Code:
1135 - Death of Henry I and the taking of the throne by his nephew Stephen.
1139 - The year that the daughter of Henry I, Matilda, invades England, declaring a challenge to Stephen's crown. John is Stephen's Marshal.
1144 - With no actual birth records, this is the estimated year of William's birth and possibly the time around which John Marshal turns his allegiance from Stephen to Matilda.
1152 - The seige on Newbury Castle where Stephen holds William hostage and the battle that leads to a treaty between Stephen and his daughter. In a dramatic moment, Stephen prepares to hang young William because of John Marshal's treachery. John told the King to do as he pleases, "I have the hammers and the anvils to forge still an even finer son". Angered, Stephen allows his generals to take the boy out to the noose, but as they are about to hang the boy, Stephen personally carries the young William to safety, promising that young William will never come to harm while in Stephen's care.
1153 - The year the treaty is signed.
1154 - Stephen dies and Henry II rules as King. William is returned to his parents when Stephen dies.
1156 - William is sent to Normandy to be educated as a knight by his politically powerful cousin William of Tancerville, Chamberlain to the Duke of Normandy. William wept at saying goodbye to his mother, brothers and sisters. No record of his father being present at his leaving is written of.
1164 - William is knighted finally. The ceremony took place during an episode in the war between Henry II of England and Louis VII of France, when Henry called upon William of Tancarville to assist his ally, Count John of Eu. Meeting Count John and William de Manderville, Earl of Essex, at Drincourt (now Neufchatel-en-Bray), northeast of Rouen, the Lord of Tancarville decided to knight William in anticipation of the battle. During the melee, William breaks his lance, loses his horse but fights to free the village. The villagers cheer him on as he, nearly alone, cuts his way through the French army that block the street. His cousin from Tancarville weeps the tears of pride as he sees his young cousin; he says, "Look! Look at William! He fights to deliver the town rather than to take prisoners!" Another argues, "He takes no ransom, my lord. He will have nothing." The older William cuts the other off, "He is the only knight in battle this day."
1165 thru 1166 - William travels and practices the art of battle in the tournament. He wins his first tourny, but when the heralds seek him out, they find him at the blacksmith's shop, having to have his helmet removed. It had been hit so many times and beaten so tightly onto his head that it has threatened to kill him. After this, he remains undefeated in battle and shows other knights and nobles the true meaning of chivalry.
1167 - Young William returns to England where his father and stepbrothers Walter and Gilbert have all passed away. William's only brother, John, holds the family office of Marshal for the King. William, not wanting to sojourn, meets up with his uncle Patrick, the Earl of Salisbury, to suppress a revolt in Poitou. In an ambush near Lusignan, William's uncle is killed. Severely wounded himself, William is taken prisoner. Eleanor, Henry II's Queen, pays the ransom for William. William, the battle was lost, is revered now and recognized as a gallant knight by even the King himself.
1170 - Henry II crowns his eldest son, also named Henry, as a king. Henry II also names William as head of the new young King's household as well as being placed in charge of his military training. Astonishingly, the young King was much into being a knight, and receives the knighting blow, called the colée, from William himself.
1174 - The young King and William separate after rumors of William and young Henry's Queen are maliciously spread by envious knights. William travels through Europe, beginning 12 years of knight-errantry and a successful participation with the tourny.
1177 - William partners up with the Roger de Gaugi and both are undefeated in the tourny.
1179 - After demanding the right to prove his innocence before both Henrys, William finds himself frustrated again when they state no contest. He leaves after giving a great speech on the injustice he feels. The young Henry releases his Queen back to her brother, Philip of France, and begs for William to return. William rejoins the young King's household, continuing to fight in tournaments. Philip II is now King of France.
1183 - After a tourny, William receives word to rush to meet young Henry. While enroute to the young King, William happens upon a young man and woman, who are in fact a monk and a girl who have eloped. This disturbs William some. But he is enraged when he hears the young man say he plans to lend out his money for profit. He proclaims, "By the sword of God! I don't care what you two do with one another. Your sin remains between you. But by God, a man of the cloth enacting the sin of usury?! This will not do!" and takes their money from them and divvies it up with the two other soldiers traveling with him. Upon his arrival to the household of the young King, he discovers young Henry has taken seriously ill. Now on his death bed, the young King, who has just taken his Crusader's vow, requests William to take his Crusader's cloak to Jerusalem and place it on the Holy Sepulchre. After the young King's death, his father, Henry II, gives William two fine horses and money for the journey to the Holy Land.
1184 thru 1186 - William remained in Syria where he fought alongside the revered Knights Templar. They found him a man of true chivalry and courage. Being one of the few outsiders accepted into the ranks of the Templars, this relationship in Middle East would serve later in his relationship with the Templars.
1187 - Returning to England, Henry II request the service of William. But the household is full if treachery. Henry's sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John are constantly at odds with their father. In one attempt to take his father hostage, Richard hears that his ill father is traveling from Chinon. Not using his wits, Richard launches off to take his father, but forgetting his weapons. William sees Richard and is enraged at the youth. Richard, realizing his mistake all but too late, cries out, "By God's legs, Marshal! Kill me not, that would be wrong for I am unarmed!" William, whose sense of honor as a knight is equaled only by his sense of justice, runs his lance through the neck of Richard's horse, sending Richard head over heels onto his ass, calling out to the young Prince, "No. Let the devil kill you this day, for I shall not!" So impressed by William, Henry II promises to William the hand of Isabel de Clare, the 18-year-old daughter of the Earl of Pembroke. Owning this property in Wales and Ireland could finally offer William, for the first time in his life, a position of wealth. He also discovers love with Isabel. John d'Erley becomes William's squire.
1189 - Henry II dies. Richard attends the royal funeral. Now King, of all those whom sided with his father against him, he calls upon William to meet with him and his royal counsel privately. His first words were to William, "Marshal, the other day you sought to kill me, and dead I would surely be if I had not turned your lance aside with my arm. That would have been an evil day for you." William returned, "Sire, I had no intention of killing you, nor did I ever try to do so. I am still strong enough to direct my lance. If I had wished, I should have struck your body, as I did not do so by mistake, nor do I repent doing so." Richard studied his remarks and replied, "Marshal, I pardon you. Never shall I bear you rancor for it." This was to William's relief. Then one of the other generals says of the Lady Isabel, "Might I remind you sire, that your father gave her to Marshal." Richard, knowing that the gift was over William's defense of Henry from Richard, answered sharply, "By God's legs he did no such thing. He but only promised to do so," Then he calmly added, "But I will give her to Marshal freely, both Lady and lands." Richard then oversaw the marriage of William and the young Isabel. William was now a general for Richard as well as the earl of Pembroke.
1193 - With help from Philip of France, Prince John seizes Windsor Castle in an attempted coup for the throne while Richard is being held captive for ransom by Germans. William lays siege on the castle and holds John and his troops at bay until Richard's release. John takes flight to France.
1194 - While Richard went off to battle in Syria and Europe, spending little to no time at all in England. William's relationship with his new bride flourishes. Then William's brother John dies. William is now appointed to the office of Marshal.
1197 - Leads an army for Richard and captures the castle at Beauvais.
1199 - In January Richard is mortally wounded in a battle at Chalus-Chabrol by a crossbow bolt. His last official command before dying is to have William made Custodian of the Royal Treasure.
1210 - In a common tantrum, John makes a claim that William has acted in some treasonous manner. William, who counts only one thing above his duty, and that is his honor, throws his gauntlet down before the King. When the King doesn't respond, he challenges any knight to pick the gauntlet up in the name of the King. None do so. His honor restored.
1215 - With sympathies with the barons but loyalties lay with John, William rode with the King to Runnymeade for the signing of Magna Carta. While William signs on behalf of the royal court, his eldest son signs on behalf of the barons.
1216 - In the Fall, John dies and makes William Regent of England until his son Henry is old enough to reign. It is only after the Pope promises that William will be forgiven for the many that have died at his hands, that William will accept.
1217 - Philip orders the Count of Persche to lay siege on Lincoln Castle near Dover. They successfully take the region, but William, defending the crown of the new young king, leads the army into battle at the age of 75. He spots Persche during the battle and, while he really wants to capture the Frenchman, the younger French officer makes a fatal mistake in trying to trade blows with William. William ends up killing Persche when a splinter from his lance pierces Perche's skull through his helmet.
1219 - on Tuesday, May 14, William Marshal, once Earl of Pembroke, Marshal to four kings, Protector of the Royal Treasury, and finally Regent of England - succumbs to death after a long illness. When word reaches the palace of Philip of France, he openly weeps, declaring that the Marshal was the true flower of chivalry.
1241 - All sons and direct male descendents of William Marshal whom could carry on the Marshal name are dead.
William Marshal
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Originally Posted by Cleitanious
