William marshall knight
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William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
12th-century Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman
"William Marshal" redirects here. For other uses, see William Marshal (disambiguation).
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: Williame li Mareschal,[1]French: Guillaume le Maréchal), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman during High Medieval England who served five English kings: Henry II and his son and co-ruler Young Henry, Richard I, John, and finally Henry III.
Knighted in 1166, William Marshal spent his younger years as a knight errant and a successful tournament competitor; Stephen Langton eulogised him as the "best knight that ever lived."[3] In 1189, he became the de factoearl of Pembroke through his marriage to Isabel de Clare, whose parents were Aoife MacMurrough and Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. The title of earl was not officially granted until 1199, and is considered to be the second creation of the Pembroke earldom. In 1216, upon the death of King John
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William Marshal
Earl of Pembroke
In a room of the Tower of London in August 1189, two people who were about to be married met for the first time. This twist of fate or act of destiny would have a far-reaching effect on English history. The young lady was Isabel de Clare, sole heiress of Richard Strongbow de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and Striguil, and Aoife, daughter of Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster. The man was William Marshal, the second son of John the Marshal and Sibyl, sister of Patrick, Earl of Salisbury. There are no accounts of this first meeting nor of their marriage ceremony, but this was the final step in the making of one of the greatest knights and magnates of medieval English history.
William Marshal's life is well documented because less than a year after his death in 1219, his eldest son William II commissioned a record of his father's life. "L' Historie de Guillaume le Marechal," is a metrical history of a man and of the knightly class in the late twelfth and early This article is a post from the talk I gave on William Marshal at Cartmel Priory on May 15th 2011 for their annual Founder’s Day Lecture. A quote from the Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal, edited by A.J. Holden and translated by S. Gregory. Published by the Anglo Norman Text Society. “The son the countess, and all the knighs appeared, vying with one another to be the first on a scene which sorely distressed them. He spoke these words to all present: Copyright ©cowroof.pages.dev 2025•
‘I am dying, and commend you to God, I am no longer able to think of your needs, for I cannot fight against death.’
The son came up, sat where John of Earely was sitting, and took his father in his arms. He wept tears of pity, as was natural, quietly and openly. The Marshal was brought a cross, to which he gave his adoration. As best he could he prayed God to have compassion on him and bring him to a good end. Once he had adored the cross, the abbot of Notley, in his straightforward way, came to his side; there were many other men of religion who came with him. I do not know what else to