William Marshall

As biographer Sidney Painter points out in his introduction, the mode of biography as a means of elucidating medieval history is rare. The reason for this is the paucity of primary (and for that matter secondary) contemporaneous written sources. Nevertheless, Painter's method of assembling the biography has been to investigate and compile a series of original documents and histories that, taken together, could constitute a narrative and evaluation of the life of William Marshal.

In the main, this narrative deals with the public life of Marshal and his emergence from an unlanded person of noble birth to a person in the high English nobility who also possessed landed estates, which were the mark of authentic status in the feudal period. Where the details of Marshal's private or family life are concerned, Painter connects them to Marshal's status as a noble gentleman. This is consistent with the fact that, at least for the feudal nobility, personal and professional lives of an individual wer

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ship of Leinster, the chancellor had accused him of "planting vines." His support of John's claim to the succession in 1199 might be considered as a sedulous cultivation of these vines in anticipation of the crop. Still, this would not be fair to William. He had refused to do homage for Leinster because he believed that Richard had no control over John's lordship of Ireland. When Richard died, he supported John as the legal heir and as the least objectionable to the claimants. He knew John's faults, but he nevertheless preferred him to Arthur. Therefore, he did what he could to aid John in securing his kingdom. In recognition of his services the new king not only created him an earl, but increased his official position in the English administration (pp. 123-4; emphasis added). John, like Henry II, Prince Henry, and Richard I, saw Marshal as a confidant as well as vassal. Each in his turn rewarded Marshal with such homage and loyalty as he displayed, although each, as Painter points out, had episodes of distrust of Marshal's loyalty. This is particularly evident in Prince Henry's temporary banishing of Marshal from his entourage, only to reclaim him when Marshal rejoined him in exile. Nevertheless, even what might be te
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Approximate Word count = 3004
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)

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