King laughed and clapped Hal about the shoulders, “Then he has chosen a strange way to do this.”

  I had kept silent long enough, “Highness, I think it is a mistake to head so far south without your army. Order the captain to sail to Conwy or Harlech. Both castles are strong enough for your treasure to be safe and we would be closer to your army when they arrive.”

  “I have five hundred men with me, Will. That should be enough. When my treasure is safe then I will go north and meet my army. The crown jewels must be kept secure! Remember what happened to King John in the Wash.”

  The voyage took two days. We had little idea of what was happening further north. Once we reached Milford Haven, we headed for William Marshal’s castle at Pembroke. It was the most secure castle in this part of Wales. The huge circular donjon was the perfect place to keep the crown jewels safe. We wasted another two days there while King Richard tried to find out what was happening further north. The Earl of Rutland, Edward, the son of the Duke of York was the most senior lord with us. He approached the King. “Highness, let me ride ahead on the road to Chester. I would not have you ambushed again.”

  The King smiled, “A sound idea, Edward. It is good to have such loyal lords at my side.”

  I could not remain silent, “King Richard, is this wise?”

  The King frowned, “Will, you are a soldier and as such I accept
your advice. On the battlefield your advice would be sage but this idea has merit. You, yourself, advised me to have scouts kept ahead of me. What better scout than the Earl of Rutland and his men? Besides, my most loyal men are in Cheshire! With those at my side and my army from Ireland then we can quash any opposition to us.”

  Despite my warnings the Earl left with three hundred of the King’s army. What remained to the King was less than two hundred men. Ten were knights but all were bachelor knights. I was the only banneret. Worse, the Earl had taken all of the mounted archers and men at arms. We moved at the pace of the men who walked with us. We tramped for ten long days. Each morning saw us wake to fewer men in our camp. They just drifted off. Desertion was rife. They were like rats leaving a sinking ship. They thought that the King was doomed. By the time we reached Criccieth Castle we had less than one hundred and twenty men. Those ten days saw King Richard fall into a deeper and deeper melancholy. Hal, Tom and I rode at his side and tried to raise his spirits. It was fruitless.

  “Since my dear Anne was taken from me, I know not whom to trust. You, Will, have ever been loyal and, Sir Henry, you are made of nobler stock than your father. You could have slipped away in the night like so many of my base and false followers. I need Robert de Vere. This would not have happened if he had not been driven from England by my murderous Uncle Gloucester.” He laughed and it was not a happy laugh. It was a mad almost maniacal laugh. “We did for him! I should have been as ruthless with all of them who plotted against me. I was too kind, Will, that was my trouble. Ask Dick of Craven.” He shook his head, “Poor Dick is dead. Why do the good die young, Henry, why? My father died too young. My life would have been better had he not died. Perhaps he was lucky. If I was dead then I would be with my wife, would I not, Will?”

  “Highness, do not speak that way. No one will take your life. This melancholy will pass. You have a young wife and you have a future.”

  “A future without a throne? Without a crown upon my head? Few English kings have ruled as long as I have! My grandfather, Edward, was one but there were few others. Even Richard, my namesake, ruled for just ten years. I know of no other life. The throne and the crown are all to me! Without the crown this life is not worth living.”

  He was silent for the rest of the day as we edged around the Llyn peninsula. With Snowdon to the east and Anglesey brooding to the west all of our spirits sank. The weight of the mighty Welsh mountain seemed to weigh down upon us. When we reached Conwy Castle on the twelfth of August, I was relieved. We had just over one hundred men with us but Conwy was one of the strongest Castles built by the first King Edward. We had barely entered the castle when we heard even more devastating news. We were met by the castellan, Sir John Fitzwalter and the Earl of Salisbury. All the King’s hopes were dashed. The Earl of Rutland was not there and the Earl had news which sucked any hope which remained in the King’s heart.

  “King Richard, I have grave news. The Duke of York and the army you sent from Ireland have joined the Earl of Northumberland and the Earl of Northampton. They have taken Chester. You have no men left. I had to flee Chester with my household knights. This is the last castle which supports your rule.”

  The King flew into a rage, “I am surrounded by traitors and weak-minded fools. I will have the Earl of Rutland’s head! He abandoned me! I made his father powerful. That was a mistake I will not make again! When I bring them to battle, I will be ruthless! I will heed your advice, Will! I will use archers and men at arms. They are loyal to me! I won the common folk to my side at Mile End when Wat Tyler revolted. I will appeal to the people! They think I am beaten but I am not.”

  Henry of Monmouth showed his maturity and his character. “King Richard, it is over. Look around you. We have not enough men here to withstand an attack but my father and the other lords need do nothing. They will go to Parliament. Who do you think that an English Parliament will support, you or my father?”

  Suddenly his high-handed treatment of his peers and commoners came back to haunt him. He had thought he did not need Parliament. Now he did.

  He slumped into a chair, “Then what can I do?”

  I saw that Henry had thought this through. He was acting for the country and for the King. The last thing England needed was a civil war. I know that, later, there were those who said he was seeking to have his father crowned. That was untrue. I was with him and we had no idea that Archbishop Arundel was the one who suggested that Henry Bolingbroke became King. “You could abdicate. You could relinquish the throne of your own volition.”

  King Richard looked at Henry. Abdication meant he would retain his lands and, perhaps, even his title. “And then what? Live as a prisoner for the rest of my life?” He shook his head, “Will, you have ever guided me and given me sage advice. Could we fight on?”

  This was bizarre. I had been the son of a camp follower and now the King of England sought my advice. The crown and the throne were in my hands. I wished to be anywhere but in that room. Whatever I said I would be betraying someone. I had faced enemies in battle and never flinched but here I baulked at speaking. I realised that I had to give him an answer and so I answered from my heart, “King Richard, I would ride out with you and face all of your enemies even though we fought alone. We would slay many but we would die. I am willing to take that as my end and, I suspect, so are you but I cannot see others who would do that. My Lord Salisbury, would you don mail and ride with us to fight Sir Henry’s father?” He hung his head and did not answer. “If we asked every man in this castle, we might find twenty or thirty who would be willing to ride and to die with us. All that it would mean is that thirty odd of us would die and you would still not have either your life or your throne.” I sighed, “King Richard, I know you seek death. You wish a glorious death and then you will be reunited with your wife.” The look he gave me told me that I had spoken true. “It is your choice. Do you wish your most loyal of men to die with you? If you say aye then I will arm and find others who wish such a death.”

  He said nothing but left the Great Hall and went to the royal chambers. Sir Henry of Monmouth said, “That was well said, my lord. I know you meant it. I am not sure that I would be able to ride into battle knowing that I would surely die.”

  “I made a promise to his father. What else can I do?”

  The Earl of Salisbury said, “I will send a rider to Flint Castle. The Earl of Northumberland is there. He has sided with the Earl of Northampton.” He shook his head, “I thought I would have fought alongside the King until you asked me the question. I hated you for asking it. Like Sir Henry I admire you for it but still cannot understand it.”

  Tom and I went to sit outside the King’s chamber. We had promised to guard him and guard him we would. Tom was almost white, “I never thought it would come to this, father. How could the King have lost all and so quickly?”

  “He was badly advised and made poor choices. It may be that the seeds of his self-destruction lay within him.” I had a sudden memory. “Your grandfather was the same. He made poor choices and lost his friends but his comrades never deserted him. Even when he behaved appallingly, they stood by him. He destroyed himself in battle. At the end he redeemed himself and he saved me. The King will have no such opportunity. He does not have friends who are as loyal as the men of the Blue Company.”

  Six days later a rider came from the Earl of Northumberland. He invited the King to surrender himself at Flint Castle to himself and Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmoreland. The King looked a lost and lonely man. He nodded, “Henry of Monmouth, I release you. You could have left at any time and you showed great honour for you stayed. You are noble. Return to your father. I hope that he shows me mercy.”

  “King Richard, others may speak badly of you but I will not for you have shown me nothing but kindness. I swear that I will still be as Sir William here and be your protector. None shall lay a finger on you. That is my pledge.”

  The King nodded, “And you, Will Strongstaff, will you come with me to Flint? If you
, too, abandoned me then I would not blame you.”

  I smiled, “King Richard, I have never abandoned a friend in my life and I shall not do so with the King of England. I shall ride at your side until you tell me to leave.”

  We left for Flint. Henry and the remaining men at arms and archers left us to go to Chester where his father waited.

  Archbishop Arundel was with the Earl at Flint. The Archbishop had been with Henry Bolingbroke in exile. The two men were no friends of the King. Henry Percy said, “Richard Plantagenet, it is the will of all of your lords that you abdicate the crown and surrender yourself to Parliament.”

  The King’s eyes flashed, “So that I may be dragged on a hurdle and abused by the rabble of London? I think not! Would you spill the blood of an anointed King? Would my cousin Bolingbroke? I do not think so. His own position would become parlous indeed. I want guarantees.”

  “Guarantees?”

  “Archbishop, you will bear witness.” He turned to the Earl. “Henry Percy, I would have you swear on the Holy Sacraments that no harm will come to me and I will retain both my freedom and my title.”

  The Earl paled for this was the most sacred of oaths. Eventually he nodded, “I so swear.”

  “Archbishop, you witnessed the swearing.” Arundel nodded. “More importantly, someone I trust witnessed it. Sir William Strongstaff will testify if there is treachery!”

  We rode to Chester. There we were greeted by the Duke of York and the other lords who had abandoned the King. He had given them all their titles and none could look him in the eye. Henry Bolingbroke was the exception.

  “Well, cuz, I am sorry that it came to this. You banished me when all that I did was to watch out for you. I reported treason and you banished me. I had no desire to take your crown! I would have been content had you made my son your named heir. Then I would have fought at your side. Then I would have defended you with my life.”