Welsh War

by Griff Hosker

  He sat. None of us bowed. He glared at me. King Henry smiled, “Now we can talk not only reparations but peace between the Welsh and the English!”

  “Peace! I come here to tell you that I will bring more men and we will drive you from our land.”

  King Henry nodded, “And you expect that the men who are marching from Gwynedd will defeat us?”

  The King looked shocked at our knowledge. He glared at the Prince, “I said nothing, my lord. They have spies in our camp.”

  The King waved a dismissive hand, “It matters not you have too few men here to do any harm to us.”

  I had been watching William on the gatehouse. He waved, “King Llewelyn, I pray you come with me for I have something to show you which might just change your mind and your policy.” He hesitated. “Come I swear that you will come to no harm and it might help you make a wise decision.” He rose, somewhat reluctantly, and we went to the gate. I pointed. The Earl’s son had done well. It looked like an enormous army was approaching. “If you wish war then we will fight this day and I promise you that we will win. None of my knights used their horses yesterday and this is a fresh army. You and the Prince lead a battered shadow of the army you brought. Our fyrd stands firm while yours flees.” I pointed to the north. The last of the fyrd of Deheubarth had seen the banners and were fleeing. “Do not speak of war. Speak of peace and you and your son might live.”

  “You threaten me?”

  I laughed, “Of course I do for I saw the knights you sent to me with poisoned lances. This is personal and you have made it so. Do you really want to make an enemy of me? Would you not rather I go back north and become the bane of the Scots once more?”

  He nodded and a wry smile creased his face, “You are a hard man. I would I had one like you in my ranks.”

  He was a beaten man and the negotiations flew by. We received five hundred head of cattle. The borders were guaranteed. Ransoms for the knights were promised and the three counties were each given a chest of gold. As the talks ended the King of Gwynedd pointed at me. “You are responsible for all of this and yet you have nothing from it. Why?”

  “Because I promised the Earl Marshal that I would protect King Henry from any enemies; all enemies. I keep my word. You are either the friend of my King or you are my enemy. The choice is yours.”

  We left three days later when the ransoms were paid. Alfred led my knights, archers and half of my men at arms north. They took the ransom and the treasure we had taken from the field. Jocelyn de Braose and his men accompanied Alfred. I now saw why he sought to serve with me. He had more opportunities of advancement than in the Marches. I left with the Sheriff, the King and his men. The Marcher lords would strengthen their castles and we would ride to London.

  Once we had left the Sheriff in Gloucester I was able to continue my work with the King. I explained why I had done what I had done and my strategies. He was like one of the sponges they take from the Mediterranean Sea bed; he soaked it all in. As we rode along the old Roman Road which had protected the province in times past I saw him looking at castles and defensive positions. The battle had allowed him to have a good view of the land and the way the castle controlled it.

  “I hope that the work has begun on the Tower.”

  I was not convinced that the Council would have seen that as urgent. Of the three of them only de Burgh was what one might call a military man. They struck me as men who liked to count piles of coins. “I know we have been away for some many months but it takes time to assemble the materials and then to build.”

  He pointed to the road, “My tutors told me that the Romans built this road at a rate of almost half a mile a day.”

  I had heard such figures but I was not sure of the veracity of them. They struck me as priests finding more reasons to applaud Rome. “Perhaps on a good day when the land was flat. They had almost six thousand men to do the building. You will have far fewer.”

  He thought about it for a while. “We used men who should have been punished. There must be many others who commit crimes.”

  Padraig the Wanderer was riding just ahead of us and he could not help quipping, “In London they probably commit them by the minute!”

  “Padraig!”

  “Sorry lord.”

  King Henry smiled and said, “But he is right. Instead of lopping off limbs, blinding or putting in the stocks it would be of more use if they were to serve me and build my castle.”

  I did not want to get into that area and so I smiled, “Then, lord, suggest that to the Council. I think the idea has merit.”

  “And you will not be there.”

  “No, King Henry. I am needed in my valley. When you need me for war and martial advice then send for me and I will be at your side forthwith.”

  “The Earl Marshal said for you to be my mentor.”

  “For war, lord, I am a warrior and not a politician.”

  “Yet you came up with the Charter of the Forest and your manor is the best run that we have visited. I think you do yourself an injustice, lord.” I nodded. The King rode in silence for a while. “You are probably right. I have had good lessons in, what is it, more than a year since you took me under you wing? I will put those lessons to good use but know that if I send for you then it is urgent. I would have you come with all of your men to my aid. Then we may be ready for the next lessons.”

  As we neared London my men rode closer to us. The death of my men at arms seemed to have something to do with London. They were wary. There had been rumours of a woman when Harry had been killed. I wondered if Morag, One Eye Waller’s doxy, had been the one to end Harry’s life. It was the only plausible answer to a puzzle which had kept me awake since Swansea.

  Riders must have told the Council that we were near for when we spied the city walls just a mile or so ahead Hubert de Burgh and a column of men rode up. They were dressed in the King’s livery. De Burgh ignored me. “Your majesty! It is good to have you back and safe from the wild Welshmen!”

  The King did not slow up and Hubert de Burgh was forced to turn and speed up to keep up with us. He looked vaguely ridiculous and I think it was an intentional act from the King. “I was never in any danger and we have done that which has not been done since the time of my grandfather. We have cowed the Welsh. We have cattle and coin and, most importantly, we have a secure border. In my view that is worth the short time I was away from London. Has the Charter of the Forests been drafted?”

  “Aye lord and awaits your seal.”

  “The Tower, the work goes on?” His words were like the arrows of David of Wales’ men. They were relentless.

  “It does but do not expect to see much progress.”

  “I will be the judge. I have seen much since I have been away. My eyes have been opened. Do not expect me to be a compliant boy. You will not find one. You will find a king in the making. I know that I am not a king yet but I am more of one as a result of the last, what is it, more than a year away from the confines of Windsor! This bird has learned to fly and he enjoys the freedom!” It was as clear a statement as was possible.

  De Burgh threw murderous glances my way. He had been moulding the young King to increase his own power. I had not done that. I had tried to make Henry the best king that he could be. “Well lord I am pleased that you are back. As you can see I have hired more men to follow you.”

  “Then Sir Robert and James of Corfe can help me to inspect them. I have seen my warriors fighting and know that the Earl of Cleveland made good choices. I now know what to look for. If they do not meet my standards then I do not want them.” He turned to William. “I think William of Stockton that I will miss you more than any other and that includes your father. Chancellor I would have young men my own age at court. They should be the sons of nobles. William here is a good example of the sort of man I would like. You and the rest of the Council are too old. I want young men who will become warriors so that when I go into battle I will be surrounded by men that I can trust and rely upon.”

>   He had returned to London like a whirlwind. I had not intended it but the Welsh War had been the perfect way to see how to lead men and how to deal with tricky and treacherous enemies.

  Hubert de Burgh turned to me and said morosely, “And will you be staying in London too, my lord?”

  “You will be pleased to know that I return to Stockton. I have told the King that if he needs me he just needs to send to me but I would appreciate a little more notice than I received for Pembroke!”

  “Lord, you heard as soon as I found out.”

  I had spoken with William Marshal and now knew the timeline of events which led to my summons. “No, my lord, you did not. You should have had an idea of the danger before it erupted. When you received the news, you spoke with the rest of the Council and then drafted a letter.”

  “Of course!”

  “Then those three days could have been saved and we might have reached Wales sooner.”

  The King smacked the cantle of his saddle, “Well said, Earl! That will be our watchword. Let us not do tomorrow that which we should have done yesterday!”

  I felt proud that I had begun to do that which the Earl Marshal had asked me in that antechamber in Windsor. Henry was not the finished article but he was taking shape.

  We stayed in the Tower, much to the annoyance of the Council who were more comfortable at Windsor. The Constable of the Tower had men working hard on the walls, ditch and new towers. The new tower was taking shape and the walls looked to be much improved. I helped the King to cull a third of the men chosen by de Burgh and waited while we interviewed and accepted replacements. I gave advice on the walls and the new defences. On our last day, while William and the King rode through the streets of London to receive the acclaim of the populace for the victory in Wales I sat with the three members of the Council. It was des Roches and de Burgh who questioned me most closely.

  They wanted to know exactly what the King had done and what he had agreed. Des Roches said, “You seem to have made an enemy of Llewellyn the Great.”

  I laughed, “It is he who gave himself that title. He is an enemy. He tried to take land.”

  “But we get no taxes from that land.”

  “The King has ideas in that area. He is no fool, my lord. He is quick to learn. You would be making a grave mistake if you were to underestimate him.” I sighed. “One more thing, he listened to his barons. All agree that the Great Charter should be reissued and King Henry should sign it.”

  For the first time Pandulf took an interest, “The Pope ruled that it was unlawful to make the king sign the document.”

  “But the King will not be forced to sign it. He will be happy to do so. There are some parts which need to be rewritten but he will sign it. Think how powerful that would be. The lords like Sir Falkes de Breauté will be marginalized. The King and his Council will have more legitimacy.”

  Pandulf nodded, “I think we have been guilty of underestimating you, Earl. You are more than a warrior who kills for England.”

  Hubert nodded, “Earl, you have done much to turn a boy into a man. Let us have him now. We can make him a King. England trusts the three of us to do that. Will you not do so also?” I said nothing. “Go to your family. I know that the Earl Marshal regretted the time he spent away from his on the service of the King. If things become desperate we will send for you.”

  I knew they were trying to be rid of me and my influence and I had told the King I would leave. I made them sweat and looked to ponder the question. Then I nodded and I saw the relief on all of their faces. I was a threat, not to England nor the King but to their position. They were right. Part of me was relieved that the King would no longer be my direct responsibility but another part of me was sad for I had enjoyed the experience. We spent a couple of productive hours where I gave them my own ideas. I was satisfied but I could see that there would be a power struggle between de Burgh and des Roches.

  We left the next morning. I was touched at the parting. The King gave gifts to both William and myself. They were rings. He had had three made and they all had a dragon on them. They were to commemorate the Welsh War. He gave each of the men at arms a dagger with a dragon upon it. Finally, he embraced both William and myself. I had never heard of any King who did that. I too was touched.

  As we headed north William told me about some of the conversations they had had. “He was determined to reward us and he liked the idea of the symbolism of the dragon. It represents Wales and yet it is a mystical beast. He was going to have one made for Alfred but he did not like Sir Jocelyn.”

  “Sir Jocelyn? I thought he was a fine knight!”

  “He may be but the King was a little jealous that my brother gave more time to Sir Jocelyn than to him. Also, Sir Jocelyn seemed to ignore the King.”

  I had not thought about that but on reflection I realised it was true. I had been so concerned with the war that I had not noticed that. My youngest son, like the King, had also grown!

  Chapter 15

  A time of peace

  The journey home did not pass quickly enough for me. As we passed through the towns on the Great North Road I sensed that there was more who were happy with the King than there had been but there were still parts of the land where barons, who had grown used to rebellion, still thought that they could oppose the rule of the King. My work was not done but, for a time, I could enjoy some time with my family and my people. The castles we stayed in reflected that. The lord of Knebworth, the Lady of Lincoln both confirmed that there was a little less unrest because of the King’s actions. They had seen that he was a king who could go to war and to win.

  I enjoyed the company of William. My men at arms and Egbert were as familiar to me as my mail but William was something new. He had been a boy when Alfred had been knighted and he had almost insinuated himself to become my squire. It was a measure of his skill that I barely noticed the change from Alfred to him. His time with the King had brought out a side of him I had not expected. He matured before my eyes. He could talk to my men at arms and servants with the same ease as he conversed with a king and they all held him in the same esteem. I had two sons in whom I could be proud and I would ensure that, unlike me when I was little more than William’s age, they would have a future. They would have land which was guaranteed and could not be taken away on the whim of a king. It was in the interests of my family that King Henry become a successful king. I found myself looking forward to watching them grow. They would be able to take over from me. William would make a good knight and now that Alfred might soon be a father he would have his own dynasty to lead.

  Henry Youngblood came to me at Lincoln. We stayed in the castle. We were both welcomed there and familiar with it. While most of the men enjoyed the pleasures of the town, after we had eaten, Henry asked to speak with me privately. I was more than happy to do so but I wondered why. The constable, Nichola de la Haie, gave us a small ante chamber for our discussion. She was a fine woman. She was the only female constable and yet she was far more resolute than the feckless Earl of Chester.

  “Lord it is not a meaty matter. I have served you since the Holy Land. I have been proud to do so. I confess I grow weary of travelling the country and after the wound to Ralph of Appleby and Harry son of John I fear for my mortality. You need younger warriors to follow your banner. I would continue to serve you, lord, but I would, if you would have me, be castellan of Stockton.”

  I was relieved. His words had sounded as though he was leaving me, “I feared you would leave my service!”

  “Never lord. it is just that I have a family now. I have grandchildren. They are but a year and fourteen months old but I have barely seen them. I know that one day the Good Lord will take me. I would spend as much time with them, before my time on earth is done, as I could. I want them to remember their grandfather. I missed my own children growing up. I can make up for that with my grandchildren.” He paused, “I hope you are not angry.”

  I clapped him about the shoulder. The constable had left
a jug of wine and two goblets. “Of course, not and your words echo the thoughts which have been in my head too. Come let us drink together as two old comrades. You are right to do as you do. Who knows I may already have grandchildren and will feel the same as you do.”

  He took the proffered goblet and shook his head, “You, lord, have little choice in what you do. You cannot resign your title. I could not be a lord for the responsibilities would weigh too heavy. I admire you more than you can know.” He raised his goblet. “Here is to the last twenty years.”

  “Aye, much blood has flowed but we are still together.”

  The wine tasted good. “Ridley the Giant could do as I do but I fear that, like me, soon he may wish to stay at home.”

  “Who knows, King Henry may be a king who does not need us.”

  “With the Earl Marshal dead, lord, he will need you and your men more than ever. It is good that David of Wales is married to his bow. He seems happy to leave his family at home. He will continue to be your captain of archers.” I wondered about that. Would David of Wales relinquish his title and position too? I would not blame him but I would miss him as I would miss Henry Youngblood.

  The journey north saw me in reflective mood. I thought my life would stay the same once King John was dead. I was wrong. I had to look at what I did and make a life which would suit all. My wife was patient and forbearing but she saw little of me. I had come to know my son on campaign but what of Isabelle and Rebekah? Did I know them? How would they and their children remember me? By the time we reached the ferry, at Thornaby, I had decided to make the most of each moment with my family and my land. I would be called away again but, until then, I would be Thomas, lord of the manor of Stockton.