The Greatest Knight

by Thomas Asbridge

  of inciting a massive reprisal. Hamilton, The Leper King, pp. 186–217; Asbridge, The Crusades, pp. 285–336.

  to this rather disreputable raid. Hamilton, The Leper King, pp. 198–204; HWM, line 7290; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 57, n. 1.

  mounting evidence of imminent collapse. Hamilton, The Leper King, pp. 211–4; William of Tyre, Chronicon, ed. R.B.C. Huygens, 2 vols. (Turnhout, 1986), pp. 1061–2.

  his own day of judgement. HWM, lines 18184, 18201–26, 18231–6.

  which the Angevins could not ignore. On the background to, and launching of, the Third Crusade see: Asbridge, The Crusades, pp. 337–80.

  PART III

  MIDDLE AGE: A LORD OF THE REALM

  and access to crown favour. HWM, lines 7302–11; Painter, William Marshal, p. 61; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 57.

  feared again in the future’. Walter Map, p. 374; N. Vincent, ‘The Court of Henry II’, Henry II: New Interpretations, ed. C. Harper-Bill & N. Vincent (Woodbridge, 2007), pp. 278–334.

  a total cost of some £6,500. Danziger & Gillingham, 1215, pp. 16–19; Warren, Henry II, p. 234.

  leave nothing untouched and untried’. Vincent, ‘The Court of Henry II’, pp. 319–33; Walter Map, pp. 2, 12–26.

  remember everyone’s name and station. Walter Map, pp. 2, 25.

  implied and nothing said openly. HWM, lines 525–654, 2875–3173; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 183–92.

  and dependence upon, these retainers. Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 57–8, 167–8; F.J. West, ‘Geoffrey fitz Peter’, ODNB; R.V. Turner, Men Raised from the Dust: Administrative Service and Upward Mobility in Angevin England (Philadelphia, 1988).

  hand to secure other advantages. HWM, lines 7312–18; Painter, William Marshal, p. 61; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 59.

  prominent feature of William’s life. HWM, lines 7948–50; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 59, 161–3; D. Crouch, ‘John of Earley’, ODNB.

  by way of recompense. HWM, lines 7304–18; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 59–61; N. Vincent, ‘William Marshal, King Henry II and the Honour of Châteauroux’, Archives, vol. 25 (2000), pp. 1–15.

  the Lionheart in his place. Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 76–82.

  only be secured at a price. Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 82–5.

  children to become a crusader’. HWM, lines 7319–40; Asbridge, The Crusades, pp. 337–64.

  back to the French heartlands. HWM, lines 7348–67.

  have been ‘full of grief’. Roger of Howden, Gesta Regis, II, pp. 45–6; HWM, lines 7782–840.

  grim feature of medieval warfare. Jordan Fantosme, lines 439–50; HWM, lines 7882–910; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 93–4; Gillingham, ‘War and Chivalry in the History of William Marshal’, pp. 5–6.

  the Angevin realm by force. HWM, lines 8065–188. This is a simplification of a more convoluted period of intrigue and negotiation. For a fuller outline see: Warren, Henry II, pp. 619–22; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 94–8.

  this] cruel act of treachery’. HWM, lines 8189–261.

  and had to return empty–handed. HWM, lines 8262–332.

  Marshal remained at Henry’s side. HWM, lines 8303–10; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 66–7; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 62–3.

  ‘they withdrew as enemies’. HWM, lines 8345–58; Ralph of Diss, II, p. 62.

  would never abandon the city. HWM, lines 8361–82; Roger of Howden, Chronica, II, pp. 363–4; A. Bouton, Le Maine: Histoire économique et sociale (Le Mans, 1962), pp. 444–7.

  heading ‘straight for Le Mans’. HWM, lines 8383–473.

  his arm in the process. HWM, lines 8475–712; Roger of Howden, Chronica, II, pp. 363–4; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 68–70; Warren, Henry II, p. 623; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 63–4.

  ordered William to return to his side. HWM, lines 8713–914; Gerald of Wales, ‘De Principis Instructione Liber’, Opera, vol. 8, ed. G.F. Warner (London, 1891), p. 286; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 98–9; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 64–5. It should be noted that William Marshal removed his own hauberk before riding from Le Mans and thus was himself unarmoured by the time of his confrontation with Richard the Lionheart [HWM, lines 8791–5].

  then became a livid colour’. HWM, lines 8915–80.

  a shroud and sing Mass. HWM, lines 8981–9290; Roger of Howden, Gesta Regis, II, pp. 69–71; Roger of Howden, Chronica, II, pp. 365–7; Ralph of Diss, II, p. 64–5; Warren, Henry II, pp. 625–6; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 99–100; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 65–6.

  with you over that matter.’ HWM, lines 9291–346.

  for the north almost immediately. HWM, lines 9347–409; Gillingham, Richard I, p. 101.

  made plans for their wedding. HWM, lines 9439–522; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 73–6; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 66–8.

  quacks, belly dancers [and] sorcerers’. Danziger & Gillingham, 1215, pp. 57–64.

  the maelstrom of power politics. HWM, lines 9523–50; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 76–9; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 68–71.

  were bought for this occasion. Roger of Howden, Gesta Regis, II, pp. 78–83; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 107–9.

  precursor to the white feather. Roger of Howden, Gesta Regis, II, pp. 155–6; Roger of Howden, Chronica, III, pp. 93–4; HWM, lines 9699–710; Gillingham, Richard I, p. 140; Asbridge, The Crusades, pp. 368–88.

  kingdom to rule on his return. HWM, lines 9551–736. This account represents a significant simplification of the process by which justiciars and co-justiciars were appointed. For a more detailed examination of these events see: Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 109–22; J.T. Appleby, England Without Richard, 1189–99 (London, 1965), pp. 1–55.

  a close association with the abbey. On the Cistercians see: J. Burton & J. Kerr, The Cistercians in the Middle Ages (Woodbridge, 2011).

  creating a truly impressive fortification. R. Avent, ‘William Marshal’s building works at Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire, 1189–1291’, The Medieval Castle in Ireland and Wales, ed. J.R. Kenyon & Kieran O’Conor (Dublin, 2003), pp. 50–71; R. Turner & A. Johnson (eds.), Chepstow Castle: Its History and Buildings (Almeley, 2006).

  a few would betray his trust. Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 143–58, 217–25.

  more than a decade earlier. Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 88, 175, argued that this Basilia was Strongbow’s sister (born in 1116), but she appears to have been her namesake, Strongbow’s illegitimate daughter.

  amassed a considerable fortune. Painter, William Marshal, p. 49; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 52, 66, 152–7.

  on William’s heart and soul. Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 72–3, 211–12.

  Longchamp should the need arise. HWM, lines 9766–76.

  whether he would ever return. Asbridge, The Crusades, pp. 398–445.

  summer and early autumn of 1191. Richard of Devizes, Chronicon, ed. & trans. J.T. Appleby (London, 1963), pp. 44–6; HWM, lines 9784–5; Roger of Howden, Gesta Regis, II, pp. 207–15.

  of self-service seems undeniable. Roger of Howden, Gesta Regis, II, pp. 219–20; HWM, lines 9859–76; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 227–9; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 76–80.

  a permanent corps of bodyguards. Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 226–9; Asbridge, The Crusades, pp. 446–9.

  they were European Christians. Roger of Howden, Gesta Regis, II, pp. 235–7; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 222–35; Appleby, England Without Richard, pp. 99–106.

  free to wreak havoc in France. HWM, lines 9807–23; Richard of Devizes, pp. 46–7; Asbridge, The Crusades, pp. 444–516. For the detail of King Richard’s period in captivity and the process by which he was transferred into the hands of Emperor Henry VI of Germany see: Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 222–53.

  servant of the crown. Roger of Howden, Chronica, III, pp. 204–5; HWM, lines 9877–10011; Appleby, England Without Richard, pp. 107–11.

  finally seemed to be turning. HWM, lines 9883–964; Roger of Howden, Chronica, III, pp. 216–17.

  ‘thought him a fool’. HWM, lines 10168–70.

  his own
name by association. HWM, lines 10020–80; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 101–5; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 80–2.

  office of royal master–marshal. HWM, lines 10081–152; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 102–3.

  the other flayed alive. HWM, lines 10153–288; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 269–70.

  He would never return. HWM, lines 10289–354; Roger of Howden, Chronica, III, p. 251.

  his brother John found him. HWM, lines 10355–72, 10432–52.

  serve in his brother’s army. HWM, lines 10373–425.

  steadfast defence they had mounted. HWM, lines 10453–508; Ralph of Diss, II, pp. 114–15.

  he might recover some favour. Rigord, ‘Gesta Philippi Augusti’, Oeuvres de Rigord et Guillaume le Breton, historiens de Philippe Auguste, ed. H–F. Delaborde, vol. 1 (Paris, 1882), p. 127; William the Breton, ‘Gesta Philippi Augusti’, Oeuvres de Rigord et Guillaume le Breton, historiens de Philippe Auguste, ed. H–F. Delaborde, vol. 1 (Paris, 1882), p. 196; M. Powicke, The Loss of Normandy, 1189–1204 (Manchester, 1913), p.101; Strickland, War and Chivalry, p. 223.

  the love of his brother’. HWM, lines 10423–5; William of Newburgh, ‘Historia’, II, p. 424.

  the ground for future reward. HWM, lines 10289–340; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 106–7; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 78–80.

  and taking 220 prisoners. Ralph of Diss, II, pp. 116–17; Roger of Howden, Chronica, III, pp. 252–3.

  special commendation from his king. HWM, lines 10581–676.

  and enjoyed considerable favour. Painter, William Marshal, pp. 116–17; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 82–4.

  Capetian interests in northern France. HWM, lines 10745–72; Roger of Howden, Chronica, IV, pp. 19–20; Ralph of Diss, II, pp. 152–3; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 84.

  more damaging to the French. HWM, lines 11351–688.

  younger men from earning renown. HWM, lines 11117–286; Roger of Howden, Chronica, IV, p. 16; Ralph of Diss, II, p. 152.

  outbreak of unrest in Aquitaine. HWM, lines 10579–80, 11680–6, 11727–45; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 301–20.

  who that successor might be? HWM, lines 11751–832; Roger of Howden, Chronica, IV, pp. 82–5; Gillingham, Richard I, pp. 321–34.

  what you are doing now’. HWM, lines 11776–908; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 85.

  PART IV

  OLD AGE: ENGLAND’S GREAT MAGNATE

  support of the English nobility. HWM, lines 11908–45; Roger of Howden, Chronica, IV, pp. 86–8.

  associate of the Marshal family. M. Strickland, ‘William Longspée’, ODNB.

  eased John’s path to power. Roger of Howden, Chronica, IV, p. 88.

  first years of John’s reign. HWM, lines 11943–5; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 85–6.

  the royal feast that evening. Roger of Howden, Chronica, IV, p. 90.

  confident, attempt at understatement. Crouch, William Marshal, p. 200.

  achieving a form of immortality. HWM, line 11944; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 122–4; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 86–8, 94.

  to be an easy king to follow. R.V. Turner, ‘William (III) de Briouze’, ODNB.

  and purpose to his behaviour. On the reign of King John see: W.L. Warren, King John, 2nd Edition (New Haven & London, 1978); R.V. Turner, King John (London, 1994); S.D. Church (ed.), King John: New Interpretations (Woodbridge, 1999); J. Gillingham, ‘John’, ODNB.

  ‘enemy of nature’ by contemporaries. Ralph of Diss, II, pp. 170–4; William of Newburgh, ‘Historia’, p. 402; Warren, King John, pp. 1–16; Danziger & Gillingham, 1215, pp. 103–5.

  rewards without cause or warning. HWM, lines 12582–4.

  The chance had been missed. Roger of Howden, Chronica, IV, pp. 96–7.

  incapable of matching his opponent. Adam of Eynsham, Magna Vita Sancti Hugonis, ed. J.F. Dimock (London, 1864), p. 332; HWM, lines 12027–30.

  little brother – John ‘Softsword’. On the Treaty of Le Goulet see: Warren, King John, pp. 54–63.

  making another significant diplomatic blunder. Painter, William Marshal, pp. 125–8; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 90–1.

  contentedly as it snapped shut. Roger of Howden, Chronica, IV, p. 119; Ralph of Diss, II, p. 170; N. Vincent, ‘Isabella of Angoulême: John’s Jezebel’, King John: New Interpretations, ed. S.D. Church (Woodbridge, 1999), pp. 165–219.

  no small quantity of fine wine. HWM, lines 12059–404; Warren, King John, pp. 76–80.

  the crisis had barely begun. HWM, lines 12500–12.

  Arthur of Brittany was not seen again. Ralph of Coggeshall, Radulphi de Coggeshall Chronicon Anglicanum, ed. J. Stevenson (London, 1875), pp. 139–41; ‘Annals of Margam’, Annales Monastici, vol. I, ed. H.R Luard (London, 1864), p. 27.

  William Marshal’s military career. William the Breton, ‘Gesta Philippi Augusti’, pp. 213–6; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 133–5; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 91–2.

  that Normandy was now lost. HWM, lines 12674–704, 12783–92; Ralph of Coggeshall, p. 144; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 135–6.

  of landholding was unavoidable. Warren, King John, pp. 93–9; M. Powicke, The Loss of Normandy, 1189–1204 (Manchester, 1913).

  ‘Softsword’ seems to have waivered. HWM, lines 12854–904; Ralph of Coggeshall, pp. 144–5; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 137–8; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 93.

  the king for a long time’. HWM, lines 12944–13090; Layettes du Trésor des Chartes, ed. M.A. Teulet (Paris, 1863), p. 499, n. 1397; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 138–41; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 94–6.

  who had assembled at Portsmouth. Ralph of Coggeshall, pp. 152–4; HWM, lines 13091–270; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 141–3; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 96.

  to look to the west. HWM, lines 13271–8; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 143–4; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 97–100.

  centre of trade and commerce. R. Eales, ‘Ranulf (III) of Chester’, ODNB.

  Gerald of Wales’ own mixed heritage. Gesta Stephani, p. 14; Gerald of Wales, The Journey Through Wales, pp. 233–44, 255–64. On the history of medieval Wales see: D. Walker, Medieval Wales (Cambridge, 1990); R.R. Davies, The Age of Conquest: Wales, 1063–1415, 2nd Edition (Oxford, 2000).

  little in the Wild West. Gerald of Wales, The Journey Through Wales, p. 236. On medieval Ireland see: S. Duffy, Ireland in the Middle Ages (London, 1997).

  they were ‘surging with currents’. Gerald of Wales, The Journey Through Wales, pp. 147–56, 168–9; Gerald of Wales, The History and Topography of Ireland, trans. J.J. O’Meara (London, 1982), p. 58; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 86–7, 93–4.

  for the term of one year. Gerald of Wales, The History and Topography of Ireland, pp. 34–5, 53–5; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 87–9.

  of mixed Norman-Irish birth. Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 100–3, 218, 222–3.

  Isabel had arrived in Ireland. HWM, lines 13311–422; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 145–8; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 102–3.

  thwart William at every step. M.T. Flanagan, ‘Meiler fitz Henry’, ODNB; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 102–4.

  judgement over the disputed territory. Rotuli Litterarum Patentium in turri Londinensi asservati, ed. T.D. Hardy (London, 1835), p. 72; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 104–5.

  the Marshal dynasty from Leinster. HWM, lines 13429–61; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 154–5; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 105.

  to be a dreadful miscalculation. HWM, lines 13462–550.

  remained steadfast beside the earl. HWM, lines 13551–4, 13575–84; Rotuli Chartarum, ed. T.D. Hardy (London, 1837), pp. 171–3; Painter, William Marshal, p. 156; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 105–6.

  was ‘greatly aggrieved at heart’. HWM, lines 13585–675, 13787–866.

  scale [fought] throughout that land’. HWM, lines 13555–74.

  ‘shame lasts longer than destitution’. HWM, lines 13676–762.

  would not accept other pledges’. HWM, lines 13763–86, 13867–88; Painter, William Marshal, p. 157; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 106�
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  clear in the starkest terms. HWM, lines 13889–937; Rotuli Chartarum, p. 176; Rotuli Litterarum Patentium, p. 80; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 111–12.

  looking on from the sidelines. HWM, lines 13941–14116, 14433–46. Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 112–14, offered a more damning appraisal of Marshal’s treatment of Meiler.

  in pursuit of a different quarry. Painter, William Marshal, pp. 167–8; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 113–15.

  a calamitous rift opened. HWM, lines 13585–98; Roger of Wendover, Chronica Rogeri de Wendover liber qui dicitur Flores Historiarum, ed. H.G. Hewlett, 3 vols. (London, 1886–9), II, pp. 48–9.

  this dispute without undue penalty. HWM, lines 14136–232.

  the flesh of his cheeks. Turner, ‘William (III) de Briouze’, ODNB; S. Duffy, ‘John and Ireland’, King John: New Interpretations, ed. S.D. Church (Woodbridge, 1999), pp. 221–45.

  were drawing to a close. HWM, lines 14233–484; Rotuli Litterarum Patentium, p. 98; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 161–70; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 115–16.

  and the ‘most evil robber’. N. Vincent, ‘Peter des Roches’, ODNB; N. Vincent, Peter des Roches: An Alien in English Politics, 1205–1238 (Cambridge, 1996); D. Power, ‘Falkes de Bréauté’, ODNB.

  gifted ammunition to his opponents. Warren, King John, pp. 154–73. On the pontificate of Innocent III see: J. Sayers, Innocent III: Leader of Europe (London, 1994); J.M. Powell (ed.), Pope Inncoent III: Vicar of Christ or Lord of the World? (Washington, DC, 1994).

  according to one chronicler. ‘Annals of Barnwell Priory’, Memoriae Walteri de Coventria, vol. II, ed. W. Stubbs (London, 1873), p. 207; Roger of Wendover, II, pp. 61, 63. The classic study of the Baronial rebellion remains: J.C. Holt, The Northerners: A Study in the Reign of King John (Cambridge, 1961).

  extended to a former opponent. Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum, 1204–27, vol. I, ed. T.D. Hardy (London, 1833), p. 132; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 116–18.

  turned irrevocably against the king. HWM, lines 14588–90; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 172–4, 176–7; Crouch, William Marshal, pp. 118–19.

  from the brink of disaster. HWM, lines 14629–32; Painter, William Marshal, pp. 174–6; Crouch, William Marshal, p. 119.