Magna Carta

by Griff Hosker

  All along my line men were dying on both sides but the greater casualties were on the Scottish side for they were fighting uphill. Our swords could crash down on heads. They might not penetrate the helmet but they could knock a man out. The dying knight before me meant that I had room to swing. Ridley the Giant’s spear still protected me. Our lines were looser and he was able to thrust next to me. Soon he would join me as we spread out to compensate for the fallen knights. Father Abelard and our priests would be pulling the wounded from the line to tend to them.

  The energy sapping slope was taking it out of the men who faced us. As I rammed my sword above the shield and into the shoulder of a knight I realised that there were just men at arms before me. That gave me hope. The knights were the leaders and if they fell we might weaken the resolve of the rest. The King still had enough knights with him to prevent a victory but we did not have to win. We had to make him return home, that was all.

  The man at arms I faced wore a leather jerkin studded with metal blades. The edge of my sword was not as sharp as it might have been. The mail of the red bearded knight had dulled it. I had to use the point. The man at arms jabbed at me with his sword and I blocked the blow. Expecting a sweep, he was surprised and shocked when my sword darted in to take his right eye. The nasal on his helmet prevented penetration to his brain but he was hurt and he screamed and spat at me. As Ridley stabbed a man at arms trying to slice off my right arm, he stepped next to me. The movement distracted the half-blinded man at arms and the tip of my sword entered his throat.

  Ridley had had to be defensive while he stood behind me. He was now freed from that role. He hurled his spear into the mass of men behind their front rank and picked up the war hammer that one of the Scottish knights had dropped. A warhammer is a fearsome weapon especially when wielded by a warrior of Ridley’s size. The men behind him moved as he swung it all the way from behind him. The beak smashed through the helmet of the man at arms and into his skull. He would have died instantly. Henry Youngblood joined his comrade. With those two on one side of me and Sir Edward on the other we were an irresistible force. We began to drive the Scots down the hill. On the flanks our battle was not going as well but, in the centre, we were winning.

  Suddenly I heard a Scottish horn. It sounded three times. The men before us hesitated and in that instant fifteen died for we did not hesitate. Then the Scots began to stream down the hill. As they disappeared before us David’s archers slew even more of them. I wondered what had made the Scottish King call off his attack. We were not winning. I saw him and his knights turn. The baggage was already heading north. Sir Robert shouted, “Look lord, it is the Earl of Chester!”

  Looking to my left I saw the Earl of Chester leading two hundred knights. They would not catch the King and his knights for the men streaming down the slope would all slow down the Earl’s men. They would, however, destroy his army! I raised my sword, “Charge!” Thus released my men poured down the hill!

  It was darkness that saved the Scots. It became too dark to hunt them. Our blades were blunt and we were weary. The Earl of Chester, Ranulf de Blondeville reined in, “I am sorry we took so long Sir Thomas but it appears we were just in time.”

  Sir Edward snorted, “We were ready to attack them anyway, my lord but your help was timely!”

  Ranulf de Blondeville laughed, “I meant no insult Sir Edward. Once my men told me that the Earl of Cleveland blocked the progress of the Scots then I was confident we would win.”

  The next day we headed north. The baggage had yielded much treasure. The Scottish King was bringing gifts for Prince Louis. We found their dead littering the road north. We stopped following them at Bamber Bridge for there they headed north east to cross the Ribble. We took the shorter route through Prestune. In that way we got ahead of them. They were forced to head due north. They would not be able to hole up in Carlisle. The Earl and I had decided that our priority was not the King of Scotland but the castle at Carlisle. We had so many men that our sheer numbers made the garrison that Alexander had left, flee. Our border fortress was once more in English hands and Ranulf de Blondeville left a strong garrison to deter the Scots from repeating their attack.

  Chapter 14

  The King is dead!

  It was July by the time we reached Stockton. We had hunted isolated bands of Scots who had gathered along the border. The last thing we needed would be bands of bandits and brigands in our heartland. I had left Ranulf de Blondeville to collect the ransoms from the knights we had captured. I was anxious to discover what had been happening further south. We now had two kings. Only one was legitimate in my eyes for Louis had not been crowned nor had he been anointed. Those summer months before the harvest were a strange time for us. The rest of the country fought amongst themselves but, thanks to the men of the Tees Valley the north was at peace. De Clavering had fled south to join his rebel friends and the rest of the barons in the north feared that I would punish them if they rebelled. We collected in our harvest even though most of the country did not. I did not relax my vigilance. I had the knights of Durham ride beyond the Roman wall into the land of the rebel barons. They ensured that no spark of rebellion was ignited.

  In September I received a message from William Marshal. He wished to meet with me in Lincoln. Although he did not specify that I bring men, I thought it foolish to risk riding abroad without knights. I would not, however, empty my land. I took Sir Edward and Sir William with me. We left most of their men at arms in their manors and my men at arms and archers acted as my escort. I would trust to the knights I left at home and my strong walls to defend my family.

  William came to me the night before we left. “Why cannot I come, father? Is there danger and that is why?”

  He was becoming more perceptive. He had heard me tell my wife that the meeting was just that, a chance for the Earl to inform me of the state of the land. If that was true then William could safely come with me.

  “William, we live in dangerous times. I believe that all of the men I take will come back safely with me but if you are there? Who will watch over you? It cannot be me for I lead. Alfred watches over me.”

  “I need no wet nurse.”

  “True but you cannot fight a warrior and that is what it might come to. Each day you are growing. Alfred tells me that you are better with a sword and shield than many boys your age. You can ride.” I saw his face light up with the praise from his big brother. “Yet you still cannot ride a palfrey and you cannot fight. That is why I leave you here. There may be danger. It is not for you, it is for the men who would have to watch over you. If they are watching over you then they cannot fight.” That argument seemed to work.

  We left in the second week of September. We took no war horses but we did take spare palfreys and extra weapons. We stayed with Sir Ralph and I told him of our news. He had grown in stature since taking over Northallerton. Younger knights deferred to him and the older lords of the manor recognised, in him and Sir Peter, warriors who could defend the land. When time allowed I would speak with the new Archbishop and seek a post for Sir Ralph which would allow him to have official backing as leader.

  The further south that we travelled the more we felt threatened. Once we had left the land which owed fealty to York then we passed through an area of baronial influence and loyalist strongholds. We stayed in the latter. We reached Lincoln before the Earl Marshal. Nicola de la Haie was pleased to see us. There had been other attempts to take her castle. Some had been by force while others had been legal challenges to the rule of a female constable. She had endured both and survived but she was no longer young.

  “And the folk of Lincoln?”

  “They side with the barons. They have been promised so much and yet I know it cannot be delivered. I run a benevolent manor. The poor are fed and housed. My taxes are lenient and my punishments are far from harsh. Some seem to think that they just need to live in my manor and all will be provided. The barons make it seem as though they need not work.”

 
; I nodded, “I know. I am lucky to be living in Stockton. After the manor was taken from my family they had many years of hardship. When I returned they appreciated what my family had done and now we have those who move to live within our lands.”

  She smiled, “I have but a few years left to me. It shall not worry me if I am unpopular. I know that what I do is right.” She patted Alfred’s hand, “And this one will break girls’ hearts soon.” He blushed and that made her laugh, “Oh it is good to see a young man who can still blush. Too many of the ones I see are worldly wise. What is wrong with innocence?”

  To divert the attention away from himself my son asked, “And do you have children, my lady?”

  “Aye, I have a son, Richard and two daughters, Matilda and Nichola. I never see any of them nor my granddaughter, Idonea.” She looked earnestly at Alfred, “When you marry do not neglect your mother! She will miss you. Your father will be busy making war somewhere but your mother will need you and your children around her.”

  He knew that already. Aunt Ruth’s joy in her surrogate grandchildren was clear evidence of that.

  William Marshal arrived with a remarkably small escort. There were just twenty men in the livery of the Earl and ten warriors who looked like Swabians to me. He had brought young Prince Henry with him. I wondered at that for it was a risk to bring the heir through enemy lines. There was also a papal representative with them. The Earl introduced him, “This is Cardinal Guala Bicchieri, the papal legate to England. He is proving to be of great help. This is the Earl of Cleveland and his son and this fine lady is the Constable of Lincoln, Lady Nichola de la Haie.”

  He bowed and gave his hand for her to kiss. “The Holy Father is keen that rightful rule is established. We cannot have lords commanding kings. He is most unhappy that Prince Louis has taken it upon himself to invade England to be proclaimed king. His father, King Philip is also unhappy.”

  I looked at the Earl, “I would have thought that he would be delighted.”

  The Earl shook his head, “You do not understand the game of thrones. If Philip’s son rules England then he also rules Aquitaine. He would have a claim to Normandy and Anjou. King Philip worries that his son would have more power. Perhaps, his father fears, he would take France from him.”

  The Cardinal nodded, “And he does not like this growth of baronial power. If it happens here then why not in France? Kings have a divine right to rule. The barons are upsetting that natural balance.”

  I wondered why I had been summoned. I knew, from past experience, that there was little point in expecting the Earl Marshal to tell me before he was ready. For once, Alfred remained silent for he knew that he was amongst the great and the good. I had often told him to listen in such company. That way he would learn how to behave when he became a knight. I noticed that Prince Henry also followed that axiom. He was almost ten and he must have known that he was in the most dangerous of positions. My son sat next to him while we ate. I saw them talking but I knew not what about for I was seated next to the Earl Marshal.

  The Cardinal and the Earl waited until the meal was almost over before they spoke. The Earl Marshal did the talking but I noticed that Cardinal Guala Bicchieri nodded agreement throughout.

  “Firstly, the cardinal here has ruled that as the baron’s revolt is a crime against God then the King’s war becomes Holy Crusade.” I knew that was a momentous decision. King John had been excommunicated a few years ago. He must have paid a king’s ransom to have made the Pope switch sides so completely. “However, there are places in England where the church opposes us. York is one such.” I did not know that. I knew that Langton had been appointed Archbishop but that the Pope had rejected his appointment. “King John and Pope Innocent have agreed that Walter de la Gray will be the next archbishop.” I waited, there was more to come. “The canons of York deem him to be too ill -educated and have appointed Simon Langton the brother of the Archbishop of Canterbury instead.”

  Now it became clear. The canons of York were siding with the barons. “And the Archbishop of Canterbury drew up the charter.”

  Cardinal Bicchieri said, “And he has been excommunicated for doing so!”

  “We need you to escort the Archbishop to York and see that he is able to take office.”

  I nodded, “Of course. Where is the Archbishop?”

  “That is the problem. He is in Winchester. Between here and there wait the men who support Fitzwalter and the French forces. We have asked him to come to Gloucester. We need you to come back with us and escort him.”

  “Why did you not ask me to meet you in Gloucester?”

  “Cardinal Guala Bicchieri goes to London to inform those churchmen there that they are excommunicated.”

  He smiled, “Archbishop de la Gray may not be safe but as Cardinal I am. Besides I have some guards with me. They are Swabians. I will be safe enough.”

  That night, before I retired, I wrote a letter to my wife. We would be away longer than I expected and I did not want her to worry. Sir Edward and Sir William did the same., We did not tell our wives where we were headed nor of our mission but our letters would reassure them. I sent two archers back to Stockton and asked them to return to Lincoln when they were done. The Cardinal left at the same time as we did. We shared the road briefly. I saw now that the Earl had risked much with such a small escort. I asked him why as we headed for Newark.

  “I felt safe so long as I had the Cardinal with me. None would risk harming a representative of the Pope.”

  “Then you should have asked me to bring more men. I brought a small escort. This is not the escort for the heir to the throne.”

  Prince Henry said, “My father lives, Earl. I am just a pawn at the moment. I have to reach the other side of the chess board before I become a threat to another.”

  He was bright boy. “Prince Henry my great grandfather watched over your namesake, Henry FitzEmpress. You are more than a pawn. I am sure that the Earl has told you that the kingdom is balanced on a precipice. The last time an army crossed the channel it conquered this land and that was without rebels trying to help the invader.”

  I saw him taking that information in. The Earl Marshal said, “You are right Sir Thomas but now that we have the Pope behind us I am sure that King John will prevail.”

  I could not argue with that but I was not convinced. Excommunication had not caused King John too many problems. Having begun to speak with us Prince Henry chatted all the way to Gloucester. He had rarely travelled outside of his father’s castles and was interested in the north. Alfred told him of our campaigns against King William. They got on well. I did not know it then but this would become a deep friendship. We reached Devizes at the end of September and I was relieved for we could have been attacked any time and we would not have had the protection of the Cardinal. My archers had to ride far ahead and far behind to make certain that we were neither ambushed nor followed. Prince Henry was impressed by them.

  I knew from my grandfather that my great grandfather had often fought in the castles around this land. Devizes was not a big castle but it looked easy to defend and I wondered if my great grandfather had stayed here. I seemed to be walking in his footsteps. As we waited for the Archbishop I fretted and I worried. I was as far from my home as it was possible to get. Although I trusted my knights I knew that events were not going the King’s way. The south of the country and the north were supporting the barons. The fact that my men held the Tees and the Earl of Chester the land to the west neutralized the baron’s influence. King John was in the land around Essex and with winter almost upon us his army was enduring awful conditions.

  As we waited I asked William Marshal something which had been on my mind since the invasion. “What of the Fair Maid of Brittany? Does she not have a claim to the throne?”

  The old Earl shook his head, “You are like a dog with a bone. You know not when to leave something alone. Arthur and his sister were not meant to rule. The Maid has spent too long away from the world to be able to rule. Yo
ung Henry has seen more in his short life than she has.”

  “That does not make it right, Earl. She has been locked away for more than ten years; longer than Prince Henry has been alive.”

  “Can we do anything about it?”

  I looked at him and knew that he was right. “You and I are knights, Earl. One of our oaths was to protect the weak and the innocent. The Fair Maid qualifies on both counts and I do not think that either of us could look her in the face and say that we had protected her as we should.”

  “You are right but what we have both done has been for England and that is worth more than the life of any individual.” I did not agree with him but I found it hard to muster arguments against him.

  Walter de la Gray arrived in the third week of October. He was accompanied by Pierre des Roches, Bishop of Winchester. He was as dynamic a churchman as I had ever met. He knew all that was going on and told us in detail of the gains and losses of the campaigns. I was just pleased that my charge had come. I did not relish a journey across England in the heart of winter.

  Walter de la Gray was not enthusiastic about the journey and his new appointment. “I think, Earl Marshal, that I would prefer to wait until the King has defeated the rebels and the land is safer.”

  William Marshal laughed, “That day may be a long time coming, Archbishop. You are in the safest hands in England. The Earl of Cleveland will get you safely to your See. That I promise you.”

  The Archbishop was a fussy man and he prevaricated for three days. In those three days our world changed completely. Cardinal Guala Bicchieri and his Swabians arrived, along with William Longespée and some of King John’s leaders, with the news that King John had been struck down by dysentery in Kings Lynn. To compound the problem when crossing the Wash, he had lost his baggage including the crown jewels. The dysentery had proved fatal. The King was dead!