The Round Table and the Hundred Years' War
It is quite possible that the ancient King Arthur could have looked like this. But he clearly did not wear such armor. Still from the TV series "Merlin" (2008-2012)
“And you shall make a table of shittim wood, two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high,”
Exodus 25:23
Exodus 25:23
Knights and coats of arms. In the previous article we started talking about the Knights of the Round Table of the English King Edward III. Everything was mixed up in this ancient stories: the inventions of writers of the past, the king's love for literature and courtesy, the usefulness of feudal rituals and oaths. In some ways, it's all the same PR, but in a medieval manner. In any case, the king received a detachment of followers, and modern masters from "Les Etains du Graal" and "Silver Dream Studio" made a unique series of "little soldiers". Now we will continue to get acquainted with other representatives of this series...
And here is the first meeting with one of the representative figures on our list. This is Henry of Grosmont (1310-1361) - Earl of Derby from 1336, Earl of Lancaster 1345-1351, 1st Duke of Lancaster from 1351, Earl of Leicester from 1351 and a member of the English royal family. He is also the son of Henry "Crooked-Neck", 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster and Maud Chaworth. That is, he was very noble, noble and rich. And it is also known about him that he was ... not only a warrior, but also an outstanding diplomat of his time, and a skilled politician. He was also a military leader, and one of the best at the initial stage of the Hundred Years' War. It was he who achieved victory over the French at the Battle of Auberoche. For all he had done for the British crown, he received the Order of the Garter, and in 1351 the title of Duke.
We often write that the Western knighthood was almost completely illiterate. But Grosmont was not only a skilled warrior and diplomat, but also an excellent writer, and was the author of the manuscript "The Book of Divine Medicines". However, this book is not so much about medicines as it is a story about his deeply personal attitude to religion, piety and morality. For example, it says that at the age of 44 he was sick with gout. The book has seven parts, and each is dedicated to a wound that Henry once received. Although these wounds themselves are only symbols of his seven sins, which he confesses to. Well, and then there are descriptions of medicines, both real and completely fantastic, supposedly capable of healing these "wounds-sins". The result is a call to the reader to piety, for only God can heal everything! He was an outstanding man, but ... in 1360 the plague did not spare him. Let us add that Grosmont was the owner of a very beautiful coat of arms: three golden British lions on a red field, at the top an azure lambel, decorated with golden lilies of France.
Henry Grosmont figurine by Les Etains du Graal and Silver Dream Studio
The figure of John Lisle, 2nd Baron Lisle of Rougemont (1319–1355) exudes true knightly power. In 1344, he became one of the founding knights of the Order of the Garter. He fought in the Hundred Years' War. At the Battle of Crecy in 1346, he commanded a detachment of six knights, eleven squires and twenty-three archers. It is obvious that he and his vassals fought very bravely, because immediately after the battle, the king made him a knight banneret and gave him a salary of 200 pounds a year. But he enjoyed the king's favor for only 11 years. During the Black Prince's campaign in Languedoc, he was killed by a crossbow bolt.
A figurine of John Lyle. Interestingly, his coat of arms is embroidered on the hem of his surcoat. And since the coat of arms is very simple, it is not surprising that his helmet decoration was a huge wolf or dog head. It looks very massive, but in fact, it was most likely made of papier-mâché!
And this is how Roger Mortimer (1287 – November 29, 1330) appears in miniature – 3rd Baron Wigmore, Lord Mortimer from 1304, 1st Earl of March from 1328
Before us is a man who played an exceptional role in the history of England. At first, he faithfully served King Edward II, but then became the lover of his wife Queen Isabella, effectively overthrew the king from the throne and gave the order to kill him. And then, having completely subordinated the queen to his will, he usurped the royal power of the young Edward III and ruled England for three years. All this time, he was busy marrying off his numerous daughters profitably, spending the royal treasury and... as the chroniclers write, "giving the king bad advice." It all ended naturally: the young king came of age and fiercely hated his mother's lover, who, in addition, "knocked up" the queen.
Having surrounded himself with supporters, he personally arrested Mortimer and brought him to trial. The trial was swift and fair, because he "gave the king bad advice." To the place of execution he was dragged across London on a bull's hide, between two horses, then they took off his clothes, but then dressed him again in the black tunic he had worn at the funeral of Edward II. He was also given the right to the last word, after which he was hanged like a common thief. He was then forty-three years old. Well, Roger's naked corpse then hung on the gallows for two days and two nights. Only the Dispensiers, who were also "bad advisers" of Edward II, were treated worse, being executed by disembowelment on the stairs. Such were the harsh morals that reigned in medieval England at that time. By the way, the Mortimer coat of arms is very simple, but it is very difficult to understand its meaning.
Figurine of Bartholomew Burghersh (1329–1369) — 2nd Baron Burghersh from 1355
He was one of the most trusted advisers of King Edward III, and carried out his most delicate assignments. In particular, it was he who was entrusted by the king to pawn his crown and jewels to raise money for the war. He participated in the Hundred Years' War. He fought in the battles of Crecy and Poitiers. One of the founders of the Order of the Garter (1348). His coat of arms was also very simple, which is not surprising given his nobility.
Edward "The Black Prince" (1330–1376)
He was the eldest son of Edward III, 1st Earl of Chester from 1333, 1st Duke of Cornwall from 1337, Prince of Wales from 1343, and a Knight of the Garter from 1348. He was the ruler of Aquitaine with the title "Prince of Aquitaine" from 1362, and Lord of Biscay and Castro-Urdiales in Castile from 1366. One of the most famous commanders of the Hundred Years' War. But why is he "black", although his effigy in Canterbury Cathedral is dressed in a heraldic jupon, and it should have had the colors of the coat of arms of England? There is a version that he was nicknamed so because at tournaments he fought in black armor and with a shield on which three black feathers were depicted.
Another "dog-headed knight" was Ralph Stafford (1301–1372), 1st Earl of Stafford
Also among the founders of the Order of the Garter, also a participant in the Hundred Years' War. Participated in the overthrow of Mortimer and thus gained the friendship of King Edward III. Became a royal marshal and... a very rich man, having been married twice. After his death, it turned out that the annual income of his estates was 1432 pounds, although many believed that he actually received much more. His coat of arms was very simple - a red rafter on a gold field.
Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick (1313–1369) is another famous figure
A commander in the Hundred Years' War, Earl Marshal of England from 1343/1344, son of Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick, and Alice de Tosny, daughter of Ralph VII de Tosny. He became famous for the fact that in 1346, while landing in France with Edward III, Thomas, along with his squire and only six archers, attacked a French detachment of 100 men who were trying to prevent the landing. They killed 60 Frenchmen, the rest fled in disgrace. He fought in France under the command of the Black Prince and even distinguished himself in the crusade against the pagan Prussians. He most likely died of the plague, but... he could well have been poisoned by envious people.
William Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury (1328–1397) was an active participant in the Hundred Years' War and an associate of Kings Edward III and Richard II, whom he helped suppress the rebellion of Wat Tyler. He was knighted by the Prince of Wales himself in France in 1346 and achieved the title of King of the Isle of Man. But he had the misfortune of dying in a tournament. He left no descendants.
William Montague figurine. The quality of the painting done by the masters of Silver Dream Studio is amazing
And here is the last "hero" in the company of the Knights of the Round Table of Edward III - Jean III de Grailly or de Grailly (1331-1376) - Captal de Buch (1343), Viscount of Benoge and Castillon, Count of Bigorre since 1369, a French lord, but during the Hundred Years' War he fought on the side of England and was even among the 25 founding knights of the Order of the Garter. In the Battle of Poitiers with a detachment of Gascon knights he went behind the French lines, which, according to historians, was the main reason for their defeat. Received the county of Bigorre from the Black Prince. He died in captivity among the French in the Temple castle, having learned of the death of the Black Prince. Although he was married, he had no children and bequeathed all his lands to his uncle.
Jean III de Grailly is the last of the 26… The black cross in his coat of arms is decorated with the shells of St. James of Compostela
This is what they were like, the "knights without fear and reproach", members of not the legendary, but the very real "Round Table" organized by King Edward III. Of course, it is difficult to say how accurately their figures are depicted in metal and painted. However, one thing is clear: the sculptors, casters and artists who worked on them tried hard!
Information