by Griff Hosker
As we began our third hot ride, we learned that heat was not the only enemy. We were ambushed. When the arrows plucked our two scouts, men serving Sir Hubert of Lewes, from their saddles, we knew that peace was still an illusion this close to the border.
Chapter 4
Our first losses were equally distributed between the Teutonic knights and my conroi. Two Teutonic sergeants fell. I could not worry about the Teutonic knights I had to get my own knights and men at arms in some sort of defensive position. We had had no time to practise and it had cost us.
“Archers dismount. Men at arms and knights, dismount and protect the archers! Shields!”
I pulled up my coif and donned my helmet before dismounting. I was gratified to see that my men at arms, archers, squires and pages obeyed instantly. A heartbeat later the men of Malton and Kendal did as ordered. Most of the other knights and men at arms made the mistake of delaying; they looked at each other; perhaps they thought their white surcoats with the cross of Jerusalem would save them. Sir Hubert of Lewes was even worse for he reacted to the death of his men. Raising his lance, he shouted, “Charge!”
I knew not who he would be charging for there were few targets to be seen, all that we saw were the arrows as they soared from behind rocks, scrubby trees and bushes. The enemy arrows continued to rain down upon us. These were not bodkins but they were accurately released and if they struck flesh, either man or horse, then they would do great damage for the Seljuk bows were powerful ones. They would find any flesh not protected by mail and I was glad that our pages and squires had mail and good helmets. Sir Hubert’s page and squire were not so lucky. Seljuk arrows threw them from their saddles and I saw the heads of the arrows protrude from their backs; neither had worn mail. The only good part about the reckless charge was that it focussed the attention of our attackers upon Sir Hubert and his wild charge.
Cedric Warbow managed to organise the archers and he used volleys of arrows which were sent towards the place he thought the enemy archers were hiding. Sir Burchard sent twenty sergeants in a flanking attack up the side of the valley. My men and I did that hardest of tasks. We endured arrows, for all of Sir Hubert’s men were slain. Sir Hubert was a brave knight and he plunged through the scrub and I saw him raise his sword. When he raised it again it was bloody but it was to no avail; I saw a spear rammed through his side and he fell from his horse. Some of the squires and pages were hit and I heard plaintive cries.
Sir Henry of Dunwich shouted, “My lord, must we endure this? Our young pages are being hurt! Let us charge the enemy!”
I roared, “Stand firm and have the pages and squires shelter behind shields. This will pass.” I saw the swords of the sergeants rise and fall. Cedric and the archers adjusted their aim and when I saw horse archers fleeing eastwards then I knew that we had won. We waited until the Teutonic sergeants returned before we moved. Our three priests ran to the bodies but it was too late for Sir Hubert and his ten men. After checking their bodies, they hurried to the squires and pages who had been hurt.
The sergeant brother who had led the attack on the enemy reported to Sir Burchard and the Teutonic commander then came to me. “That could have been worse. We had minor wounds and more than thirty of the enemy were killed but,” he waved a hand at my dead, “for you this is a disaster.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Better here than when we were alone and isolated. Your presence saved us. When we camp, I will speak with my knights. They have learned, this day, that this is not a tournament where death is a possibility. This is war where death is a certainty when you make a mistake.”
We buried our dead and the priests said words over them. The priests had done well for they had not panicked and the men who had wounds were tended well. I saw that Father Paul had taken charge during the attack and he became the priest I went to first. We managed a bare ten miles that day. I wondered if I should have waited at Acre for the rest of the army then I realised that would merely have delayed the deaths. Whenever we were attacked this would have been the result. I gathered the knights around me as the rest of the men made our camp.
I looked at each lord squarely in the eyes, “Today’s disaster need not have happened and Sir Hubert and his men have paid for his mistake with their lives. Sir Henry, you were worried about your pages and squire. Why were they not sheltering behind shields as the rest were?”
“There is no honour in that and they seek glory.” He sounded almost sulky and petulant.
“With that attitude, all that they will achieve is sudden death. Do you think that Sir Hubert had a glorious death? He died alone and a man with a spear, probably little more than a peasant, ended his life. These were not the best that the Muslims have to offer. These came here on the chance of ambushing inexperienced, red-faced knights who did not know how to fight and they were almost proved right! These were horse archers and they have thousands of them. Their arrows are not bodkins and cannot penetrate mail; at best they are an irritation for well armoured and disciplined men.”
Sir Edward of Tewkesbury said, “But they can hurt our horses!”
“Then use caparisons! They will minimise the losses. Do not ride your war horses! Keep them with the baggage. This is not a game and it is not a tournament. I know not what the King said to you but if he misled you into thinking this was some holy tournament then he was wrong; return home now!”
I could see that I had shocked all of them, “We could not do that, lord! Think of the shame!”
“Sir Hugo, the shame is thinking that this crusade is anything other than an attempt to steal this land from the people who live here. The Christians were not mistreated before Crusaders came to this land. The Holy City could be visited by pilgrims. When you see the castles of Outremer ask yourselves their purpose; why were they built? None are close to the pilgrim routes. Montfort is there to protect pilgrims as is Kerak de Chevaliers. The ones around Jerusalem and Damascus, Antioch and Acre are there to make Franks, us, rich!” They were silent. “We will be attacked again. My orders are simple. Listen to my voice and that of my son! Do so and we will keep you alive!”
I saw in the eyes of most of them, understanding. That disastrous ambush might have been the saving of the other young knights for they saw their fate. All that they had seen of our enemies were the bodies we had left by the side of the road. These were not mailed warriors; they were a band of raiders sent to harass the knights of Outremer. It was in the interests of their leaders to foster conflict between the Muslims and the Christians. The truce still had a year to go and yet, already, it was clear that it would not be renewed voluntarily. The ruler in Cairo was Al-Adil, an old man clinging to power and others were flexing their muscles to make a play for power and take over this sleeping tiger. All was not lost; we had the horses and arms of the dead men and four Muslim horses had been caught by the Teutonic Knights. Our doctor, Conrad von Schweistein, tended to the wounded although, in truth, the three priests we had with us could have dealt with the minor wounds the men had suffered.
I rode with Sir Burchard. “That has been a harsh lesson for us, Sir Thomas. I had thought that it was the borderlands which were dangerous. Here we are close to the sea and yet we were attacked.”
“And I, too, was complacent. I had forgotten the tactics that they use. Mail is uncomfortable to wear in this heat and makes it harder to move and yet it is now obvious that it is vital against the arrows which come from hidden attackers.” I pointed to the small horses we had taken from the dead Seljuk archers. “Look at their mounts. They cannot carry a mailed man yet they can outrun any of our horses. I fear it will be hit and run until we can draw them to battle.”
That there would be a battle was now clear to me and it made my heart feel like lead. I had hoped that life would be dull in the Holy Land and that we could do our duty and then return home. I wondered if the Pope’s command to me had been as a curse. Perhaps when I visited the Church and begged forgiveness then our fortune would change.
What surprised m
e about Jerusalem was the paucity of Christian defenders. The only defended part of the whole city was the Tower of David and the couple of hundred defenders were too few to be able to hold it against a determined assault. We were lucky that our foes were in such disarray. When Sir Burchard and I tried to gain admittance to the Tower we were refused. We were told that the castellan was busy. It did not bode well.
After admittance to the Tower had been refused, I went, first, with William and Sir Burchard to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was a holy place as it was the church built on the site of the crucifixion, it was a revered place and I abased myself before the altar and begged Christ to forgive my sin of murder. I had been absolved already but this place, so close to where Christ had been crucified, would guarantee that forgiveness would be forthcoming. I also said a longer prayer, not for myself, but for Sir Edward. Surprisingly, when we left the church, I felt lighter in the heart. I knew that the Bishop of Durham had deserved to die and I did not regret killing him but murder, and murder it had been, did not sit well with me. For the first time, I felt real absolution and I felt that here, unlike Rome, I had spoken to God and that he would intercede for Sir Edward. William, too, was deeply affected by the sights we saw.
As we headed back to the hospital of the Teutonic Knights, he said, “I still wish I was at home with my wife and son, father, but this visit has made me feel closer to God and that cannot be a bad thing for a knight, can it?”
“You are right. We are both warriors and know that death is just around the corner.” I was thinking of Alfred as I spoke. “Now I feel that God will be waiting for us when we reach heaven for we will have done all that we can to keep this Muslim threat at bay.”
We parted the next day for we were to return to Acre and Sir Burchard and his knights were heading for the borderlands. “I am pleased that we have met, Sir Thomas. Our threads have been bound together in blood. I pray that you and your men return home to your homeland. For myself, this is where I shall die. If we do not meet in this life then I hope we meet in heaven.”
I smiled and clasped his arm, “But not for a long time, eh?”
He laughed, “You have the right of it there, Sir Thomas.”
The ride back to Acre was uneventful. My knights had been changed by the attack. They did not now resent their duties and when their men watched, the knights were as vigilant as any. They were more watchful and alert. When we passed the graves of our dead their faces showed that they knew how close they had come to death. The minor wounds their pages and squires had suffered were now healed but all of them had scars inside their heads and they would take much longer to remove.
The rest of the army had arrived when we reached Acre. We were lucky that the commander of the Teutonic knights remembered us and we were allowed to stay in their hospital although it was now four men to a cell and we felt overcrowded. The alternative would have been to find accommodation in the town and that would have eaten into our funds as well as risking all sorts of thievery and disease.
I was summoned, not long after we returned, to meet with King Thibaut and the Duke of Burgundy. Peter, Duke of Brittany, was also there. In the background, I saw Amaury de Montfort who was standing with other senior lords like Henry of Bar and Guigues of Forez. De Montfort obviously wished to be part of the leadership of this crusade but he was patently excluded. The King and two dukes were the real power.
“You lead the contingent sent by King Henry?”
“I do, Your Majesty.”
“The handful of knights with you are a mere token.”
“We are the advanced guard, so to speak, King Thibaut and already we have paid the price of joining this crusade for one of my knights and his men perished in an attack on our ride to Jerusalem. Be patient, Your Majesty, the rest will be coming.”
The Duke of Brittany, who also held the title of the Earl of Richmond and was about the same age as me, smiled, “King Thibaut, do you not know of Sir Thomas?” It was obvious, from the blank look on the King’s face, that he did not. “He is the hero of Arsuf and this is his third Crusade. King Henry has sent us his best, first.”
King Thibaut smiled, “I thought that a legend and that the squire who defended his father was long dead. If the knights who follow you are your equal then this Crusade will have a happy outcome.”
I nodded, “As I told you, Your Majesty, when we travelled with a company of Teutonic Knights to Jerusalem, we were attacked and I lost one of my knights. The land is not as safe as one might think.”
The faces of all became much more serious. “I was told that all was peaceful because of the discord between As-Salih Ismail and Al-Adil.”
The Duke of Brittany shook his head, “It is as I said, Your Majesty, we need to be more aggressive and head for Ascalon sooner rather than later. We need to make that fortress as strong as Acre.”
The King waved a dismissive hand, “It is too hot. We will stay here a while and then when we have more men, we will do God’s work.” He stood, “And now I will retire to my room. The heat of this land I find oppressive and I find solace in writing poetry.”
He left but, before I could rejoin my men, Peter of Brittany sought me out. “Sir Thomas, let us speak awhile. I had hoped you would have travelled from Marseille with the main body for I wished to have conference with you.”
I nodded as he led me from the hall. “I had to deliver a message to Pope Gregory.”
“So I understand from Baron de Montfort.” He shook his head, once we were out of earshot of others, “The King sits and writes poetry to his wife, you know, when we should be prosecuting this war.”
“Will prosecuting the war not escalate tension, my lord?”
“The attack on you and your men is evidence that there is tension enough. They were Seljuk Turks?” I nodded. “And I have heard that the Ayyubs in Egypt are allying with one of the emirs in the north. If those two chose to bring an army north then neither the Holy Orders nor King Thibaut would be able to stop them. We have to prevent this alliance.”
His words were reasonable and sounded correct, “But what could we do?”
“You know Ascalon?”
I nodded, “I fought there but that was before Saladin destroyed it.”
“Yet the foundations still remain and if we rebuilt the fortress then we would control the road from Egypt to Damascus and there is more. Since the Mongols defeated the Khwarzamians those warriors have begun to hire themselves out as mercenaries. They could shift the balance of power.”
“Duke, I am the leader of fewer than ten knights. There were more than two thousand knights gathered around Acre. Surely there must be another who could aid you?”
“I know that you do not lead large numbers and when the rest of your contingent arrives, I know that they will be led by another.”
“How do you know that?”
“The letter you delivered to Amaury from his brother spoke of the rest of the English contingent. They will be led by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, the King’s brother.”
I knew I had been used for King Henry had told just me about the real English crusaders; we were a token force to placate the Pope. There had been no need for me to come except that it gave Richard of Cornwall the time to gather stronger, better armed forces and, perhaps, for King Thibaut to be defeated which would allow Richard of Cornwall to garner the glory. Perhaps I was cynical but my dealings with the Kings of England had jaundiced my view. Shaking my head, I said, “This still begs the question, my lord, why me?”
“Your skill as a general. Who else has fought in Palestine, Sweden, Lithuania, Wales, Scotland and France? When you have led you have never been beaten. It is your mind I need. We are of an age but my experience is limited to skirmishes in France, Normandy and Anjou. You served in this land. Serve me and you will be rewarded.”
I sighed for he was trying to suborn me, “Duke Peter, all that I wish is to be back home with my family.”
“Then give me until the rest of the English arrive and
it shall be so. I will expedite your return.”
The two of us were looking out across the battlements on the western side of the fortress; there lay the ocean. I felt as though I could see my home. If I served under Duke Peter, I would still be fulfilling my oath to Henry and to the Pope. I would be fighting in a crusade and I felt that I could trust this man. Certainly, his words had shown me that he was a thinker and was not reckless. He understood strategy.
“Very well, Duke Peter. I shall go and tell my men that we will follow your standard.”
My knights could not have cared less about the banner we followed but William was concerned for he was a thinker and we sat by the harbour while he explained his misgivings, “Father, we need not follow any banner. You are the Earl of Cleveland, why should we obey the orders of any lord?”
“Because we are part of this crusade and King Thibaut commands. If we were not part of the Breton knights, we would be with another, de Montfort, Henry of Bar, Hugh of Burgundy. I am happy for it to be Duke Peter for he seems to have some grasp of the inherent threats which lie in this land.”
I could see that I had partly convinced my son. “When Richard of Cornwall reaches us then we can go home. I would not follow his orders for he is even younger than our King and has less experience in battle than Henry Samuel!” William smiled. “And we will be rewarded. For myself, that means nothing as there is nothing more I wish, neither money nor land but you and the knights I lead are young and it would be foolish to come home without some reward.”