Known for his loyalty to the kings.

Per pale or and vert, a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure.

Boutell's Heraldry, 1973 edition, Plate II, no 11, says this is now used for the Marshal of England.

Per pale or and vert, a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure.

RCLPL’s Achievement of 1927 by C of A.

Marshal, William, first Earl of Pembroke and Striguil of the Marshal line d. 1219

Name: Marshal, William
Title: first Earl of Pembroke and Striguil of the Marshal line
Dates: d. 1219
Active Date: 1199
Gender: Male

Field of Interest: Royalty and Society
Occupation: Regent of England
Place of
    Death: Caversham, near Reading
    Burial: Temple Church at London
Spouse: Isabella or Eva, daughter of Richard de Clare, earl of Pembroke and Striguil
Likenesses: 1...
Sources: The Histoire de Guillaume le Maréchal, a long French poem...
Contributor: C. L. K. [CHARLES LETHBRIDGE KINGSFORD]

Co-subject: Marshal, Gilbert, fourth Earl of Pembroke and STRIGUIL
Dates: d. 1241
Active Date: 1221
Gender: Male

Co-subject: Marshal, Walter, fifth Earl
Dates: d. 1245
Active Date: 1225
Gender: Male

Co-subject: Marshal, Anselm, [sixth and last earl of Pembroke and Striguil]
Dates: d. 1245
Active Date: 1225
Gender: Male

Article
Marshal, William, first Earl of Pembroke and Striguil of the Marshal
line d. 1219, regent of England, was second son of John Marshal (d.
1164?) [q.v.], by his second wife, Sibyl, sister of Patrick, earl of Salisbury.
He is represented as describing himself as over eighty years of age in
1216 (Histoire, l. 15510), but his father and mother were not married till
1141 (ib. ll. 372-83), and 1146 is a more likely date for his birth. When
Stephen besieged John Marshal at Newbury in 1152, the young William
was given as hostage for a truce and the surrender of the castle. John
Marshal refused to keep the terms, and his son's life would have been
sacrificed had not Stephen, attracted by the child's bold spirit and pretty
ways, protected him (ib. ll. 400-650; cf. HENRY OF HUNTINGDON, p. 284).
When peace was made William was restored to his father, and early in the
reign of Henry II was sent to his cousin William, the Chamberlain of
Tancarville, in Normandy, to be trained in knightly accomplishments. As
he grew to manhood Marshal earned a high reputation for valour, but
most of the incidents referred to this time in the ‘Histoire’ belong rather
to 1173. In the autumn of 1167 Marshal returned to England, and, joining
his uncle, Earl Patrick, at Salisbury, accompanied him in the following
spring to Poitou. Hardly had Patrick arrived in that province when he was
slain on 27 March by the Poitevins under Geoffrey de Lusignan. Marshal
endeavoured to revenge his uncle's death, but was himself wounded and
taken prisoner. After a miserable captivity in Geoffrey's hands he was at
length ransomed by Queen Eleanor, who furnished him with arms and
money.
On his return to England in 1170 Marshal was chosen by the king to
be one of those in charge of his eldest son Henry (Histoire, ll. 1940-8). The
friendship thus commenced lasted till the young king's death, and when
the war of 1173 broke out Marshal sided with his master (Gesta Henrici, i.
46). But first he went to the Chamberlain of Tancarville, who knighted him
at Driencourt or Neufchatel-en-Bray, and under whom he won distinction
in the half-hearted warfare of the Norman barons with the Flemings
before Neufchatel in July 1173. Then he rejoined the young king, who
elected to receive knighthood at his hands, and with whom he went over
to England in May 1175, remaining there till April 1176. Despite his share
in the rebellion, Marshal does not seem to have forfeited the trust of
Henry II, who once more charged him with the care of his son (Histoire, ll.
2428-30). For the next seven years he was constantly with the young
king, winning universal admiration by his prowess in tournaments, and
rising steadily in his master's favour (ib. ll. 2500-5000). His position made
him many enemies, who endeavoured to poison the young Henry's mind
against him. Marshal treated their calumnies with disdain, and when at
length his accusers for a time prevailed, endured his master's wrath in
dignified silence. A brief reconciliation and a fresh quarrel followed, and
the affair was then brought before Henry II when he kept Christmas at
Caen in 1182. Marshal defied his accusers to meet him in single combat,
but the king refused permission, and Marshal left the court apparently in
disgrace. His fame as a soldier brought him tempting offers from many
French nobles, but Marshal refused them all, and after taking part in a
tournament near Gournai in January 1183, went on a pilgrimage to
Cologne. He then stayed some time in France, until, during the war in
Poitou, the young Henry, by the advice of Geoffrey de Lusignan, recalled
his trusty friend and adviser. Soon afterwards Henry fell ill and died at
Martel on 11 June 1183. On his deathbed he charged Marshal to bear his
cross to the Holy Sepulchre. Henry II granted the needful permission, and
furnished Marshal with money for the journey. So after a short visit to
England Marshal departed to Syria, where in two years he achieved such
exploits as no one else would have done in seven, so that King Guy and
the Templars and Hospitallers were very loth to let him go.
Marshal appears to have returned in the autumn of 1187, and found
the king at Liuns probably Lions la Forêt in Normandy (ib. l. 7302).
Henry at once took him into high favour, and made him a member of his
household, but the first definite mention of Marshal is as witness to a
charter at Geddington, Northamptonshire, in February 1188 (EYTON,
Itinerary of Henry II, p. 285). When Philip Augustus commenced
hostilities, Marshal returned with the king to France in July, and was
present at the conference at Gisors, 16-18 Aug. A proposal was made to
decide the quarrel by a contest of four chosen champions on either side.
Marshal supported the idea, and volunteered to be one of the English
champions, and with Henry's assent was despatched to convey the
proposition to Philip. This is the story in the ‘Histoire,’ which is in part
confirmed by the ‘Gesta Henrici,’ from which we learn that Marshal made
one of an embassy to the French king about this time. The proposal was,
however, rejected, and after some fighting before Gisors, Henry by
Marshal's advice made a raid towards Mantes and Ivry. Then the king fell
sick at Chinon, and Marshal obtained leave for a foray, which culminated
in a fierce attack on Montmirail (Histoire, ll. 7880-8050). This was before
the conference between Bonmoulins and Soligny, on 18 Nov., which led
to the open alliance of Philip and Richard (EYTON, Itinerary, p. 292).
Marshal made a vain endeavour to recall Richard to loyalty, and then
rejoined the king, who now rewarded his services by promising him the
hand of the heiress of Pembroke and Striguil (Histoire, l. 8304). About
April 1189 Marshal was sent with Ralph, archdeacon of Hereford, to try
and arrange terms with Philip at Paris. But their endeavours were
defeated by William Longchamp [q.v.], acting on behalf of Richard. After
the abortive conference at La Ferté on 4 June, Marshal joined with
Geoffrey de Bruillon in a reconnaissance across the Sarthe, and valiantly
endeavoured to stop the French advance on Mans. But Henry had to
withdraw in haste to Fresnai-sur-Sarthe, Marshal guarding his retreat.
As Marshal turned on their pursuers he found himself face to face with
Richard. ‘God's feet, Marshal!’ cried he, ‘slay me not.’ ‘The devil slay
you, for I will not,’ retorted Marshal, as he plunged his spear into
Richard's horse. Thus the pursuit was stayed, and Henry, reaching
Fresnai in safety, made his way to Chinon about the end of June. It was
by Marshal's advice, and under his care, that Henry went out to meet the
French king at Colombières on 4 July, and returned to die at Chinon two
days later. The king's son, Geoffrey, and Marshal were the chief of the
few faithful friends who remained with Henry to the last. It was Marshal
who now took command of the little party at Chinon, made such
provision as he could for his master's fitting burial, and escorted the body
to Fontevrault. Marshal's companions feared how he might fare after his
late encounter with the new king, but Marshal himself declared that he
did not repent of what he had done, and trusted in God, ‘who has helped
me ever since I was made knight.’ When Richard came, Marshal
preserved the same bold demeanour, and told him to his face, ‘I had it in
my power to slay you; I only slew your horse.’ Richard, with
characteristic generosity, recognised his true spirit of loyalty, and
granted him immediate pardon.
Marshal at once transferred to the new king the same steadfast
loyalty which he had shown to Henry. Richard sent him over to England
to take charge for him, but first, at the request of Geoffrey, his father's
chancellor, confirmed the grant of the heiress of Pembroke. Marshal's first
task in England was to release Queen Eleanor from her prison at
Winchester. Thence he went on to London, and at once married his bride
Isabella, daughter of Richard de Clare, earl of Pembroke and Striguil.
Thus Marshal, who till now had been ‘a landless man, with nought but
his knighthood,’ acquired a great position and wide lands in four
countries. At Richard's coronation, on 3 Sept. 1189, Marshal bore the
gold sceptre, while his elder brother, John, carried the spurs, the two thus
sharing the office of marshal. By Richard's orders Marshal obtained
seisin of his wife's Irish lands from Earl John, and sent his bailiff to take
possession. Marshal himself remained with Richard in England. In
October he swore at Westminster on Richard's behalf that the English
king would meet Philip at Vezelay next year. On 1 Dec. he was with the
king at Canterbury (Epistolæ Cantuarienses, p. 323, Rolls Ser.), and
probably accompanied him to France on 11 Dec., for he was still with
Richard at Rouen on 20 March 1190 (ib. p. 324). Richard had appointed
Marshal to be one of the subordinate justiciars under Longchamp, and
this appointment was renewed before the king started on the crusade.
But when Longchamp would not accept the advice of his subordinates,
Marshal joined in the opposition. If we may trust Hoveden, Marshal must
in the autumn have gone to Richard at Messina, for that writer distinctly
says (iii. 96) that in February 1191 the earl was sent home, in company of
Walter de Coutances, with power to arrange the quarrel. This, however,
is very improbable, but Marshal was specially associated with Walter,
and under the truce of Winchester in July he received Nottingham Castle
from John to hold for the king. At the council of St. Paul's on 8 Oct.
Walter exhibited his secret commission superseding Longchamp, and
appointing himself as justiciar, with Marshal as his chief subordinate.
Marshal was included by Longchamp in the sentence of
excommunication which he launched against his opponents in December
1191. But Richard would not believe Longchamp's complaint against
Marshal, who he declared had been ever the most loyal knight in all his
land (Histoire, ll. 9843-58). The year 1192 passed quietly under the rule of
Walter de Coutances, but at the beginning of 1193 came the news of
Richard's captivity. Earl John, abetted by Philip of France, raised a revolt,
and seized Windsor. The justiciar appealed for aid to Marshal, who
brought up his Welshmen and laid siege to Windsor in March, while
others of Richard's supporters prosecuted the war elsewhere. John had
been driven to extremities, when suddenly it was announced that
Richard was released.
Richard reached England on 13 March 1194. Marshal was prevented
from meeting him at once by the death of his brother John, by which
event he became marshal of England. But soon afterwards he joined the
king at Huntingdon, and accompanied him to the siege of Nottingham on
25-7 March. On 28 March his old enemy Longchamp urged the king to
require from Marshal the same homage for his Irish lands as Walter de
Lacy, sixth baron Lacy [q.v.], had just rendered. But when Marshal
pleaded that he owed fealty for them only to John, the king, much to his
chancellor's disgust, readily assented (ib. ll. 10012-340). Richard had more
than once thanked the earl for his loyal service, but perhaps he felt that
he could not entirely overlook the opposition to Longchamp, and this
may explain Marshal's transfer from the shrievalty of Lincoln, which he
had held since 1190, to that of Sussex, which he held for the remainder of
the reign. Richard went back to Normandy in May, but Marshal perhaps
remained in England, for in this year he was one of the justices before
whom fines were levied, as again in 1198 (HUNTER, Fines, lxiii.). Marshal
must in any case have come over with the reinforcements soon after
(Histoire, l. 10561), for he was with the king when the French baggage
train was plundered near Blois, and by Richard's desire guarded the
English rear from attack (ib. ll. 10597-676). Marshal accompanied Richard
on his siege of Vierzon in June 1196, and next year was sent on an
embassy to the Counts Reginald of Boulogne and Baldwin of Flanders.
The earl was successful in arranging a treaty, to which he was one of the
witnesses, as also to the document by which Baldwin pledged himself to
Earl John, on 8 Sept. at Rouen, not to make peace with Philip in case of
Richard's death (Recueil des Historiens de la France, xviii. 549; Federa, i.
67). In 1198 Marshal seems to have been aiding Baldwin, and by his
advice Philip was forced to retreat from before Arras (Histoire, ll.
10773-900). Afterwards Marshal went to Rouen, where in September he
met St. Hugh of Lincoln on his way to Richard. In conjunction with
William of Albemarle, Marshal offered to intercede on the bishop's
behalf with the king. Hugh, though grateful for their goodwill, declined,
lest they should fall into disfavour at a time when their services were so
necessary to Richard (Vita S. Hugonis, p. 257, Rolls Ser.). Marshal fought
valiantly for Richard at the siege of Milli in the autumn (Histoire, ll.
11168-264), and was with the king when the truce with Philip was
concluded by the intervention of the papal legate, Peter of Capua, in
January 1199 (ib. l. 11665). Richard was mortally wounded on 20 March.
One of his last acts was to send to Marshal, who was at Vaudreuil,
appointing him custodian of Rouen and the royal treasure there (ib. ll.
11776-815; cf. STAPLETON, Rot. Normanniæ, ii. xxxv). On receiving the news
of Richard's death on 10 April, Marshal at once went to Rouen. The
archbishop (probably Hubert Walter is meant, though M. Meyer thinks it
is Walter de Coutances) favoured the claims of Arthur, but Marshal
declared decisively for John, and won over the archbishop to his views
(Histoire, ll. 11836-908).
John at once despatched Marshal and Hubert to secure his peaceful
succession in England. Signs of discontent had already appeared, but
John's representatives called a council at Northampton, where, by solemn
promises on the new king's behalf, they secured the adhesion of the
barons and the peace of the kingdom till John's own arrival (ib. ll.
11908-20; HOVEDEN, iv. 86-8). John was crowned on 27 May, and on the
same day confirmed Marshal in his earldom; for previously, though he
held the earldom, he had not had ‘the full peace and name of earl’ (Ann.
Mon. i. 72), and it was only now that he received formal investiture with
the sword. Marshal was made sheriff of Gloucestershire in the first year of
John's reign, and held the office till 1207; he also retained the shrievalty
of Sussex till 1205. Marshal probably went over to France with the king in
June, for he was with him at Andelys on 18 Aug. and at Rouen on 6 Sept.
(SWEETMAN, i. 94). On 20 April 1200 the office of marshal was confirmed to
him (Cal. Rot. Chart. 46 b), and in May he was one of the sureties for the
peace with France. In July he accompanied John into Gascony (Histoire, ll.
11963-82). After a visit to England Marshal was sent over to Normandy
in May 1201 with Roger de Lacy [q.v.] and in command of one hundred
knights to oppose the French advance (Ann. Mon. i. 208). During the next
three years his name appears as present with the king at various places (cf.
Cal. Rot. Pat. pp. 1-40). On 22 April 1202 he received charge of the castle
of Lillebonne (ib. p. 9). Early in August Marshal was with the Earls of
Salisbury and Warenne at ‘Englesquevile’ when news was brought to
them of John's victory over Arthur at Mirebeau. The intelligence made
Philip Augustus at once raise the siege of Arques and commence a
retreat, in which he was hotly pursued by the three earls. On his return
Marshal was received by the citizens of Rouen at a great banquet
(Histoire, ll. 12117-404). When Philip Augustus invaded Normandy in
1203, the writer of the ‘Histoire’ says that Marshal was sent to him at
Conches to endeavour to make peace, but in vain. Marshal then rejoined
John at Falaise, and went with him to Rouen, where he expostulated with
the king on his reckless policy, but to no purpose (ib. ll. 12673-742). In the
autumn Philip laid siege to Roger de Lacy in Château Gaillard. John
assembled a large force for the relief of the castle, and entrusted the
command to Marshal, who was to be assisted by a flotilla on the Seine.
Marshal was partially successful in his attempt at a surprise, but the
failure of the ships to arrive at the critical moment ruined his enterprise
(WILL. ARMOR. Philipp. vii. 144-253). After the fall of Château Gaillard on 6
March 1204, John, who had returned to England in November, bade his
representatives in Normandy to act as they thought good for their own
interest. Soon after he sent Marshal with Hubert Walter and Robert, earl
of Leicester, on another fruitless errand to Philip (COGGESHALL, p. 144). The
two earls, however, obtained from Philip a period of one year within which
they might do him homage for their Norman lands. They then crossed
over to England about May (Histoire, ll. 12839-900). Marshal was with the
king at Gillingham on 26 June, and on 29 July was directed to conduct
Llywelyn of North Wales to John at Worcester (Cal. Rot. Pat. pp. 43 b,
44). While in England he invaded Wales and took Kilgaran (Brut y
Tywysogion, p. 260). Finding there was no hope of action, he obtained
leave from John to do Philip homage, and with this purpose went back to
Normandy, and meeting Philip at Compiègne, after some delay rendered
the required homage (Histoire, ll. 12921-13038). On Marshal's return to
England in 1205 John, who had heard of his doing homage, reproached
him for thus acting to his hurt, and though Marshal could appeal to
John's own leave, this was the beginning of a prolonged estrangement. In
June the king proposed to go over to Poitou; Marshal when summoned
to go with him pleaded his oath to Philip. John in vain taunted him with
cowardice and disloyalty, but Marshal stood firm that he would not go.
Hubert Walter also opposed the expedition, and John was compelled at
last to give way (ib. ll. 13039-13278; COGGESHALL, pp. 152-3, where the
opposition of the earl and the archbishop is represented as due to
prudential motives only). Marshal had to give his eldest son as a
hostage, but John did not venture to quarrel openly. In the winter the
earl was employed to conduct William of Scotland to a meeting with the
king at York (Cal. Rot. Pat. p. 56), and when next summer the king went
over to Poitou, Marshal was entrusted with the military care of England.
On John's return Marshal asked leave to go over to Ireland, which had
been often previously refused. On 19 Feb. 1207 he obtained protection
for his lands during his absence (SWEETMAN, i. 313), and must soon after
have crossed over to pay his first visit to his wife's vast inheritance of
Leinster; before going he had to give his son Richard as a further hostage
(Histoire, ll. 13376-13377). Marshal's coming was very unwelcome to
Meiler FitzHenry the justiciar [q.v.], who was his own liegeman. Meiler
contrived to secure Marshal's recall to England in September, and coming
over himself prevailed on John to let him wage active war against the
earl's wife and representatives in Ireland. Meiler's warfare met with ill
success, but John maliciously told the earl false news, until the truth
could no longer be concealed (ib. ll. 13429-930). This narrative probably
explains the letter in which John on 7 March 1208 informs Meiler that
Marshal had come to him at Bristol, and that as he was sufficiently
submissive the justiciar was to abstain from harassing his lands and men
(SWEETMAN, i. 375). On 21 March John directed that Marshal should have
seisin of Offaly, and a little later confirmed him in possession of Leinster
at the service of one hundred knights (ib. i. 377, 378, 381). Marshal then
obtained leave to go back to Ireland, where all his vassals welcomed him.
But Meiler still held aloof until his removal from the justiciarship
(probably at the end of 1208), when he found it expedient to make his
peace. At the close of 1208 William de Braose [q.v.] fled to Ireland, and
landing at Wicklow was well received by Marshal, who, despite the new
justiciar, John de Grey [q.v.], escorted him in safety to Walter de Lacy.
Marshal had already been acting in conjunction with the De Lacys (Four
Masters, iii. 155), and this harbouring of William de Braose led to John's
Irish expedition in June 1210 (SWEETMAN, i. 408). Marshal had come over to
England earlier in the year at John's bidding, and apparently recrossed
with the king. After the defeat of the Lacys, John accused Marshal of
having aided William de Braose in his flight; the earl boldly defended his
conduct, declaring that he had no reason to believe Braose was the king's
enemy. However, Marshal had to give further hostages, including his
faithful squire, John of Early, or d'Erlegh, and also to surrender the castle
of Dumas. John could not venture on more extreme measures with so
powerful a noble, but he was probably glad that Marshal should be out
of his way. The earl therefore remained in Ireland for the next two years;
he seems to have been engaged in active warfare with the Irish, for
Matthew Paris calls him ‘Hibernicis nocivus edomitor,’ but the only
incident preserved is a quarrel with the Bishop of Ferns (iii. 43, iv. 493-4).
Marshal, though resenting the king's treatment, did not abandon his
attitude of loyalty, and in 1212 he joined with other Irish nobles in
expressing his resentment at the pope's conduct as an encroachment on
the liberties of the realm (SWEETMAN, i. 448). As John's difficulties
increased he turned once more for aid to Marshal. According to the
‘Histoire,’ the earl came over to England to take part in the war with
Llywelyn ab Iorwerth [q.v.] in 1212, and then had most of his hostages
restored. After this he went back again to Ireland (Histoire, ll. 14473-90). In
July John summoned Marshal to meet him at Chester on 19 Aug. with
John de Grey and his Irish subjects. But this order was countermanded in
another letter (dated October 1212 by SWEETMAN, but from the Histoire it
would seem to belong to 1213), in which he ‘thanked the earl for his good
services in Ireland and loyal attitude, but begged him to remain, as his
assistance was needed by the justiciar. There was no truth in the report
that it had been contemplated to send his son to Poitou, the boy should
be put in charge of John d'Erlegh’ (SWEETMAN, i. 435, 443, 444). The latter
incident is explained by the ‘Histoire,’ which shows that the young
Marshals were now released as a means of conciliating their father (ll.
14491-14598).
Marshal came over to England in April 1213, and from this time is
foremost among John's advisers; on 15 May he witnessed the king's
charter of resignation to the pope at Dover (MATT. PARIS, ii. 546). Soon
afterwards he received the castle of Haverfordwest, and in January 1214
those of Carmarthen, Cardigan, and Gower; Dumas was not restored till
August 1215 (Cal. Rot. Pat. pp. 105, 109 b, 153 b). John also entrusted his
eldest son to Marshal's charge (Hist. des Ducs de Normandie, p. 180).
Marshal advised the king's expedition to Poitou in 1214; he himself was
left behind in charge of England (Histoire, ll. 14672-99). He thus acted with
the papal legate Nicholas of Tusculum at the council of St. Paul's to
determine the payments for ecclesiastical property confiscated during the
interdict. In June he sat as one of the justices at Bury St. Edmunds to
decide the disputed election of Abbot Hugh (Memorials of St. Edmund's
Abbey, ii. 75-9, Rolls Ser.).
In January 1215, when the barons demanded the confirmation of the
ancient charters, Marshal was one of the three sureties that the king
would satisfy their demands before Easter. In April Marshal and Stephen
Langton, the archbishop, were John's envoys to the barons at Brackley,
and endeavoured in vain to effect an agreement. When John found that
he must at least simulate a readiness to yield, Marshal conveyed to the
barons the overtures which led to the meeting at Runnymede (15 June).
On this famous occasion Marshal was present as one of the royal
representatives, and his name appears as one of the counsellors of
Magna Carta, and as one of those who swore to observe its provisions.
But he still continued faithful in his attendance on the king, and during
the winter was sent to France to try and avert the threatened invasion by
Louis (COGGESHALL, p. 180). The embassy failed, and when, in the
following May, Louis entered England, it was by Marshal's advice that
John retreated before him. Marshal's eldest son sided with Louis, for
whom he captured Worcester in July; the earl is said to have given his
son timely warning of the approach of the Earl of Chester. But his
paternal affection did not interfere further with his general attitude of
loyalty, and when John died, on 19 Oct. 1216, Marshal was one of the
executors of the king's will.
Marshal was present when the young king Henry was crowned at
Gloucester on 28 Oct., and, as there was no royal seal, issued the
necessary letters under his own seal. A council of the principal members
of the royalist party was held at Gloucester on 11 Nov., when Marshal
was formally chosen by the common consent to be ‘rector regis et regni,’
an office for which his age and position clearly marked him out. A later
writer represents the earl as presenting the little king to the assembled
barons, and pleading with them not to visit the sins of the father on the
son, but to lend him their aid for the expulsion of Louis (HEMINGBURGH, i.
257, Engl. Hist. Soc.). In point of fact Marshal seems to have accepted
the office of regent with some reluctance, on the score of his own great
age (Histoire, l. 15510), but once he had taken the duty upon him he
discharged it with his wonted fidelity. Peter des Roches, bishop of
Winchester, and Walo the legate were associated with him in the
government, while Hubert de Burgh retained the office of justiciar. The
latter title is sometimes claimed for Marshal, and he is actually so styled
in a charter dated 13 Nov. 1216 (Cal. Rot. Claus. i. 295); the designation
may, however, be due to error. The first act of Marshal's government was
to republish the Great Charter on 12 Nov. Under the circumstances of the
new reign the constitutional clauses respecting taxation and the great
council were wisely omitted, and some minor matters held in suspense.
After Christmas a truce was made with Louis, and about the middle of
January a council of Henry's supporters was held at Oxford. The truce
was prolonged till 23 April, and during its continuance many of Louis'
supporters, and among them the regent's son, returned to their
allegiance. On the conclusion of the truce Marshal sent the Earl of
Chester to besiege Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, while he himself
assembled an army for the relief of Lincoln Castle, which was besieged by
the French and insurgent barons. The host mustered on 15 May at
Newark, whence, two days later, they advanced towards Lincoln. On 20
May, while Marshal with his knights attacked the north gate, Falkes de
Breauté obtained entrance to the castle. Then the earl forced his way into
the town, and the barons, taken in front and in rear, were forced to
surrender. But the French, under the Count of Perche, would not yield
until Marshal had slain their leader with his own hand. Without waiting to
refresh himself after the fight, the earl rode back to the king at Newark
with the news of his victory (Ann. Mon. iv. 25). After sending his nephew,
John Marshal [q.v.], to take measures for the interception of the French
fleet that was coming to Louis' aid, Marshal marched south to blockade
London. Hubert's naval victory over Eustace the Monk on 24 Aug.
inclined Louis to peace. So the French prince sent Robert de Dreux on 28
Aug. to the regent at Rochester. An interview between Louis and
Marshal was held at Kingston, which, after some negotiation, resulted in
the treaty of Lambeth on 11 Sept. (Hist. des Ducs de Normandie, pp. 202-4;
Federa, i. 148). In the conclusion of this treaty Marshal displayed a wise
forbearance towards his English opponents, and made himself personally
responsible to Louis for the payment of ten thousand marks (cf. SHIRLEY, i.
7; Cal. Rot. Claus. i. 369 b, 384). The peace was followed on 6 Nov. by a
reissue of the Great Charter, which now assumed its final form; at the
same time the charter of the forests was first published. There were still
some recalcitrants. In the autumn Marshal had to fight with Morgan of
Caerleon, and early in 1218 besieged Robert de Gaugi at Newark. But as a
whole the kingdom was settling down into good order under Marshal's
strong rule, while the position of the young king was secured by a
provision that no deed which implied perpetuity should be issued till he
was of full age. On 14 May 1219 Marshal died at Caversham, near
Reading. Shortly before his death he had assumed the habit of a Templar
(Hist. des Ducs de Normandie, p. 207; Histoire, 18119-982), and by his
own directions he was buried in the Temple Church at London, where his
recumbent effigy is still preserved. Camden quotes one line of his epitaph
thus:
Miles eram Martis, Mars omnes vicerat armis.
Marshal's biographer refers constantly to his master with manifest
pride as one
Qui tant esteit proz & leials,
and elsewhere makes Richard say of him,
li Mar.
Ne fu unques malveis ne fals.
(Hist. l. 9857.)
Uncompromising fidelity appears, indeed, to have been the most
marked feature of Marshal's character. For fifty years he served Henry II,
his three sons, and his grandson, and to each in the hour of his bitterest
need proved himself the most faithful of friends. In his youth and to his
contemporaries he was the most perfect type of chivalry; in his old age
and in history he appears as one of the noblest of mediæval
soldier-statesmen. From the time that he acquired his earldom he filled the
foremost place in England and Ireland, but while he never faltered in his
loyalty he never, even in the worst days of John, compromised his
honour. His regency was the worthy finish of his long life. In the
attainment of the Great Charter he did not play a specially prominent part,
for though he wisely recognised its need, he belonged by training and
sympathy more to the age that was past than to that which was just
beginning. His great and special work was the pacification of the realm
after the period of disorder. This task he accomplished by the firm but
conciliatory policy of his three short years of rule, and it is because he
thus made possible the realisation of the charters that he deserves an
honourable place among the founders of English liberty.
In person Marshal was tall and well made, with comely features and
brown hair; so dignified in carriage that he might have been emperor of
Rome (ib. ll. 715-36). One chronicler calls him ‘a most valiant soldier of
world-wide renown’ (Ann. Mon. iv. 61). Matthew Paris (iii. 43; iv. 493)
quotes two lines from some verses by one Gervase de Melkely:
Sum, quem Saturnum sibi sensit Hibernia, Solem
Anglia, Mercurium Normannia, Gallia Martem.
Matthew Paris also refers to an epitaph by Henry of Avranches, which
is now lost. Marshal's fame was hardly less great in France than at home,
and on his death Philip Augustus said of him:
mes li Mar,
Fui, al mein dit, li plus leials,
Veir, que jeo unques connuisse
En nul lui ou je unques fuisse.
(Hist. ll. 19149-52.)
By the death of his elder brother in 1194 Marshal had acquired the
lands of his family, chiefly in Berkshire and Wiltshire. They were not,
however, to be compared with the vast inheritance of his wife, which
comprised in Ireland almost the whole of Leinster, great estates in South
Wales and in the Welsh marches, and the lands of Orbec and Longueville
in Normandy. From the last he seems to have held the title of Count of
Longueville (Recueil des Historiens de la France, xxiii. 435). His only
important foundation was the priory of Cartmel, which he established for
the souls of Henry II and King Henry the younger ëhis lord,í and also for
those of King Richard, his ancestors, and his wife. He also founded
Graiguenamanagh or Duisk, in co. Kilkenny, for Cistercians, in 1212; an
abbey at Bannow Bay, Wexford, which was called Tintern, and
commemorated his deliverance from a storm by sea in 1200; the priory of
St. Augustine at Kilkenny; and a house for the Hospitallers at Lough
Garmon. To many other houses he made lesser benefactions.
Marshal married in August 1189 Isabella or Eva, daughter of Richard
de Clare, earl of Pembroke and Striguil (d. 1176), by Eva, daughter of
Dermot, king of Leinster. Isabella was born in 1173, and, dying in 1220,
was buried at Tintern, Monmouthshire (Chart. St. Mary, Dublin, ii. 142).
By her Marshal had five sons and five daughters. Of the former, who
were all successively earls of Pembroke and marshals of England, the two
elder, William, second earl [q.v.], and Richard, third earl [q.v.], are noticed
separately.
Gilbert Marshal, fourth EARL OF PEMBROKE and STRIGUIL d. 1241, the
third son, was of weakly constitution, and originally intended for an
ecclesiastical career. He took minor orders, and received the livings of
Orford, Suffolk, 30 May 1225, and Wingham, Kent, 19 Sept. 1228 (cf.
Histoire, ll. 14889-14892). He joined his brother Richard in his opposition
to the king's foreign advisers in 1233, and acted for his brother in Ireland,
where he won over all except the Lacys and their followers to his side.
After his brother's death he passed over to Wales (Ann. Mon. iv. 80;
SWEETMAN, i. 2109), and through the mediation of Archbishop Edmund was
soon fully pardoned, together with his two younger brothers (SHIRLEY, i.
438-9; SWEETMAN, i. 2120, 2151, 2175). On 11 June, at Worcester, the king
knighted him, and invested him with his earldom and marshalry (Ann. Mon.
iii. 137). Though nominally taken into full favour, Gilbert seems to have
meditated an appeal to the pope (SWEETMAN, i. 2284). He was very friendly
with his brother-in-law, Richard, earl of Cornwall, whom he supported in
his opposition to the court favourites and in his open rising in 1238 (MATT.
PARIS, iii. 476). As a result he fell once more into disfavour. On 12 Nov.
1239 he took the cross with Earl Richard at Northampton, on condition
that he was reconciled to the king, which Richard promised to effect.
When, in July 1240, he was on the point of leaving England Henry
recalled him, and took him into favour. On 27 June 1241, while taking part
in a tournament at Ware, he was thrown from his horse and dragged. His
injuries caused his death the same day, and he was buried by his father in
the Temple at London; an effigy supposed to be his is still preserved.
Gilbert Marshal married, first, in September 1230, Margaret de Lanvallei
(Excerpta e Rot. Fin. i. 202); secondly, in August 1235, Margaret, sister of
Alexander II of Scotland, with whom he received a large dower (Ann. Mon.
iii. 143), but left no children. A portrait, drawn by Matthew Paris, who
depicts him falling from his horse, is engraved in Doyle's ëOfficial
Baronage.í
Walter Marshal, fifth EARL d. 1245, the fourth son, was not yet a
knight in 1225 (Histoire, l. 14895). He was with his brother Richard in
Ireland in 1234, and at the Curragh of Kildare, when his brother sent him
away from the battle. He was pardoned at the same time as Gilbert. In
May 1240 he was sent into Wales with an army to restore Cardigan
Castle. After Gilbert's death Henry, in anger at the holding of the
tournament, which had been prohibited, withheld investiture from Walter
till October 1241. Walter accompanied the king to Gascony in 1242. On 6
Jan. 1242 he married Margery, widow of John de Lacy, earl of Lincoln
[q.v.], but died without issue, at Goodrich Castle, in 1245, apparently on
24 Nov. (MATT. PARIS, iv. 491; SWEETMAN, i. 2798), and was buried at
Tintern.
Anselm Marshal d. 1245, the fifth son, then succeeded as sixth earl,
but before he could receive investiture died at Striguil (or Chepstow) on
23 Dec. 1245, and was buried by his brother. His wife was Maud,
daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, second earl of Hereford. Thus the five
sons of the great marshal had all been earls of one earldom and died
without issue, as their mother is said to have prophesied. Another story
ascribed the failure of the family to the curse of the Bishop of Ferns (MATT.
PARIS, iv. 492-3; cf. SWEETMAN, i. 823, 825).
Marshal's daughters were: 1. Matilda (d. 1248), who married in 1206
Hugh Bigod, third earl of Norfolk (Histoire, l. 13338), by whom she had a
son Roger, who became in her right Earl Marshal. Hugh Bigod died in
1225, and Matilda then married William, earl of Warenne (d. 1240). 2.
Isabella, who married first, on 9 Oct. 1217, Gilbert de Clare, seventh earl of
Clare [q.v.], and had six children; secondly, in 1231, Richard, earl of
Cornwall. 3. Sibilla, married William, earl of Ferrers or Derby, and had
seven daughters. 4. Eva, married William, son of Reginald de Braose, by
whom she had a daughter, Matilda, who married Roger Mortimer (d. 1282).
5. Johanna, who, after her father's death, married Warin de Munchensi,
and had two children, John and Johanna; the latter married William de
Valence [q.v.], who was created Earl of Pembroke, and from whom the
earls of the Hastings line descended (Histoire, ll. 14915-56; Chart. St.
Mary, Dublin, ii. 144, 313). The vast lands of William Marshal were divided
among the numerous representatives of his daughters. The office of
marshal passed through his eldest daughter to the Bigods, earls of
Norfolk, and through them to the Mowbrays, and eventually to the
Howards. As their representative the present Duke of Norfolk is
earl-marshal of England.
John Marshal, first baron Marshal of Hingham [q.v.], was a nephew.
Two other nephews were Anselm Le Gras, who was treasurer of Exeter in
1205, and bishop of St. Davids from 1230 to 1247 (LE NEVE, Fasti, i. 291,
414; Ann. Mon. iv. 422), and William Le Gras or Grace, who fought under
the younger William Marshal in Ireland.

Sources:
The Histoire de Guillaume le MarÈchal, a long French poem,
discovered by M. Paul Meyer in the Phillips Library, and now being
edited by him for the SociÈtÈ de l'Histoire de France, is by far the most
important authority for Marshal's life. It was written for his family about
1225, and is based on excellent information. The chronology of the earlier
part is faulty, but the facts throughout are in full harmony with what we
know from other sources; only one volume, containing about half the
poem down to 1194, has yet been published, but through the courtesy
of M. Paul Meyer the writer has had access to the proof-sheets of the
second volume as far as 1214; the narrative of Marshal's last days is
summarised in M. LÈon Gautier's ëLa Chevalerie,í pp. 773-7. Other
authorities are: the Gesta Henrici et Ricardi, ascribed to Benedict Abbas,
Roger Hoveden, Coggeshall, Walter of Coventry, Roger of Wendover,
Matthew Paris, Annales Monastici, Annales CambriÊ, Brut y
Tywysogion, Shirley's Royal and Historical Letters of the Reign of Henry
III, and Chartulary of St. Mary, Dublin (all in the Rolls Series); William of
Armorica's Philippeis; Histoire des Ducs de Normandie (both published
by Soc. de l'Hist. de France); Calendars of Patent, Close, and Charter
Rolls; Rymer's Federa; Sweetman's Calendar of Documents relating to
Ireland, vol. i.; Dugdale's Baronage, i. 600; Doyle's Official Baronage, iii.
2-7. Among modern works reference may be made to Foss's Judges of
England, i. 399-403; Norgate's England under the Angevin Kings; and
Stubbs's Constitutional History, chaps. xii. and xiv.

Contributor: C. L. K.

PUBLISHED  1893