Page 32 - All About History 55 - 2017 UK

Richard I: Rise of the Lion

A gentleman’s war

Did the brutal nature of
Medieval warfare have space
for a code of conduct?
The chivalric code was at the heart of ‘gentlemanly’ warfare,
and knights were expected to protect the weak and innocent
and show mercy to fallen foes. While these ideals worked
in theory and on the tourney grounds, the realities of war
usually saw them left on the sidelines.
Warfare was not about single combats or pitched battles
featuring heroic charges — it was a brutal game of cat and
mouse. Rather than risk your entire force in an all-or-nothing
pitched battle, raids on enemy supply lines, skirmishes and
sieges were the order of the day.
Richard I is often held up as a chivalrous figure, stemming
from his seemingly heroic actions in the Third Crusade, but
he was also a brilliant commander who knew how to achieve
victory on the battlefield. His military actions flew in the face
of chivalric ideals and his first campaign was marred with
controversy: “The sons took up arms against their father at
the time when everywhere Christians were laying down their
arms in reverence for Easter.”
His brutal campaigning was carried out by his trusted
commander, Mercadier, who was known for his cruelty: he
flayed Richard’s killer even after the king had pardoned him
with his dying breath. Richard also beheaded thousands
of prisoners at the Siege of Acre when negotiations broke
down, a black smudge on his heroic reputation.
It wasn’t just Richard who flaunted the code — almost
every member of the devil’s brood strayed from it at some
point. Both Henry II and John held Scottish and Welsh
The Angevin Empire’s territories
hostages — given in good faith they would not be harmed —
in France — namely Normandy,
and had them mutilated and executed in gruesome fashion. Aquitaine, Maine, Anjou and
Henry the Young King, a man who supposedly embodied the Touraine — were a constant
code, laid waste to churches and let his followers run riot problem for the French monarchs
when attacking Aquitaine. Chivalry had its place in Medieval
courtly romance, but not on the battlefield.
likely being that she was protecting Aquitaine. intimate knowledge of his territory, he deployed
This powerful asset was Richard’s inheritance mercenaries with pinpoint accuracy to combat the
and she hoped to keep it out of the hands of rebels and relied on his followers who were loyal to
Henry and Louis. him personally, not his wealth or power. While the
Many nobles joined the rebel sons’ cause, lured
The tenants of Chivalry with lavish gifts and promises of land Young King, Richard and Louis struggled to make
headway against the English castles on the
and wealth that would be dished continent, Henry II was smashing the
T fea Go an maintai Hi Church out once Henry the Young King “They rebel army in England.
T serv th lieg lor i valou an faith claimed the throne. Louis joined A great blow was struck against
T protec th wea an defenceless their cause and a deal was also hoped to the rebels when William I and
T giv succo t widow an orphans struck with King William I of his small band of followers were
T refrai fro th wanto givin offence Scotland, who coveted lands stretch him thin surprised by a group of English
T liv b honou an fo glory in northern England that as he could only knights and he was taken to
England bound to a horse. This
T despis pecuniar reward were promised to the Scottish humiliation forced the Scots
crown, but not delivered,
T figh fo th welfar all during the civil war of 1135-53 be in one place out of the rebellion and allowed
T obe thos place i authority known as ‘the Anarchy’. at a time” Henry to return to Europe and
T guar th honou fello knights The rebels tried to use their threaten Richard’s forces.
T esche unfairness meannes an deceit numbers and geographical location Henry, II perhaps seeing his earlier
T kee faith to their advantage. By attacking Henry II’s error of judgment, had tried to reason with his
A al time t spea th truth kingdom on multiple fronts, they hoped to stretch sons in the autumn of 1173, offering them land and
T persever t th en i an enterpris begun him thin as he could only be in one place at a time cash settlements to break off their attacks. These
T respec th honou women — but this played directly into one of the king’s were rejected as the brothers were confident they
Neve t refus challeng fro a equal greatest strengths. After all, he had spent his entire could take much bigger prizes once their father
Neve t tur th bac upo foe reign, at the expense of neglecting his children, was defeated. The king later remarked that during
the rebellion he had felt like an eagle being pecked
travelling all over his empire. In one instance, he
rode from Dol-de-Bretagne to Rouen in two days, to death by his chicks. Throughout the campaign,
a distance of just under 260 kilometres. With an Henry II kept John close to him, a marked
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