William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke served five English kings: Henry the Young King, Henry II, Richard I, John, and Henry III. He participated in some of the most crucial moments in British history: the Anarchy and the First Barons' War, which resulted in the Magna Carta. Stephen Langton (one of the drafters of the Magna Carta) described William as the "best knight that ever lived" for his success on tournaments. His biography, L'Histoire de Guillaume le Marechal, was requested by his son after his death. It has 19,214 lines, and serves as the primary source about his life to historians.
William was born around 1146, he was the fourth son of his father and had no land to inherit. His father, John Marshal, was a minor nobleman, supporter of Empress Matilda, against King Stephen during the Anarchy. In 1152, John was besieged by King Stephen at Newbury Castle. John promised to surrender the castle and gave his son William as a hostage. However, John did not keep his promise, and when Stephen threatened to hang William, John replied: "I still have the hammer and the anvil with which to forge still more and better sons!" Luckily for William, Stephen chose to spare his life.
When William was around the age of 12, he was sent to Normandy (like most of the nobility at that time, William was of Norman origin) to the household of his uncle, William de Tancarville, to be trained as a knight. He was knighted in 1166 during a campaign in Upper Normandy. In 1167, he participated in his first tournament, also known as melee, from that point onward, William would participate in a number of tournaments. William was highly successful at tournaments, claiming to have captured 500 knights during his life.
Tournaments were mock battles, with different teams of knights fighting each other. The area of the tournaments was miles-long and they could last up to several days. The goal was not to kill the opponent (although some died or were badly injured), but to capture knights to then ransom them for money, weapons and other prizes. William's success at tournaments became a good source of income, besides giving him the reputation of a great knight.
In 1168, William had left Tancarville to serve under his uncle, Patrick, Earl of Salisbury. While he and the Earl escorted Eleanor of Aquitaine, arguably the most important woman of her time, they were ambushed. The Earl was killed and William was severely injured and captured; nevertheless, he was able to save Eleanor, giving her enough time to escape. She did not forget his bravery and later ransomed him. In 1170, William was appointed to serve Henry, the Young King, son of Eleanor and King Henry II.
William was the Young King's tutor, and accompanied him to tournaments. In 1173, William knighted the Young King and supported his rebellion against Henry II. The unsuccessful revolt ended in 1174 with the Young King reconciling with his father, but it served to prove William's loyalty to the king he served. However, William had enemies within the court, and in 1182, rumors spread that William had been sleeping with Queen Margaret, wife of the Young King. William refuted the accusations, but he was still cast out of court. Shortly after, in 1183, they reconciled, but Henry, the Young King died of dysentery in that same year. With the approval of Henry II, William went on crusade and took the Young King's cross, to fulfill the vow his master had made.
Two years later, William returned to serve Henry II as his loyal captain. In 1188, Henry faced another revolt by one of his sons, this time Richard, who had allied himself with King Philip II of France in an attempt to seize the English throne. During a battle in 1189, William faced Richard and had the chance to kill the prince, but instead aimed at his horse, sparing Richard's life. William was said to be the only man to ever unhorse Richard. In that same year, Henry II died and Richard became king.
William had remained loyal to Henry until his death, and despite their previous encounter, Richard favored William's loyalty. Richard spent most of his reign away on crusade, and appointed William to the council of regency. In 1193 William joined the loyalist to make war upon Richard's brother, John, who wanted the throne for himself. During the fighting, William's older brother (who supported John) died, Richard then allowed William to succeed his brother in the marshalship, Richard also confirmed William's marriage to Isable de Clare, which made William one of the richest men in England. Isabel's father was Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, he had large estates in England, Wales, Ireland and Normandy; all acquired by William through marriage.
In 1199, John became king after Richard's death. William was loyal to John, even through his failed military campaigns. One of John's failed campaigns included the loss of Normandy, where William had lands. Serving as John's ambassador, William tried to negotiate with King Philip of France in order to regain possession of his lands. Philip agreed, but demanded that William paid liege homage to him, which William did. John was enraged by this action, since it meant William could not fight against Philip, and John had not authorized it. In 1207, William left court and went to Ireland. In the following years, he and John had a number of disputes. John accused William of treason, demanded William's oldest son as hostage, and tried to suppress any support he had. Still, William did not rebel against the king and remained loyal.
Finally, in 1212, afraid of his barons revolting against him, John summoned William back to court. Animosity grew between John and his barons, especially after John failed to honor the Magna Carta (which he had signed in 1215). William was one of the few who remained loyal to the king during the First Baron's War (1215-1217). John died on 1216, the heir to the throne was his son, Henry, who was only 9 years old at the time. The king's council named William as regent. He was now the most powerful man in the kingdom.
However, not all barons supported Henry III as king; some supported Prince Louis of France to the English throne. At the Battle of Lincoln, in 1217, supporters of both sides fought. William led an army loyal to Henry and was victorious, assuring Henry's crown and helping to put an end to the First Baron's War. In the same year, he reissued the Magna Carta. On May 14th 1219, at the age of 72, William died, shortly before his death, he was invested into the order of the Knights Templar.
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