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Knight of the week

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SirNathanQ:
I think we should reward such steadfast devotion and loyalty to our namesake. I vote we make Sir John d'Early a honorary member of the order.
Anyone else with me on this?

Sir John of Felsenbau:
The d'Early was found spelled in a few different ways, so I just chose one of them. Yes, he seemed to be one of the truly great kinghts for standing by Sir William under any circumstances. More people should be like that.

Now, my favorite knight, mostly because he was kind of wild in his outfits at tournaments, was Sir Urlich von Liechtenstein...I'll be doing one on him later. By the way, he made two tournament circuits, in his first, he unhorsed 310 knights in one month...I bet he gives Sir William a run for the money in the tournaments. I haven't been able to find out his total knights unhorsed...but he too was NEVER defeated in a joust!

Sir John of Felsenbau:
Knight of the week: Sir Robert of Loxley (NOT Robin Hood...they were different people as you will see in my research.) He was born about 1160 in the village of Loxley, from which his family took their name. He did train as a squire, and before the Battle of Ballins (1189) he was knighted by King Henry II and given the fife of Loxley. Two days later, the king died at the Chateau Chinon. Richard was next crowned king. In 1190 King Richard started recruiting knights for the third Crusade, and Sir Robert was the first from his village to volunteer.  Robert was considered elite enough to join the King's private guard and eventually became a close advisor and friend to King Richard. (He must have known Sir William Marshal.) Sir Robert was with the King at the battle of Acre, and was wounded there, and returned to his fife of Loxley. King Richard was captured on his return from the Crusade in 1192, but finally his ransom was paid and he returned to England in 1194. Sir Robert joined with the returning King in an attack on Nottingham Castle. But the king didn't stay long in England and was soon back in Europe fighting a war with France. With him was Sir Robert. In 1199 he laid seige to Chalus Castle where King Richard recieved an arrow that soon took his life. Also in the battle, Sir Robert was speared and soon died. However, before his death, King Arthur's archers were on their way back to England, when one archer, Robin Longstride found Sir Robert Loxley. Loxley made him promise to return his sword, which he had stolen from his father. Robin agreed, and Sir Loxley died.

(Here the story of Sir Robert Loxley ends and the story of Robin "Hood" begins.) Robin fulufilled the dying Sir Robert's wish and returned the sword to Robert's father, Sir Walter, who asked Robin to stay and pretend to be his son, as if the death of his son was known, he would have lost his land due to back taxes owed. Marian (actual anglisized from galeic) had married Sir Robert 2 weeks before he left on the Crusade. But as I said...that's another story.

(I have a personal interest, as the town of Loxley is not far from Bradford, where my male line of ancestors originated. I wonder if one of them took part in Robin's adventures?)

By the way, a movie called "Robin Hood" starring Russell Crowe fairly follows the actual story of Sir Robert's time at the end, with King Richard and sets the stage for Robin "Hood." Sir William Marshal is also portrayed in the movie.

Sir John of Felsenbau:
Since I've been on a Marshal knight theme, I'm again continuing it. William had another squire...

Knight of the week: Sir Henry the younjg king: Born in 1155, he was the second of King Henry II's sons. In 1158, at age 3, he was bethrothed to Margaret of France. The king recieved the pope's permisson for the marriage to take place in 1160, when the young prince was only 5 years old. He was crowned in 1170, and Sir William Marshal was chosen to train the young king as a knight. (So he was in essence a squire to Sir William.) In 1172 he was formally married. He was known as "The Young King" to distinquish him from his father. In 1173, King Henry II bestowed on his son John 3 castles, which the young king felt was his. Incited by his mother, he and his brothers started a revolt against their father. During that year he was knighted by Sir William, during the course of the revolt. The revolt lasted 18 months after which the King's sons returned to their father's rule. In 1177 he had a son which died at birth.

In 1179, he and Sir William Marshal went to France to participate in tournaments. (Tournaments were NOT permitted inh England until the reign of King Richard!) The most famous tournament was at Langy-sur-Marne, where 3,000 knights attended and which was recorded in detail in a manuscript. From this manuscript: "The tournament had started before the young king arrived. Once there the young king spurred forward with his lance to engage in combat. His lance was shattered and at once all came at the young king, who only had Sir William Marshal at his side. During the force of the assult, the young king pretected himself skillfully with his shield, but his helmet had been knocked off and the harness of his horse together with the bridle was pulled to the ground. William Marshal performed so many feats that nobody present had the slightest idea what had happened to the young king. History depicts them moving from tournament to tournament untill 1182."

In 1182, Sir William Marshal was accused of am affair with the young king's wife, and their companionship ended. In 1183, the young king again became embroiled in a war in France against Richard and his father. During the campaign at Limousin the young king contracted dysentery and soon died.  Sir William Marshal was with him, and the young king asked Sir William to take his crusader surcoat (He had announced before he was going on a crusade) to the holy land. On his deathbed he asked to see his father for his forgiveness, but his father did not go, thinking it was a trick.

The young king was so popular that after his death, the people of Le Mans and Rouen almost went to war for the custody of his body. After his death his mother and friends attempted to promote him to sainthood. His father was said to have said: "He cost me much, but I wished he had lived to cost me more."

(There is a movie called "The Lion In Winter" with Peter O'Toole, however this was taken place in 1183, shortly after the young king's death. In the movie there was a brief mention of Sir William Marshal.)

Sir Wolf:
that is one of my all time favorite movies

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