by Griff Hosker
They all made the sign of the cross. It did not do to be flippant.
We ate and we drank although, in William’s case, it was less than we ate and, gradually, the men and our squires and pages rose, albeit unsteadily. They drank some beer but few could face food. We stood to allow them the benefit of the lee and I stared ahead, “I am glad that our mail is wrapped in sheepskins. This salt air would have Mark and Matthew scrubbing rust for a week.”
Just then there was a call from the lookout who was perched precariously on the crosstrees of the mainmast. “Sail to the south and west. Five points off the starboard, Captain.”
The Captain nodded and, cupping his hands, called to me, “It may well be one of the other ships.”
I was looking astern and I saw, behind ‘Stormbird’, more sails to the north, “Captain, that may be the others astern!”
“You have good eyes, my lord, that is ‘Swan’ you see.”
The lookout shouted, “Captain it is three ships and two are attacking the other!” He paused, “The one under attack is the ‘Maid of Staithes’.”
I hurried to the stern, “What does this mean, Captain?”
“The ‘Maid’ is a small and lively little vessel. She could have been driven ahead of us. I will wager these are Frisian pirates. I hope the crew have their wits about them. Let fly the staysail. Let us see if ‘Petrel’ can live up to her name!”
It was Stephen of Malton and Robert of Kendal who were aboard that vessel. As I recalled they had just fifteen men with them and their squires. The crew of our ship went to a locker and took out a piece of triangular canvas. They scurried up to the bowsprit and quickly attached it. One had to lean far over the bow and I was certain that he would fall but the crew knew their business and as soon as it was adjusted and the wind caught the extra sail, I felt the power as the ship seemed to fly over the water. Our consorts would join us but we were the only vessel which might frighten off the enemy.
“Cedric, get your bows. Padraig, have the men armed.” Half of our men were on ‘Stormbird’ along with most of our spare equipment. I had two squires, three pages, my son, three archers and three men at arms. It was hardly an army. They might have been seasick but the squires did not forget their duty and they fetched our swords and daggers from our chests.
“Will you need your helmet, Sir Thomas?”
“No, Mark. I need to be able to see well!”
With sword on my belt, I went to the bow. The lookout had been a little premature. The two pirates had closed with the ‘Maid of Staithes’ but not yet boarded her. The captain of the ‘Maid’ was using every trick he knew to avoid them grappling him. Perhaps one of his lookouts had seen us. We were certainly closing so fast that I hoped we might be in time.
“Cedric, we have but three archers, use your arrows well. When you are able, try to get the man on the helm.”
“Yes, my lord.”
I saw that the two ships which had attacked ‘Maid of Staithes’ were lower in the water than our ships and had oars. The Frisians were still a wild people. The King of Denmark and the Count of Flanders were the two rulers who were supposed to control them but there were so many small islands and inlets in their land that the pirates who lived there were still able to act as their forebears had. It was in their blood. We were now less than two hundred paces from them and the two pirates had finally clattered into the side of the ship whose wily captain had done all that he could to buy time by tacking, turning and using the wind.
I saw that my bowmen had their arrows already nocked. “Cedric, does the wind help us?”
“Aye, we are just within range, lord. Should we try?”
“It might discomfit them!”
He nodded and turned to his men, “Draw!
The three bows creaked as the archers drew the strings on their yew bows back.
“Release!”
The three arrows soared and the time between my command and the arrows being released had seen us draw twenty paces closer. Of the three arrows, two found flesh and one of the two sent a Frisian over the side. Faces turned to view the threat and in that turning helped Cedric and my archers to target more flesh. This time three men were hit, including the steersman who clutched his shoulder.
We had closed to within a hundred paces and the Captain shouted, “Take in the staysail and shorten sail. Sir Thomas, we will be alongside before you know it.”
I turned to my men at arms. “Padraig, Richard, Rafe, we, with William will board the other vessel and clear the stern. Mark, you and your brother will stay here with the pages and defend our stern. Cedric, watch our backs!” Henry Samuel had their shields, swords and helmets. This was not the action I had expected for them. Mark and Matthew flanked them. The twins would look after the pages if they could.
“Aye, lord.”
I saw that there were two seamen with grappling hooks waiting to secure us to the Frisian. I drew my sword and climbed up onto the gunwale while holding on to the forestay. I smiled to myself. I was getting too old to be leaping across a dark and chilly sea. The change of sail had slowed us and our frenetic ride became easier. Cedric’s arrows concentrated the Frisians’ attention on their stern and the pressure on the ‘Maid of Staithes’ had lessened. More, they had not noticed the five of us standing on the side. As soon as we touched, I leapt down to the Frisian deck for the pirate had a lower side than our cog. I landed softly on the body of a man slain by an arrow. As much as I wanted to go to the aid of the beleaguered knights, we needed control of the vessel first.
I ran to the stern and saw that there were just two men left alive. Both were sailors and, as I approached, they leapt into the sea. There was a boarding axe by the body of the wounded helmsman. I picked it up and hacked through the rope which fed the steering board. I had disabled the ship. The wounded Frisian helmsman looked up and spat at me. I did not know if he understood English but I said, before I turned, “I give you your life! Be grateful!” Before I turned, I saw that ‘Stormbird’ had closed rapidly and was about to attack the other pirate which was attacking the other side of the ‘Maid’.
I ran to follow William and my men at arms as they raced to charge into the men trying to clamber up the side of the ‘Maid’. There were more than twenty pirates. The men on the cog had done all that they could to deter the enemy. I saw that they had poured pig fat over the side to make it slippery and harder for the pirates to climb. The first five pirates died without knowing that their vessel had been boarded. We were ruthless. I swung my sword sideways into the back of the huge Frisian with a pot helmet and a double-handed axe. If I had been facing him, he would have been fearsome but with just an old byrnie my sword hacked through the ancient links, into his side to rip through to his vital organs and almost slice him in two. Tearing my sword free, I raised it again to hack into the head and spine of the next Frisian who had thrown a grappling hook towards the gunwale of the ‘Maid’ and was trying to climb up the side. His scream was like that of a vixen in the night and rose above the cacophony of battle. It made the other Frisians turn. Cedric and our archers had moved closer and even as the pirates turned more were slain. The others raised their arms in surrender. There were just nine survivors.
I looked up at the side and saw Sir Stephen. “This vessel is ours and ‘Stormbird’ will board the other pirate soon. Be of good heart.”
He waved, “I will, Sir Thomas, and I thank you!”
I turned to my men. “Throw the weapons, mail and helmets overboard!”
“Aye, lord.”
“Cedric, cover them.”
“Any of them moves an eyelash they will die, lord!”
Captain Jack shouted, “They are pirates, lord! Hang ‘em all!”
I shook my head, “We go on Holy Crusade and these, for all their evil, are Christians. I would not begin our venture killing those who have surrendered. We have disabled their ships and will take all that is of value. They will be warier in future of attacking English ships.”
Attacke
d on two sides the other pirate surrendered too. With her steering board disabled and what little treasure they had taken, we left them for the rest of our ships had arrived. After commanding all the other captains to sail closer to us we left the two rudderless pirates to drift. They would be able to repair their vessels but it would be a long time before they would go a-viking again!
Chapter 3
We reached Calais not long after dawn the next day. I feared for the men at arms and archers who had been on ‘Maid’ but, as we watched them lead their horses down to the quay, I saw that although some were wounded, all had survived; that was thanks to the skill of Captain Jack and the other captains. William and I went directly to speak to the two knights. Their squires had also suffered wounds and one had his head heavily bandaged.
Sir Stephen and Sir Robert both took a knee. Sir Stephen spoke, “My lord, we both owe you a life. The Sherriff of York was correct; you are the greatest knight of your age. You attacked ten times your number with just four men.” He rose and shook his head, “I had thought we were dead until then.”
“Yet you fought on. Perhaps this trial was sent to us to show your mettle. Your men fought well as their wounds show. We have many months of travel and that will also set us challenges and problems which we can solve.” They both nodded, “Have your men walk their horses while the ships are unloaded. The voyage was not long but they will need to become accustomed to the land again.”
Our early landing meant that we were able to leave the English enclave before noon. Calais and the land around it were still English. This was an English town. The documents from the King and the seal of Simon de Montfort were the assurance of safety, as were the white surcoats with the cross of Jerusalem worn by the knights of King Henry. All but my men wore them. My fear was not the Normans nor the Flemish but assassins sent by the Earl of Fife. To that end Padraig had one of his men at arms sleep behind our door when we had lodgings.
Montfort was a four-day ride across Flanders and we had to stay in four towns on the way. We did not manage to all stay in one place except for the two monasteries we found. Abbeys, monasteries and nunneries were obliged to accommodate pilgrims and crusaders. I knew we would be safe from the Earl of Fife in such religious establishments for even an evil man like the Earl feared for his soul.
When we reached it, I saw that Montfort itself was a powerful looking castle. It had been built by Duke Robert of Normandy and dominated the landscape. We had been spied from afar. The white surcoats of the knights and their men at arms would have told those within the castle that our intentions were peaceful. A steward greeted me and the letter from Simon de Montfort gained me entry to the Great Hall. My son had more about him than the other knights and it was he who found accommodation for our men; the castle would be full for Amaury de Montfort had plans. I just took Henry Samuel with me and the letters.
Amaury de Montfort was younger than I was but not by much. He had chosen France over England and, when he spoke, it was in French. I did not mind. I was more comfortable with English or Norman French but I could manage. He was a hospitable man and wine was brought for both myself and my page. I knew that my grandson would not abuse the privilege. When he had finished reading the letter he nodded as he folded it.
“This is a happy meeting, my lord, and that is not something I expected to say to the knight who has been the bane of my people for so many years.” I smiled. It did not require a reply. “I am heading to Marseille to join the King of Navarre on Holy Crusade. We will be fighting together perhaps?” He pointed to the standard which was prominently displayed. It was the fleur de lyse; the royal standard. “King Louis has asked me to carry the standard for France. Some of your men wear the cross of Jerusalem; does that mean they, too, are heading for the Crusade?”
“Yes, Lord de Montfort, as am I. The visit to Rome is but a stop along the journey.”
“Then you will be joining with the German contingent which is departing from the Emperor Frederick’s ports in southern Italy?”
“That is my intention.”
“I fear the detour will mean that you have a long journey ahead of you. It will take at least fifty days to reach Rome and then a further five to reach Taranto. The King and my brother have inconvenienced you.”
“It is my duty and it will help my young knights to prepare for what lies ahead. Have you been on a crusade, my lord?”
“I was with my father on the crusade against the Cathars; he perished there and so I know the dangers although I know that the Holy Land will bring different dangers.” He smiled, “We will leave in a few days’ time and we can travel together. I hope you will be comfortable until then.”
Shaking my head, I said, “We will leave tomorrow for King Henry is anxious for me to speak with the Pope sooner rather than later.”
I do not think that the Norman was happy about my decision but he offered me a conroi of knights to escort us as far as Lyon. He also gave me a squire and a page who would return to England with the Pope’s answer for his brother. Henri and Jean proved to be of great use to us on the journey for they knew the land of Swabia. The conroi of knights would wait for their lord at Lyon and we would take the road through Swabia towards Italy and Rome. Amaury de Montfort was, however, a generous host, and my knights and I were invited to a feast before we left. It proved useful for as our squires and pages served us, they picked up nuggets of information from the other squires. There was a good chance that we would be fighting alongside the Lord de Montfort and it always helped to know something of the character of one’s companions.
As we left, early the next morning, Lord de Montfort promised to tell King Thibaut that we would be joining him. I needed the King of Navarre to know that King Henry had heeded the Pope’s summons. To me, it did not matter but King Henry was trying to tell the world that he supported the Crusade, even if he would not physically join it and even though he had sent the smallest conroi that he could. He was using my name to make up for the paucity of numbers. The presence of Norman knights, the knights of the man who would carry the French banner in the Holy Land, ensured that our journey to Lyon was comfortable with accommodation in castles, monasteries and abbeys. When we left them after Lyon, I knew that we would have the hardest part of our journey ahead. We were lucky that it was summer and there was little snow in the high passes over the Alps. I had been told that the Carthaginians had climbed them in winter! It was a hard six weeks before we descended into the plains of Italy and we could move more easily and quickly along the coastal road. The obstacle which was then in our way was the heat. In many ways, it was good as it helped to prepare us for the even hotter clime of Palestine! Yet it slowed us down more than I would have liked.
The arduous crossing of the Alps had done one thing, it had shown me the character of the knights I would lead. Stephen and Robert were the only ones who bore the hard climb stoically. The others moaned and complained at every obstacle, rockfall, cold wind and hard lodgings. Their men did not and that heartened me. Our squires and pages had already told me that Amaury de Montfort was a rash and reckless knight and I learned, as we crossed the Alps, that at least four of the knights I would lead had a similar disposition.
William had grown during the march. He was able to help me by speaking with the knights and explaining warfare and the way I expected it to be fought. None had fought in a war of any kind. William was a veteran by comparison. There were just the four stubborn knights who refused to believe all that my son said. They were misguided enough to believe that a noble charge, boot to boot, by English knights would drive an enemy before them. They did not listen to my son as he told them how good the Turkish archers would be. He had no experience himself but I had and he knew the efficacy of arrows. I just hoped that our crusade would be a relatively peaceful one and that we would not be called upon to fight a battle; if we were then I would not return to England with all of King Henry’s knights. We halted a day short of Rome and we were in papal lands. As crusaders, we were greeted
and treated well. I spoke with the abbot of the monastery in which we stayed the night before we reached the Holy City. As it turned out he had been born an Englishman but as he chose a priestly career Brother Adrian became the Abbot of this small monastery. I learned much as we dined. It was frugal fare which my new knights found beneath them but I knew we would have far worse in the future.
As we were both English he confided in me, “The Pope and the Emperor Frederick are at loggerheads. There was a war and now there is a truce but His Holiness cannot forgive the Emperor for failing to heed his call to crusade.”
I nodded, “And this may well cause problems for me and my men as we travel through Imperial Italy!”
He nodded, “There is hope that there may be German lords who are travelling south and you might be able to accompany them.”
I also learned of the enmity between the Pope and the rebels who were making life difficult for the Eastern Emperor, John Doukas Vatatzes. The Pope, it seemed, wished crusaders to go to the aid of that Emperor. It was useful information and helped to prepare me for the papal audience.
I was astounded by the home of the Pope. It seemed to me to be both a palace and a fortress. It was fit for an Emperor and that told me much about the papacy. It was as political an organization as any country and the papal army was armed and mailed much as the knights I had with me. We were closely scrutinised on our approach for, despite the cross of Jerusalem, we were strangers and Emperor Frederick had used subterfuge to attack before now. I had sent William ahead with Matthew to alert the Pope of our imminent arrival as I knew there was a protocol to such meetings. My foresight helped us for William and I were admitted within just an hour of my arrival. It would not be a private meeting; I had not expected one. It was, however, smaller than I might have envisioned. There were just six men in the room.
One was an English cardinal, Robert Somercotes, and, so it was rumoured, he was a possible future pope. I noticed that he studied me closely. The Pope was a well-educated man and I daresay he spoke English but he used French. It was one language which all in the room could speak and put all of us on an equal footing.