William Marshal is renowned in history as the greatest knight of all time. But what makes him deserving of this title? Are his accomplishments truly as legendary and heroic as they seem? Read on and decide for yourself if William Marshal was truly the greatest knight ever.
Early Life
William Marshal was born in 1146 or 1147, sources are unsure which date is correct. His name is synonymous with words such as bravery, chivalry, and honesty and he became the ideal model of a knight in Medieval England.
William’s life spanned the reign of six kings of England, and he personally served five of them. The primary source for information on William Marshal comes from L’Histoire de Guillaume le Marechal, a contemporary source by an unknown author penned shortly after Marshal died in 1219.
William was the younger son of John Marshal, a loyal defender of Matilda, the previous king, Henry I‘s only legitimate child. As such, she was the rightful heir to the English Crown. William Marshal was born in a time of great turmoil for England; a civil war had been raging for 20 years between Matilda and her cousin, Stephen, who had taken the crown of England from her. It was known as the Anarchy and left England in a state of duress.
How the author of Marshal’s tale starts the knight’s story indicates how the rest of Marshal’s life would go. The author brings us to the middle of a siege where Marshal’s father, John, is defending a castle in the name of Matilda while King Stephen, her treacherous cousin, is attacking.
During the castle’s siege, young William escaped and found himself captured by King Stephen’s men. Hoping to use the young child as leverage, King Stephen threatened to catapult young William into the air and at the castle walls if John did not surrender. To this, William’s father responded coldly, “I have anvil and hammers enough to make more and better sons!” Wow… thanks, Dad! Lucky for William, King Stephen liked the young boy’s enthusiastic curiosity and decided to spare him. William remained a prisoner of King Stephen for months until the Treaty of Wallingford was signed, effectively ending the Anarchy and allowing young William to return home.
Young Adulthood and Training
William was the youngest of four sons and faced an uncertain future, as he would not inherit any land or titles from his father. After King Stephen’s imprisonment, William began living with William de Tancarville, a powerful knight from Normandy. Under Tancarville’s patronage, William learned the ways of a knight and participated in numerous tournaments across Europe and England, continually improving his skills.
Tournaments, which were mock battles organized by noblemen, provided young knights with valuable training and also served as social events where they could form alliances and seek patronage. These gatherings featured feasts, pageantry, and an emphasis on promoting chivalry, making them much more than mere battles.
In 1166, Marshal was knighted, and in 1170, he began serving in the court of Henry II. Soon, he was appointed a tutor to Henry “the Young King,” Henry II’s son and heir. This began a friendship between the two young men, characterized by mutual respect, admiration, and loyalty. Their bond was further strengthened through tournaments where they fought together, with Marshal consistently proving his absolute loyalty in protecting his friend. Both men gained reputations as fierce warriors, but it was Marshal who stood out among the young king’s squad.
Marshal’s loyalty would often be proven throughout his friendship with Henry. The author of Marshal’s biography tells of a story involving a few jealous knights in the Young King’s service. This story threatened to destroy the friendship between the Young King and Marshal and ruin Marshal’s reputation for life. The jealous knights told Henry that Marshal had an affair with his wife, Margaret. At first, Henry did not believe the slanderous accusations, but if you hear something enough times—you’ll start to believe it.
Instead of hopelessly defending himself, Marshal left the young king’s service for a time, knowing that he’d be unable to prove his innocence as the jealous knights were persistent in their attempt at ruining Marshal’s reputation.
Thankfully, in due time, the Young King came to his senses and called back his friend and mentor to his side. Their friendship lasted for the next few years, with Marshal’s loyalty being tested as the Young King went to war against his father. Marshal used his diplomatic nuance to navigate between supporting the Young King and not directly opposing King Henry II. Talk about walking a tightrope!
Unfortunately, the friendship between Marshal and Henry was not meant to last. The Young King died of dysentery in 1183, at the age of 20. Marshal was at the Young King’s deathbed, holding onto his hand and listening to his dear friend’s last words and wishes.
If there is a quality that stood out about William Marshal, it was his unwavering loyalty to the English crown and the Plantagenets that ruled the realm. This was again proven when Marshal promised the Young King Henry on his deathbed that he, Marshal, would take up the cross on his behalf and head to the Holy Land to protect it against the infidels.
This was not something to be taken lightly. Taking the cross for the Holy Land was a serious commitment. Many people perished just on the journey to Jerusalem, not to mention the casualties upon arriving. William Marshal’s decision to take Henry the Young King’s cross speaks volumes about Marshal’s character and determination. It further enhanced his reputation for chivalry and loyalty.
The Next Three Kings
King Henry II died in 1189, and his son, Richard, became the next king of England. When Henry II was slowly dying, William Marshal was still in his service, fighting against Henry’s son, Richard. The story goes that, during the late 1180s, while Richard was rebelling against his father, Marshal came across Richard and Phillip II of France attempting to besiege Henry II’s castle of Chinon.
Once Marshal recognized Richard on horseback attempting to charge toward him, Marshal also charged with his lance and pointed directly at Richard at top speed. Marshal galloped toward Richard and, instead of striking Richard straight on, purposely lowered his lance so as to not give Richard a fatal blow. Once the two knights came face-to-face, Richard said, “I thought you were about to kill me!” To which Marshal replied, “Sire, if I wanted to kill you, I would have.” Marshal demonstrated remarkable restraint and respect for Richard as a prince and possible future king of England.
Despite this episode, Marshal served a vital role throughout Richard’s reign as king. While Richard was away fighting the Third Crusade, Marshal was entrusted with the governance of England along with a council of regents. Marshal provided stability to the country during unrest while the king was away. This was particularly true when Richard’s younger brother, John, attempted to grab power. Once Richard returned, Marshal assisted him in regaining power from his brother and the other rebellious nobles. Marshal’s actions during this period only contributed to his already impressive legacy as a knight and statesman.
When Henry II’s youngest son, John, came to the throne, William Marshal again found himself at the royal court. John, not Richard the Lionheart’s nephew, Arthur of Brittany, was named Richard’s successor. This was in part due to the support from John’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Marshal.
When Marshal voiced his support for the youngest OG Plantangent, the archbishop of Canterbury was recorded telling Marshal, “You’ll never regret a decision more so than this.” Those were pretty strong words of warning coming from England’s most senior holy man. So strong was Marshal’s sense of loyalty to the crown and the royal family that regardless of the archbishop’s words of warning, William’s support of John as the next king did not waver.
John’s reign was chaotic and unstable; it ended with the signing of one of the most critical documents in Western history, the Magna Carta, and a possible invasion by France. King John was a vengeful man who demanded complete loyalty and servitude from his barons. Throughout John’s reign, Marshal walked a tight line, trying his best not to upset the temperamental, insecure king. There were even times when the Marshal left the kingdom for Ireland to avoid John’s wrath. However, once the Magna Carta was negotiated between the barons and King John, William Marshal, ever loyal to the crown, acted as an in-between for the barons and John throughout the document’s signing.
King John died in 1216. He left behind a nine-year-old heir, who would become Henry III. King John died amid a civil war after deliberately going against the outlines of the Magna Carta that promised a fairer government. Thus, Marshal was again caught between his loyalty to the crown and to the barons of whom he was a part.
His loyalty to the crown outweighed everything, and at 70 years old, William Marshal found himself strapped into his battle armor atop his horse and charging into the melee to help preserve the kingdom for young Henry III.
Death
William Marshal died on May 14th, 1219. He was around 72 years old and knew that his death was fast approaching. On his deathbed, Marshal summoned his children and close friends to his bedside, instructing his children to remain loyal to the crown and to continue to serve Henry III. Marshal’s last wish was to be buried in Temple Church as a member of the Knights Templar.
The death of William Marshal marked the end of one of the most extraordinary lives of the Middle Ages. His life spanned the service of five English kings. It was a true rags-to-riches story that started with Marshal as a lowly younger son who advanced to become one of the most respected and wealthy knights of his age. Marshal is still revered as the pinnacle of knightly behavior and a model knight.
