William Marshal should not have lived to be a knight. When he was a teenager, his father gave him as a hostage to King Stephen with the promise that he would give up his castle or his son’s life would be forfeited. When John Marshal refused to carry out his promise, Stephen threatened to kill the young Marshal. His father told Stephen to go right ahead. “I still have the hammer and the anvil with which to forge still more and better sons.” Fortunately, Stephen was too kind-hearted to murder a young man who he had grown to like. William was freed after several months of captivity and became a knight. He traveled to various tournaments where he proved to be a great competitor and never lost a match. He later claimed to have defeated 500 knights in his long career. With his acquired fame, William went on to serve five British kings. When Henry II was king, he was tasked with mentoring his heir Henry. He had a difficult task since Young Henry was of poor character. Possibly because Young Henry got tired of his nagging, he was accused of an affair with the heir’s wife. Almost surely untrue, Marshal was banished, but eventually allowed to return to Young Henry’s good graces. When he died, Marshal carried out his promise to go on a crusade to the Holy Land. When he returned, he served Henry II and was with him to the bitter end as his son Richard the Lionheart tried to oust his father. In a famous incident, Richard was pursuing his father when Marshal put him on his ass by spearing his horse. He was the only man ever to unhorse the great warrior. William, at age 43, wedded a wealthy heiress who was 17. The marriage was a good one romantically and financially. He served King Richard and helped Richard’s mother Eleanor of Aquitaine rule while Richard was off on the Third Crusade. He continued his loyalty to the family by supporting King John and was with him at Runnymede when he signed the Magna Carta. He was later protector of the young Henry III. At age 70, he led a charge in the Battle of Lincoln. He died at age 73.
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