Medieval knights were among the celebrities of their day – warriors, leaders, and scholars. They became figures of romance and inspiration, giving them a special status in our imaginations.
Here are seven of the most famous men who gave knighthood its allure.
William Marshal (1146-1219)
Head of the effigy of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, in Temple Church, London. Photo Credit.Described as ‘the greatest knight that ever lived’ by Archbishop Stephen Langton, William Marshal rose from minor nobility to become the most respected knight in England. After embarrassing himself with hot-headed behavior at his first battle at the age of twenty, he joined the glamorous French tournament circuit, becoming a popular combatant. Following the death of his close friend Henry, son of King Henry II, Marshal went on crusade in his friend’s memory.
On returning to England, Marshal fought for Henry II, helped rule the country in Richard I’s absence, and was a signatory to Magna Carta during the rebellion against King John. Following John’s death in 1216, Marshal became the protector of the young Henry III. Aged 70, he took the field at the Battle of Lincoln, defeating the combined rebellion and French invasion threatening the young king. On his deathbed, he was made a member of the Knights Templar and buried in the Temple Church in London.
Geoffroi de Charny (1300-1356)
The Battle of Poitiers (1356) Eugène Delacroix.A French nobleman, Sir Geoffroi de Charny was known by many as ‘a true and perfect knight’. He was also a scholar of knighthood, writing at least three books on the subject. His Book of Chivalry remains one of the most important sources on 14th century knightly behaviour.
Fighting against the English in the Hundred Years’ War, Charny was captured twice. Such was his reputation for honesty that he was let out of captivity to raise his own ransom.
After fighting courageously in several important battles, Charny was killed in the front line at the Battle of Poitiers, carrying the Oriflamme, the French royal banner, to the last.
James Douglas (1286-1330)
A Victorian depiction of Sir James (third from left), and other leaders of the Wars of Independence by William Brassey Hole, part of a mural in the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo Credit.James Douglas was only a child when his father died fighting alongside William Wallace against the English invasion of Scotland. Sent to Paris for his own safety, it was there that he learned the ways of knighthood. On his return to Britain, he found King Edward I unwilling to restore his family’s lands, and so joined Robert the Bruce in the successful first Scottish war of Independence.
A leading fighter in the Scottish guerrilla war, Sir James captured Douglas and Roxburgh Castles (1307 and 1314) and fought in the famous Scottish victory at Bannockburn (1314). He became one of Bruce’s closest companions, and was known by the English as the Black Douglas.
When Bruce – now King Robert I – died in 1329 he asked Sir James to take his heart to Jerusalem. Diverted to a crusade against the Saracens in Spain, Douglas saw a fellow knight become surrounded at the Battle of Teba. Throwing Bruce’s heart ahead of him, he charged into the thick of the fighting and died a warrior to the last.
Sir Henry Percy (1364-1403)
The Pennon or banner flown by Sir Henry Percy aka Harry Hotspur and taken from him in combat by James Douglas, Earl of Douglas.The Percy family were one of the most powerful in northern England. Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, this part of the country was plagued by violence, including local feuds, Scottish raids and even rebellions. Sir Henry Percy, known as Hotspur, became a part of this.
Knighted at the age of 13, Hotspur fought in his first battle only a year later, helping to capture Berwick Castle. He proved an excellent warrior and leader, famed for his skill and courage in tournaments, on crusade in Prussia, in England’s wars with France and in fighting Scottish border raiders.
Hotspur helped put the rebel Henry Bolingbroke on the throne as King Henry IV in 1399. But the two then fell out. Hotspur himself rebelled in 1403, and was killed in battle by royal forces at Shrewsbury. The King wept for his friend’s death, but displayed his head on a pole as a warning to other traitors.
Continued on Page 2
Pentru a putea adăuga comentarii trebuie să fii membru al altmarius !
Alătură-te reţelei altmarius