![]() ![]() The chivalric code was strongly influenced by Christianity In it Marshal is described as ‘the best knight in the world’. William Marshal’s incredible story is chronicled in the Histoire de Guillaume le Maréchal, the only known written biography of a non-royal to survive from the Middle Ages. Nearly thirty years later in 1217, a 70-year-old William Marshall defeated an invading French army at Lincoln. Despite this, when Richard ascended the English throne later that year, William became one of his most dependable generals and was left to govern England when Richard departed for the Holy Land. In 1189, William even unseated Richard, soon to be Richard I, in battle when Richard was leading a rebellion against his father, King Henry II. He was considered the greatest tournament knight of his age and also spent some years fighting in the Holy Land. The biggest hero of his day, William Marshal’s name sits alongside King Arthur and Richard the Lionheart as one of England’s most famous knights. William Marshal was one of England’s greatest knights Roland dies in battle a martyr and his act of valour is seen as exemplifying the courage and selflessness of a true knight and vassal to the king. Rather than alert Charlemagne to the ambush by blowing a horn, Roland and his men face the ambush alone, so as not to risk the lives of the king and his troops. ![]() ![]() The titular Roland is leading the rear guard when his men are ambushed while crossing the Pyrenees Mountains. The Song of Roland tells the story of Charlemagne’s victory over the final Saracen army in Spain (a campaign that began in 778). Meaning “songs of great deeds”, chansons de geste were French heroic poems written in the Middle Ages. Image Credit: circa 1923: American silent screen star Gloria Swanson (1897 - 1983) in a scene from an unknown film. The eight phases of the poem are seen here in one painting. ![]()
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