Do Something!   It is a better choice than doing nothing.

Assignment to my Squire – Read a book on the life of Sir William Marshal – write an essay of no less than 500 words that gives a short synopsis of his life AND a brief explanation on how his life relates to the SCA and how we operate within it.

(This is an extrapolation of a task my knight (Sir Conal MacDale) assigned to me.) The following is her Essay.

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On William the Marshall, and Relating His Life to our Society for Creative Anachronism

Lillie Rainey

Lady Leyli Shirazi

Squire to Sir Ulrich von Brandenburg

  William Marshall was the fourth son of John the Marshall by his second wife, and grandson of Gilbert the Marshall.  He was born around 1146.  His father was not originally a man of high position or wealth, but he was a trusted Royal official.  He also proved to be a traitor and a man whose word could not always be trusted.  He came to marry William’s mother (the lady Sibile, a member of one of the great feudal families of England) when she was offered to him by an enemy turned ally.  Of course, this meant he had to put away his first wife and mother of his first two sons, but she was a lesser heiress, so it was evidently worth the trouble.

John the Marshall was somewhat of an important figure at the time in the fight for the throne between Stephen and Matilda.  He began the war on the side of Stephen and led many great battles for him.  He then switched sides and did the same for Matilda.  In one particular battle, Stephen required that John give William to him as surety that he would not go back on his agreements regarding a particular castle.  John agreed and gave William, then a young boy of around 5 or six years old to Stephen.  He then promptly broke his word, sentencing William to death by hanging.  King Stephen liked the boy and didn’t have the heart to carry out the sentence, sparing Williams’ life and one who would be a key figure in the future of England throughout the next several rulers.

William returned to his father after peace was made and at the age of 13 it was arranged that he would go to Normandy to be trained as a knight by his father’s cousin William Lord of Tancarville and hereditary Chamberlain of Normandy.  For eight years he served as squire perfecting his skills with arms, chivalric ideas, how to care for his equipment and other more gentle skills such as singing and dancing.  He also gained a reputation for eating, drinking and sleeping.  In the summer of 1167 the handsome young William was made a knight.  It was a good time to be a young knight as there were plenty of opportunities for him to prove himself worthy of his new station.  And prove himself he did.

William learned quickly that war was as much a business as a path to fame and he became very skilled at that business.  He seems to have enjoyed the game of it with taking captives, confiscating horses and outwitting other knights in the collection of ransoms.   From his first tournaments, he excelled; showing both skill and intellect.  He continued to gain a name for himself both in tournaments and in military exploits over the next many years.

In 1170 Henry I (Matilda’s son) decided to formally name his son Henry II heir to his throne.  He appointed William Marshall as the young king’s tutor in Chivalry.  This was the beginning of William’s rise in the esteem of royalty.  By 1173 he had done his job so well that he girded the young King Henry with a belt of Chivalry.  Over the next 10 years, he was a member of Henry’s household and they were very active in tournaments all across the country.  William solidified his place as a favorite of the young King and was highly thought of by his father King Henry I in spite of numerous squabbled between the elder and younger Henrys.

In June of 1183 Prince Henry died of illness.  William was asked to become a member of King Henry I’s own household.  As King Henry’s man, William proved himself a capable and strong leader time and time again.  The king listened to his counsel and gave to him one of the richest heiresses in England.  The next king, Richard, took William into his service as well and William became a Baron and increased his holdings and his fame under his reign.  He also served in other capacities at the time including Associate Judicar and when his older brother died, he inherited the Master Marshallate of the king’s court.

In April of 1199, Richard died of a crossbolt wound and after much deliberation, John (Richard’s brother) was named the new king.  William also served John faithfully and counseled him on numerous occasions.  Their relations were sometimes strained to say the least, but it could never be said that William was not loyal.  In the end, under John, William’s place in England grew even higher.  Some of John’s last words when he died in 1216 were to apologize to William for ever doubting him and to entrust his 9 year old son to William so that he would “hold England for him”.  It was agreed that William would become Regent of England.  He kept this post well until April of 1219, for all intents and purposes ruling England in the name of the young King Henry.  The next month, he died, leaving his family and household well cared for.

How does William’s life apply to what we do in the SCA?  Well, I think you could look at this several different ways.  On the most basic level, William took a bit of raw talent and not much else and rose to the highest place that one not born into the throne of England could go.  In the SCA, we have no royal lineage, no birthrights, you are what you make of yourself.  William chose to be loyal above all else, devoted to his cause and nearly unquestionable in his honor.  Long after his physical stature could have seemed lofty or threatening, his name struck fear in the hearts of those who would go against him.  Clearly, he realized early on that his reputation was very important, and for the most part, he kept it very clean.  These are all traits that we choose to hold dear in the SCA.  Though just like politics in 12^th century England, there are often squabbles and questionable activities brewing under the surface, our goal is to rise above these and still be examples of the Chivalric virtues we hold dear.  On a more practical level, William had to learn all of the things that we need to learn to have a well-rounded grasp of the SCA.  He danced, sang, learned to outwit and outthink his opponents, learned to care for his equipment, learned to fight, learned to follow and learned to lead.  William served 5 different King’s of England.  His loyalty was to each during their time, but his greater loyalty was to England herself.  There were times when his mind was clearly divided, but he never did anything he felt was hurtful to his country.  He did not follow blindly, but spoke up when he felt his king was making a poor decision.  He earned a great deal of respect for this and his opinions were highly regarded by most.  In the same way, whom we serve changes twice per year, but the heart of the matter is that we all serve for the good of the Society.  We serve our kings, prices, and kingdoms…but when all is said and done if the Society as a whole fails, we all lose.  Thus we should all take ownership of our Society and our Kingdom within it.  We should speak up when we see things done poorly, and we should speak up when we see things done well.  Using this type of wisdom we all benefit and the dream we share lives on.

William Marshal: Knight Errant, Baron, and Regent of England by Sidney Painter first published in 1933.