William Marshall I & II
William Marshall is one of those larger than life characters that you sometimes hear about, and yet his name is not that widely known. He was a minor noble by birth who rose to become the most powerful man in England. He claimed to have bested over 500 knights in tournaments as a young man, and became rich from their ransoms. In fact he made a living out of winning tournaments. Tournaments were at that time dangerous – often deadly – battles, far from the showy jousting contests that they would later become later on. Money, armour, horses and valuable prizes could be won by capturing and ransoming opponents. William’s record on the tournament circuit became legendary. No modern counterpart exists, but some idea of his fame and prestige might be imagined by combining the world's most famous footballer with the world heavyweight boxing champion and equestrian Olympic gold medallist.
Marshall’s first royal appointment was to Henry II in 1170. Henry often has a bit of family trouble concerning his sons and during a skirmish in northern France in 1189, William came face to face with the then rebellious Richard and promptly unhorsed him; rather than putting the prince to the sword he choose to make his point by killing Richard’s horse instead.
Shortly after their chance meeting, Henry II died and Richard became king. Although they had fought only days before, Richard rewarded William by giving him the hand of Isabel de Clare, heiress to the estates of Strongbow in England, Ireland, Normandy and Wales. And so at the age of 43 William married his 17-year-old bride, transforming the landless knight from a minor family into a great baron and one of the richest men in the kingdom.
As well as defeating over 500 opponents in single combat, he knighted two kings, ruled England as Regent, beat a powerful French army on English soil, saved the kingdom of England, and earned the respect of Europe. He was called “The Flower of Chivalry”. Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury, described him as the "greatest knight that ever lived". Fulfilling the vow he had made while on crusade, he was inducted into the order of the Knights Templar on his deathbed. He died on 14 May 1219 at Caversham, and was buried here in the Temple Church in London.
William Marshall Junior was responsible for the commissioning of L'Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal, the first known biography of a medieval knight, in order to record his father's extraordinary career. Based on oral and written testimony, it was completed in 1226. During the rebellion of the Barons of 1215, the younger William allied with the rebels and was one of the sureties who signed the Magna Carta, even though his father was a signatory for the royal side. William died aged just 40 [he may have been poisoned] and was buried near his father in the Temple Church on April 15, 1231
William Marshall I & II
William Marshall is one of those larger than life characters that you sometimes hear about, and yet his name is not that widely known. He was a minor noble by birth who rose to become the most powerful man in England. He claimed to have bested over 500 knights in tournaments as a young man, and became rich from their ransoms. In fact he made a living out of winning tournaments. Tournaments were at that time dangerous – often deadly – battles, far from the showy jousting contests that they would later become later on. Money, armour, horses and valuable prizes could be won by capturing and ransoming opponents. William’s record on the tournament circuit became legendary. No modern counterpart exists, but some idea of his fame and prestige might be imagined by combining the world's most famous footballer with the world heavyweight boxing champion and equestrian Olympic gold medallist.
Marshall’s first royal appointment was to Henry II in 1170. Henry often has a bit of family trouble concerning his sons and during a skirmish in northern France in 1189, William came face to face with the then rebellious Richard and promptly unhorsed him; rather than putting the prince to the sword he choose to make his point by killing Richard’s horse instead.
Shortly after their chance meeting, Henry II died and Richard became king. Although they had fought only days before, Richard rewarded William by giving him the hand of Isabel de Clare, heiress to the estates of Strongbow in England, Ireland, Normandy and Wales. And so at the age of 43 William married his 17-year-old bride, transforming the landless knight from a minor family into a great baron and one of the richest men in the kingdom.
As well as defeating over 500 opponents in single combat, he knighted two kings, ruled England as Regent, beat a powerful French army on English soil, saved the kingdom of England, and earned the respect of Europe. He was called “The Flower of Chivalry”. Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury, described him as the "greatest knight that ever lived". Fulfilling the vow he had made while on crusade, he was inducted into the order of the Knights Templar on his deathbed. He died on 14 May 1219 at Caversham, and was buried here in the Temple Church in London.
William Marshall Junior was responsible for the commissioning of L'Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal, the first known biography of a medieval knight, in order to record his father's extraordinary career. Based on oral and written testimony, it was completed in 1226. During the rebellion of the Barons of 1215, the younger William allied with the rebels and was one of the sureties who signed the Magna Carta, even though his father was a signatory for the royal side. William died aged just 40 [he may have been poisoned] and was buried near his father in the Temple Church on April 15, 1231