Poisonous Plots Read online

  The knight was not without skill and he managed to control his horse at the same time as he slashed towards my shield. Roger of Bath had heard my cry and was bringing back my men and the survivors of Sir Harold’s men. The sword struck my shield hard. It had still not recovered from the blow of the war hammer and I felt my arm slipping. It was as though I had no control over it. The second mounted sergeant had managed to get around the Templar knight.

  I had little feeling in my left hand and I had to turn Skuld with my knees. It was as though she knew what was expected of her for she moved swiftly around. The Templar thought he had me. He wore an open helmet and I saw his face open into a grin of triumph. “You shall die and I will be rewarded by the King of France! But there is no honour in killing an old man who is obviously past his prime.”

  If he was trying to insult me he failed. I, of all people, knew that I was old. I understood that I could no longer fight as well as I had when I had been a young man. I had to use cunning. I felt the shield slipping from my fingers. I could do nothing about it. I tried to squeeze my left hand and I could not. I just had one arm to defeat two men. As I turned, I raised my right arm as though to strike at his head with my sword. He contemptuously brought up his shield. I twisted the sword in the air. My right hand was still as quick as ever and I struck his left thigh as hard as I could with the edge of my sword. It jarred against the bone. The Templar’s leg spurted bright blood. He threw his left arm to the side. I pulled back my arm to finish him. There was a cry from behind me. And, as I skewered the Templar under the rib cage, the sergeant at arms was speared by Sir Harold.

  Roger of Bath appeared next to me. “I am sorry lord! I did not think. Your arm!”

  “Never mind me, see to Padraig. Thank you, Sir Harold. Are any left?”

  He shook his head. “They are dead. Sir Richard’s men left the baggage and the horses. They made the difference.”

  I looked up and saw empty saddles. Of the twenty men at arms who had accompanied us, ten lay dead or badly wounded. I had, quite probably, been maimed and I knew not if Padraig lived or died. I sheathed my sword and used my right hand to hold the reins. I rode back to the Bishop. It was not just blood which covered my face and which made it red, it was bathed in anger. He physically recoiled, “These deaths are down to you! If my squire dies then you may not have to worry about a voyage to Rouen for I shall kill you myself!”

  Sir Harold put his arm before me, “Earl Marshal, you are not yourself. Let the King punish him. When this snake dies then surely God will wreak vengeance upon him!”

  “Keep him from me! For his own sake!”

  Behind me Roger of Bath said, “Lord, he lives! Padraig is alive!”

  “Then let us take our dead and get to Stockton. Our work is unfinished but, until we are healed we can do nothing!”

  Epilogue

  My injury meant that I was unable to travel. Instead of sending ‘Adela’ to London and then Rouen, I killed two birds with one stone and sent Sir Richard de Vernon directly to Rouen. When he returned Sir Richard and William of Kingston told me that the King had wasted little time with the traitor. After he had had him tortured and questioned he was hung, drawn and quartered.

  “What happened to the Bishop?”

  “I know not lord but the King sent a letter to you.”

  When I read the letter, I felt let down. The King was playing a game. The letter told me that he now had information to use against the French King. The Bishop of Durham, in return for forgiveness and a second chance, agreed to go to Rome and to tell the Pope of the plots of the French and the conspiracy of the Templars. My son, King Henry, was clever and, perhaps, a little greedy. The taxes which the Palatinate would pay were to be doubled. The fact that the Bishop would just tax the people of Durham more would not occur to him. King Henry told me, in the letter, that the Bishop would not be in a position in the future to conspire against him. I did not understand what he meant by that but he was the King. The fact that good men had died because of the Bishop was not as important to the King as securing his empire. Perhaps he thought he might gain enough favour with the Pope to rid himself of Thomas Becket. In that he was mistaken.

  Padraig healed quicker than I did. He was young. The blow to the head had stunned him but done no permanent damage. Or at least Father Michael did not believe so. My wound was more problematic. Three months after the wound I could no longer use my left arm or my hand. As a warrior I was finished. Was this God’s way of telling me that it was time for me to hang up my sword? Wulfric had been forced into the same position. After Rebekah and Ruth went to Durham I had the castle all to myself. I was able to reflect on my position.

  My son could be the lord of the north. He had done so in my absence. I could still advise King Henry. My mind had been unaffected. Perhaps that would be my role. I would be the general who stayed behind those who were fighting and dying. It was not a prospect which pleased me. My only hope came from the words of Father Michael, “I can find nothing which has been permanently damaged, lord. You must try to use it each day. Have Padraig lift the arm each morning and each evening. Use your right hand to make the fingers of your left hand move.”

  “And that will help?”

  “I know not but it cannot hurt and then, of course, you can pray.”

  I nodded. I had many to pray for now. As I waited for my son and his family to return from Durham I got to know my people again. I rode Skuld and visited all my knights and manors. I watched Wulfric as he learned to walk with a stick. I was there when James married Ada, the girl he had rescued. I stood at the grave of Alf after he died. I watched my town and my people. Alf’s death as well as Dick’s and especially Maud’s had shown me that my life was closer to the end than the beginning. How much longer would I be Warlord? When would I face an enemy who would defeat and kill me? The plots of the French King, the Bishop of Durham and Richard de Vernon had changed my life forever. The dead who would be waiting for me when I left this earth were growing in number. My joy was now in Ruth and Samuel. I would make certain that the world in which they grew was as safe as it could be. My valley, and Stockton, would be a haven. The rest of the country might be filled with danger but I still had the power to protect the people that I cared for.

  The End

  Glossary

  Aldeneby - Alston (Cumbria)

  Al-Andalus- Spain

  Angevin- the people of Anjou, mainly the ruling family

  Arthuret -Longtown in Cumbria (This is the Brythionic name)

  Bannau Brycheiniog – Brecon Beacons

  Battle- a formation in war (a modern battalion)

  Booth Castle – Bewcastle north of Hadrian’s Wall

  Bachelor knight- an unattached knight

  Banneret- a single knight

  Burn- stream (Scottish)

  Butts- targets for archers

  Cadge- the frame upon which hunting birds are carried (by a codger- hence the phrase old codger being the old man who carries the frame)

  Caerdyf- Cardiff

  Caparison- a surcoat for a horse; often padded for protection

  Captain- a leader of archers

  Chausses - mail leggings. (They were separate- imagine lady's stockings rather than tights!)

  Coningestun- Coniston

  Conroi- A group of knights fighting together. The smallest unit of the period

  Corebricg – Corbridge

  Cuneceastra- Chester-Le-Street

  Demesne- estate

  Destrier- war horse

  Doxy- prostitute

  Dyflin- Dublin

  Dùn Èideann- Edinburgh

  Fissebourne- Fishburn County Durham

  Fess- a horizontal line in heraldry

  Galloglass- Irish mercenaries

  Gambeson- a padded tunic worn underneath mail. When worn by an archer they came to the waist. It was more of a quilted jacket but I have used the term freely

  Gonfanon- A standard used in medieval times (Also known as a Gonfalon in Italy) />
  Hartness- the manor which became Hartlepool

  Hautwesel- Haltwhistle

  Hulle- Rhyl (North Wales)

  Liedeberge- Ledbury

  Lusitania- Portugal

  Mansio- staging houses along Roman Roads

  Mare anglicum – English Channel

  Maredudd ap Bleddyn- King of Powys

  Martinmas- 11th November

  Mêlée- a medieval fight between knights

  Morthpath- Morpeth (Northumbria)

  Moravians- the men of Moray

  Mormaer- A Scottish lord and leader

  Mummer- an actor from a medieval tableau

  Musselmen- Muslims

  Nithing- A man without honour (Saxon)

  Nomismata- a gold coin equivalent to an aureus

  Novo Burgus -Newport (Gwent)

  Outremer- the kingdoms of the Holy Land

  Owain ap Gruffudd- Son of Gruffudd ap Cynan and King of Gwynedd from 1137

  Palfrey- a riding horse

  Poitevin- the language of Aquitaine

  Prestetone- Prestatyn- North Wales

  Pyx- a box containing a holy relic (Shakespeare’s Pax from Henry V)

  Refuge- a safe area for squires and captives (tournaments)

  Sauve qui peut – Every man for himself (French)

  Serengford- Shellingford Oxfordshire

  Sergeant-a leader of a company of men at arms

  Striguil- Chepstow (Gwent)

  Surcoat- a tunic worn over mail or armour

  Sumpter- pack horse

  Theophany- the feast which is on the 6th of January

  Ventail – a piece of mail which covered the neck and the lower face Al-Andalus- Spain

  Veðrafjǫrðr -Waterford (Ireland)

  Veisafjǫrðr- Wexford (Ireland)

  Witenestaple- Whitstable (Kent)

  Wulfestun- Wolviston (Durham)

  Maps and Illustrations

  Henry’s Empire in 1166.

  By Reigen - Own work. Sources: Image: France 1154 Eng.jpg by Lotroo under copyleftfrance_1154_1184.jpg from the Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1911., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37306574

  As you can see Henry ruled more of France than the French king.

  Roads in Britain

  By Andrei nacu at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Gpedro. Mason (2001), p. 128. Valeria Victrix was based at Deva Victrix., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3575904

  These roads would have been the main roads in Norman England.

  Historical Notes

  Those who have read my earlier books have read most of what follows. They should go to Thomas Becket for the new material. (It is five pages down).

  Alfraed is not a real person. He is based upon an amalgam of a number of people, most notably William Marshal. The title of Earl Marshal was a real one. Earl Marshal (alternatively Marschal, Marischal or Marshall) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England. He is the eighth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Constable and above the Lord High Admiral. The Earl Marshal has among his responsibilities the organisation of major ceremonial state occasions like the monarch's coronation in Westminster Abbey and state funerals. He is also a leading officer of arms and oversees the College of Arms.

  Source: Earl Marshal - https://en.wikipedia.org

  The March of Wales in the Middle Ages

  Immediately after the Norman Conquest, King William of England installed three of his most trusted confidants, Hugh d'Avranches, Roger de Montgomerie, and William Fitz Osbern, as Earls of Chester, Shrewsbury and Hereford respectively, with responsibilities for containing and subduing the Welsh. The process took a century and was never permanently effective. The term "March of Wales" was first used in the Domesday Book of 1086. Over the next four centuries, Norman lords established mostly small marcher lordships between the Dee and Severn, and further west. Military adventurers went to Wales from Normandy and elsewhere and after raiding an area of Wales, then fortified it and granted land to some of their supporters. One example was Bernard de Neufmarché, responsible for conquering and pacifying the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog. The precise dates and means of formation of the lordships varied, as did their size."

  Source: Welsh Marches - https://en.wikipedia.org

  Rhys ap Gruffydd or ap Gruffudd (often anglicised to "Griffith") (1132 – 28 April 1197) was the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197. Today, he is commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh Yr Arglwydd Rhys, although this title may have not been used in his lifetime. He usually used the title "Proprietary Prince of Deheubarth" or "Prince of South Wales", but two documents have been discovered in which he uses the title "Prince of Wales" or "Prince of the Welsh". Rhys was one of the most successful and powerful Welsh princes, and, after the death of Owain Gwynedd of Gwynedd in 1170, the dominant power in Wales."

  In 1171 Rhys made peace with King Henry II and was confirmed in possession of his recent conquests as well as being named Justiciar of South Wales. He maintained good relations with King Henry until the latter's death in 1189. Following Henry's death Rhys revolted against Richard I and attacked the Norman lordships surrounding his territory, capturing a number of castles. In his later years Rhys had trouble keeping control of his sons, particularly Maelgwn and Gruffydd, who maintained a feud with each other. Rhys launched his last campaign against the Normans in 1196 and captured a number of castles. The following year he died unexpectedly and was buried in St David's Cathedral.

  Source: Rhys ap Gruffydd - https://en.wikipedia.org

  Geoffrey Fitz Empress did rebel and took refuge in Chinon. The siege of Chinon ended much as I describe it. Young William Fitz Empress did read Vegetius and devise the plan to break down the defenders’ resistance. The two other castles held by Geoffrey capitulated when Henry approached them. At the end of the siege, when Chinon surrendered, Henry gave Brittany, whose people had asked for Henry to appoint a leader, to Geoffrey. As he died a couple of years later it did not make much difference but I do not think that I would have been quite as forgiving. The ramp I mention is now enclosed by a wall on either side. There is also an extra gatehouse. The castle was a simpler structure in 1156. The tower you can see in the photograph below is the Tour de Moulin. The royal quarters are visible but these are the much later and grader apartments. In 1156 there would have been functional rather than grand. This was not yet Henry and Eleanor’s grand house.

  Henry and Eleanor had eight children. As they grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the empire began to emerge, encouraged by Louis and his son King Philip II. In 1173 Henry's heir apparent, "Young Henry", rebelled in protest; he was joined by his brothers Richard and Geoffrey and by their mother, Eleanor. France, Scotland, Flanders, and Boulogne allied themselves with the rebels. The Great Revolt was only defeated by Henry's vigorous military action and talented local commanders, many of them "new men" appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills. Young Henry and Geoffrey revolted again in 1183, resulting in Young Henry's death. The Norman invasion of Ireland provided lands for his youngest son John, but Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons' desires for land and immediate power. Philip successfully played on Richard's fears that Henry would make John king, and a final rebellion broke out in 1189. Decisively defeated by Philip and Richard and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, Henry retreated to Chinon in Anjou, where he died.

  Source: Henry II of England - https://en.wikipedia.org

  The Bretons did ask Henry to choose their next Count and, despite all that he had done to him, Henry chose Geoffrey. He did not rule for long. He died two years after he was appointed Count. Brittany was then subsumed into Normandy and Anjou. William also died young, at the age of 27 but as his death influenced Henry’s rule I will leave those details for a later book! No plot spoilers.

 
; Sieges at this time relied on starving to death the occupants. Wooden castles, the early motte and bailey, could be fired but a stone one with a good ditch could defeat most enemies. The ditches they used were copied from the Roman ones. Once an enemy was in a ditch it was almost impossible to retreat. The trebuchet was in its early stages of development and the onagers and other stone throwers had to be used close enough for them to be subject to archers. Rams were useful but they were not particularly robust and could be set on fire. They also needed a smooth surface. That was not common in the twelfth century. Chinon was unusual in that it had a ramp. Wooden towers were used at the siege of Ascalon and they were burned. The resulting inferno caused a breach and the Templars disobeyed the king to attack immediately. Their heads were displayed on Cairo’s walls. Sometimes the onager was called a mangonel. I have used the Roman name here.

  Source: File: Roman Onager.jpg - https://en.wikipedia.org

  Source: File: Battering ram.jpg - https://en.wikipedia.org

  The rams used at the times would have been lower and covered in hides. This replica gives a rough idea of the construction.

  Especial thanks are due to Rich Sankovich. He allowed me to use his crossbow. I now understand how hard it is to fire one. The end is very heavy. You have to be kneeling or resting to use one. Its accuracy is also not as good as that of a bow despite the mechanical nature of the beast. Pulling back the cord to fire it is also a challenge. I would defy anyone to send more than a couple of bolts in a four-minute period. I am also indebted to the Essex re-enactors who told me of a competition held between muskets and war bows. Even tap firing the muskets (apparently an unsafe procedure) the war bow sent more arrows further and at a greater rate than the musket. Wellington, it is alleged, wondered about having a battalion of archers!