1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,099 think of a tournament and you're likely to think chivalrous Knights splintered 2 00:00:08,099 --> 00:00:14,779 lances and admiring damsels with the odd handkerchief drops the polite ritual 3 00:00:14,779 --> 00:00:23,160 displays of arms that are joust but before the joust came to the fore there 4 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:28,859 was the melee tournament a brutal free-for-all with sharpened weapons few 5 00:00:28,859 --> 00:00:36,780 rules and one undisputed champion william marshall the best night in all the world 6 00:00:38,060 --> 00:00:44,299 his story reveals a very different kind of tournament one in which brute force ruled 7 00:00:44,299 --> 00:00:48,700 handkerchiefs stayed in pockets and money was more important than matters 8 00:00:48,700 --> 00:00:55,899 it was hugely violent people got hurt seriously hurt break their arm or crack their ribs or 9 00:00:55,899 --> 00:01:02,539 something but just make sure they can still reach for their walls in this program i'm going on a 10 00:01:02,539 --> 00:01:09,340 journey into the nightly world of william marshall i'll be training like him trying out his weapons 11 00:01:09,980 --> 00:01:18,170 and testing his armor and i'll be following the clues of his story from temple church in london 12 00:01:18,170 --> 00:01:27,099 to the museums of manhattan and the battlefields of northern france it's an epic tale of the 13 00:01:27,099 --> 00:01:32,780 greatest tournament night of his era a man who dominates europe's first international sporting 14 00:01:32,780 --> 00:02:12,219 arena takes the reins of power and then saves a kingdom on the battlefield seven nights a week 15 00:02:12,219 --> 00:02:17,740 audiences gather at medieval times in new jersey to feast on a mock medieval banquet 16 00:02:17,740 --> 00:02:21,419 and cheer on their favorite knights in a jousting extravaganza 17 00:02:21,419 --> 00:02:58,550 this is what most people think of as a tournament it's a scene we know well from movies and shows 18 00:02:58,550 --> 00:03:04,710 two knights on horseback charging at each other with lances and all for the love of a fair maiden 19 00:03:04,710 --> 00:03:22,250 but i want to explore the tournament era before all the pageantry and courtly shenanigans seeped 20 00:03:22,250 --> 00:03:33,990 As I look for information on the early tournament, 21 00:03:33,990 --> 00:03:37,990 the one name that keeps cropping up is William Marshall. 22 00:03:37,990 --> 00:03:40,990 And I have a hunch that this tournament champion 23 00:03:40,990 --> 00:03:44,990 is the key to unlocking the events that preceded the joust. 24 00:03:46,990 --> 00:03:50,990 So I've come to Temple Church in the City of London, 25 00:03:50,990 --> 00:03:54,990 built in the 12th century by the Knights Templar. 26 00:03:54,990 --> 00:03:57,990 I'm here because it contains the life-size effigies 27 00:03:57,990 --> 00:03:59,990 of nine medieval knights. 28 00:04:00,750 --> 00:04:03,069 One of them is of William Marshall. 29 00:04:03,610 --> 00:04:06,770 And here we have the effigies of our own knights. 30 00:04:07,370 --> 00:04:09,189 Which one do we think is William Marshall? 31 00:04:09,389 --> 00:04:13,530 Since the 1840s, this is the character who has been identified 32 00:04:13,530 --> 00:04:16,009 as William Marshall, the first Earl of Pembroke, 33 00:04:16,670 --> 00:04:20,910 surrounded by three of his sons, or so it seems at least. 34 00:04:21,290 --> 00:04:22,430 We can't actually be sure? 35 00:04:22,569 --> 00:04:24,629 I'm afraid not. You can't bet on it. 36 00:04:24,990 --> 00:04:26,889 The knights have been laid out like this 37 00:04:26,889 --> 00:04:29,689 with our present identification since the 1840s. 38 00:04:29,689 --> 00:04:34,290 when a very great archaeologist more or less saved them from hopeless destruction. 39 00:04:34,889 --> 00:04:38,129 But he knew that William Marshall I was here, 40 00:04:38,269 --> 00:04:40,589 and he knew at least one of his sons was here, 41 00:04:40,910 --> 00:04:43,850 and he played pretty fast and loose with the evidence 42 00:04:43,850 --> 00:04:46,209 to get the identifications he needed. 43 00:04:46,670 --> 00:04:48,829 That does strike me, this one in particular. 44 00:04:49,410 --> 00:04:51,689 He looks like a knight ready for action, doesn't he? 45 00:04:51,689 --> 00:04:54,810 He's got all his martial kit, his shield, his sword, his coif. 46 00:04:54,810 --> 00:04:56,810 He's fully armoured. He's also quite tall. 47 00:04:56,810 --> 00:05:00,689 I mean, we know that this man, William Marshall, was a great champion. 48 00:05:01,149 --> 00:05:02,910 There's a good chance, isn't there, that this is him? 49 00:05:03,110 --> 00:05:04,589 Yes, and it was rather striking. 50 00:05:04,689 --> 00:05:07,810 When the bones were dug up from underneath the round in the 1840s, 51 00:05:08,589 --> 00:05:11,790 it was discovered that at least one of the men buried here 52 00:05:11,790 --> 00:05:16,569 would have stood, in his lifetime, over six foot tall. 53 00:05:16,889 --> 00:05:19,290 I mean, in 1220, this is a giant. 54 00:05:19,470 --> 00:05:20,009 Twice unusual. 55 00:05:20,089 --> 00:05:21,990 And you put the man onto a war horse 56 00:05:21,990 --> 00:05:24,470 and you put them both into armour from head to foot, 57 00:05:24,470 --> 00:05:25,970 you have a one-man tank. 58 00:05:26,810 --> 00:05:29,569 William Marshall was born around 1147, 59 00:05:30,230 --> 00:05:31,970 precisely when a where isn't clear 60 00:05:31,970 --> 00:05:35,709 because his family wasn't prominent enough for the details to be recorded. 61 00:05:36,730 --> 00:05:38,889 But despite his relatively humble beginnings, 62 00:05:39,329 --> 00:05:40,930 he rose to be Regent of England, 63 00:05:41,670 --> 00:05:44,329 one of the most powerful men of his generation. 64 00:05:46,779 --> 00:05:49,639 We may not know for certain which of these men is William Marshall, 65 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:51,579 but we do know a lot about his life 66 00:05:51,579 --> 00:05:54,980 thanks to an extraordinary document that survived from the 13th century. 67 00:05:55,860 --> 00:05:58,660 It contains many details about Marshall's career 68 00:05:58,660 --> 00:06:03,180 and some tantalising clues about the tournaments in which he made his name. 69 00:06:05,180 --> 00:06:11,579 I'm on my way to see William Marshall's biography. 70 00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:14,680 It's a document that's almost 800 years old. 71 00:06:15,180 --> 00:06:17,420 And, after being bought and sold a number of times, 72 00:06:17,740 --> 00:06:20,199 it's now in the archives of the Morgan Library and Museum, 73 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:22,279 here in New York City. 74 00:06:24,459 --> 00:06:28,339 Many a saddle was turned, and many a knight knocked to the ground. 75 00:06:28,660 --> 00:06:34,600 Many were injured, many were beaten, many captured, many made to swear a pledge. 76 00:06:36,579 --> 00:06:42,360 Many gave him a wide berth, yet many a blow struck with sword and mace were directed at William Marshall, 77 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:47,480 squashing his helmet completely and reaching through to his very scalp. 78 00:06:48,860 --> 00:06:57,019 They boldly hacked at each other, just as a carpenter chops and carves wood with his axe, so they struck one another. 79 00:06:57,019 --> 00:06:58,019 Hello, Bill. 80 00:06:58,019 --> 00:07:03,279 Oh, hello, Salma. 81 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:04,279 Good to see you. 82 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:05,279 And you. 83 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:08,279 So this is the amazing William Marshall biography. 84 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:12,279 Yes, here it is, all 127 leaves of it. 85 00:07:12,279 --> 00:07:15,279 And as you can see, it's written in two columns. 86 00:07:15,279 --> 00:07:17,279 It's in Engle Norman, rhymed verses. 87 00:07:17,279 --> 00:07:19,279 There are almost 20,000 of them. 88 00:07:19,279 --> 00:07:23,279 Is it unusual for a knight of this period to have a biography written of him? 89 00:07:23,279 --> 00:07:25,279 Oh, yes, I would say so. 90 00:07:25,279 --> 00:07:29,279 While there are, of course, extensive biographies of mythical knights 91 00:07:29,279 --> 00:07:31,600 like Lancelot, Tristan, and so forth, 92 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,459 we have almost no biographies of real knights. 93 00:07:35,839 --> 00:07:37,860 And what sort of details has it got in it 94 00:07:37,860 --> 00:07:40,660 that give us an insight into who William Marshall was? 95 00:07:40,879 --> 00:07:43,019 We have a physical description of the man, 96 00:07:43,139 --> 00:07:45,500 who was over six feet tall, had brown hair, 97 00:07:45,959 --> 00:07:49,100 and his physique was described as being a work of sculpture, 98 00:07:49,300 --> 00:07:52,740 that he was well made for his purpose as a knight. 99 00:07:54,639 --> 00:07:57,399 His hair was brown, his face swarthy, 100 00:07:57,399 --> 00:08:00,879 but his features were so much like those of a true noble 101 00:08:00,879 --> 00:08:03,060 that he could have been emperor of Rome. 102 00:08:04,740 --> 00:08:06,100 It's a genuine biography, 103 00:08:06,399 --> 00:08:08,839 and it's the only one that actually survives the Middle Ages. 104 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:12,540 It's perfectly possible it was the only one ever written in the Middle Ages, 105 00:08:13,079 --> 00:08:15,139 as we would recognise it, a classic biography. 106 00:08:16,579 --> 00:08:19,800 This manuscript is just packed full of interesting information 107 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:21,459 on the tournament in the 12th century. 108 00:08:22,459 --> 00:08:26,279 It also contains some fascinating details about the marshal's life story. 109 00:08:27,019 --> 00:08:30,079 We read, for example, how his father sent him to be schooled 110 00:08:30,079 --> 00:08:31,899 at the Tankerville household in Normandy. 111 00:08:32,940 --> 00:08:35,379 Now, you would have thought that the man who became known 112 00:08:35,379 --> 00:08:37,360 as the greatest knight in the world 113 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,120 would have been the keenest squire on the training ground. 114 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,980 But actually, it's clear he's a bit of a lazy blighter, 115 00:08:44,419 --> 00:08:47,360 and when he wasn't sleeping, he was stuffing his face. 116 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:51,080 And we know this because the life records his nickname 117 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,679 as Gaste de Onde, Greedy Guts. 118 00:08:56,279 --> 00:09:01,279 We know he was taught to sing, and he did it rather well, too. 119 00:09:01,279 --> 00:09:04,279 Quite a nice voice, according to his biographer. 120 00:09:04,279 --> 00:09:11,600 And he certainly enjoyed music, we know that much. 121 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:15,600 Probably he had some instruction in the skills of the hunt. 122 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:19,600 The one thing that he didn't have, which is actually most unusual in his day, 123 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,600 was a literate education. He wasn't taught his letters. 124 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,600 The only way he could actually make a living for himself was as a soldier. 125 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:29,480 and we can be sure our would-be knight 126 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,679 received a top-notch military education. 127 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,039 His lord was considered one of the grandest patrons 128 00:09:35,039 --> 00:09:38,419 of knighthood, with a retinue of well over 100 men, 129 00:09:38,419 --> 00:09:41,120 and I'm on my way to try out some of the training methods 130 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:44,000 used by knights of the Tankerville retinue, 131 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:55,070 including the young William Marshall. 132 00:09:55,070 --> 00:09:56,809 I've joined up with some highly skilled 133 00:09:56,809 --> 00:09:58,029 tournament performers. 134 00:10:00,409 --> 00:10:02,470 I'm feeling a little nervous, though. 135 00:10:02,470 --> 00:10:03,909 I haven't ridden for years, 136 00:10:03,909 --> 00:10:06,850 and I've never handled any medieval weapons. 137 00:10:06,850 --> 00:10:08,309 But I'm hoping to get a few tips 138 00:10:08,309 --> 00:10:10,929 from my tutor in arms, Alan Larson. 139 00:10:12,210 --> 00:10:13,049 Hi, Alan. 140 00:10:13,049 --> 00:10:13,889 Hi, sir. 141 00:10:15,090 --> 00:10:16,610 So as you can see, I'm all kitted out, 142 00:10:16,610 --> 00:10:19,049 but what exactly is the lance you're holding? 143 00:10:19,049 --> 00:10:21,250 This is a war lance, yeah? 144 00:10:21,250 --> 00:10:23,289 This was the primary weapon 145 00:10:23,289 --> 00:10:25,470 of an 11th and 12th century knight. 146 00:10:25,470 --> 00:10:30,470 He'd work so that he could use this lance effectively, 147 00:10:30,490 --> 00:10:33,450 deepen the saddle, lower it down, 148 00:10:33,450 --> 00:10:36,809 and put all of the impact, half a ton of horse and rider, 149 00:10:37,149 --> 00:10:40,549 travelling at 25, 30 miles an hour, right behind it. 150 00:10:40,769 --> 00:10:43,929 And the mass of knights riding knee to knee 151 00:10:43,929 --> 00:10:47,129 was the new shock tactic of the 12th century. 152 00:10:47,470 --> 00:10:50,690 It really was cutting-edge technology, very effective. 153 00:10:51,289 --> 00:10:53,950 OK, so you've got the real McCoy. What's this toothpick I'm holding? 154 00:10:53,950 --> 00:10:59,029 Right. This is what we're going to use for your training against the Quintain. 155 00:10:59,629 --> 00:11:03,750 Now, this lance, as you know, is more typical of the 11th century. 156 00:11:04,190 --> 00:11:07,970 But because the quintain is a tricky beast, as you'll find, 157 00:11:08,370 --> 00:11:10,009 it's that spinning device. 158 00:11:10,649 --> 00:11:13,529 You really want to be starting off at this stage of your training 159 00:11:13,529 --> 00:11:15,610 with something a little bit more manoeuvrable. 160 00:11:16,169 --> 00:11:18,070 You'd work up in due course to this. 161 00:11:18,250 --> 00:11:20,509 OK, so we'll go and give this a shot then, shall we? 162 00:11:20,529 --> 00:11:20,889 Let's go. 163 00:11:29,029 --> 00:11:57,799 follow my line remember you have it down don't have it wobbling all over the place yeah just 164 00:11:57,799 --> 00:12:04,279 keep it in look like the business and you want to establish this this folk on here yeah 165 00:12:04,279 --> 00:12:13,639 to keep wedged in yeah remember sitting back heels down thinking and riding like a lord 166 00:12:13,639 --> 00:12:20,940 Let's keep that ghastly grin on your face, gentle pressure on the reins, lean back and 167 00:12:20,940 --> 00:12:23,139 use your voice, yeah? 168 00:12:23,139 --> 00:12:30,399 Push them on. 169 00:12:30,399 --> 00:12:31,399 Nice. 170 00:12:31,399 --> 00:12:38,899 Come back on the same line, just as long as you get that length out in front of the horse. 171 00:12:38,899 --> 00:12:39,899 Okay. 172 00:12:39,899 --> 00:12:40,899 Yeah, it felt good. 173 00:12:40,899 --> 00:12:41,899 It felt good. 174 00:12:41,899 --> 00:12:46,279 I mean, you've got to think of five different things at the same time, controlling the horse, 175 00:12:46,279 --> 00:12:49,940 leaning back, heels down, and then the accuracy of the launch. 176 00:12:57,970 --> 00:13:02,009 I suppose, Alan, it's pretty obvious it's going to take a while to master these sort of techniques, 177 00:13:02,190 --> 00:13:06,870 which is why it probably took William Marshall, what, seven years to become a fully trained-up knight? 178 00:13:07,110 --> 00:13:07,269 Yeah. 179 00:13:07,750 --> 00:13:12,950 Most days, he and his fellow squires would have been out there practising. 180 00:13:13,409 --> 00:13:17,029 He had been up on horseback, practising, practising, practising, 181 00:13:17,029 --> 00:13:22,470 so that he could hit not only that shield, but pretty much anywhere on it, 182 00:13:22,470 --> 00:13:25,870 pinpoint accuracy, so that when it came to war, 183 00:13:26,350 --> 00:13:28,629 he could find that chink in his opponent's armour 184 00:13:28,629 --> 00:13:30,250 and drive that lance right through. 185 00:13:31,509 --> 00:13:39,200 If William Marshall wasn't training with his lance, 186 00:13:39,860 --> 00:13:42,240 it's likely he was practising with his longsword. 187 00:13:43,779 --> 00:13:47,600 Whether he actually swiped at cabbages, his biography doesn't tell us. 188 00:13:49,059 --> 00:13:53,179 But it's not hard to imagine the young squire slicing through vegetables 189 00:13:53,179 --> 00:13:56,279 in the bailey of his lord's Normandy castle. 190 00:14:02,330 --> 00:14:07,009 The other key weapon in the Marshal's arsenal was designed for blunt destruction. 191 00:14:08,529 --> 00:14:09,490 The mace. 192 00:14:11,350 --> 00:14:14,070 As William approached the end of his seven years of training, 193 00:14:14,470 --> 00:14:16,250 word reached him that his father had died, 194 00:14:16,610 --> 00:14:19,289 and, worse still, had left him nothing in his will. 195 00:14:20,210 --> 00:14:22,669 So when the young Marshal was knighted soon afterwards, 196 00:14:22,870 --> 00:14:24,970 he knew he would have to make his own way in the world. 197 00:14:25,429 --> 00:14:29,190 And one of the ways to do that was to use his skills 198 00:14:29,190 --> 00:14:31,970 so he could draw attention to himself as a young knight 199 00:14:31,970 --> 00:14:35,129 by fighting well and displaying his talents, 200 00:14:35,269 --> 00:14:38,590 which he would do at the court of William of Tancorville, 201 00:14:39,029 --> 00:14:42,370 both fighting in skirmishes but, more importantly, in tournaments. 202 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,799 And in the late 12th century, it was the Picardy region of northern France 203 00:14:48,799 --> 00:14:53,259 that played host to knights looking to showcase their talent on the tournament field. 204 00:14:54,559 --> 00:14:57,539 I'm on my way to a location just north of Paris, 205 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:01,440 which was one of the most popular sites for tournaments during William Marshall's lifetime 206 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:03,679 and one where he often fought himself. 207 00:15:05,799 --> 00:15:09,919 I'm still not sure I really know what these early tournaments were all about. 208 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:13,840 But fortunately, I'm meeting with an expert 209 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:18,080 who can tell me what used to take place here 800 years ago. 210 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:24,259 Hello, David. 211 00:15:24,580 --> 00:15:24,899 Hi, Saul. 212 00:15:25,580 --> 00:15:28,379 So here we are in tournament country in northern France, 213 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:29,559 but where exactly are we? 214 00:15:29,620 --> 00:15:32,019 Well, we're in Picardy, and we're between two towns, 215 00:15:32,159 --> 00:15:33,159 halfway between two towns. 216 00:15:33,159 --> 00:15:38,759 That's Raison-sur-Matte, to our north, and to our south, the town of Gournay-sur-Arwande. 217 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,820 And this was the place where you came to be seen if you were a knight in the 12th century. 218 00:15:42,899 --> 00:15:44,980 This is where you would come to establish your reputation. 219 00:15:45,159 --> 00:15:46,080 You would come from a long way. 220 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:50,220 People came from Spain, people came from Germany, people came from England, 221 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:54,419 people even came from Scotland to here, because this was the place to showcase your talent. 222 00:15:54,539 --> 00:15:57,259 This was the Stade de France of the Middle Ages. 223 00:15:57,500 --> 00:16:00,259 Now, we're talking about the area all around us because this is a huge area. 224 00:16:00,519 --> 00:16:01,299 This is a huge area. 225 00:16:01,299 --> 00:16:04,620 We need a map to show you exactly how large and how it was used. 226 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:10,940 This overlay here will show you exactly what sort of area we're talking about. 227 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,220 Amazingly, the area that was set out for the tournament here was about nine square kilometres. 228 00:16:16,980 --> 00:16:19,779 That's the size of 20 full-size golf courses. 229 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,919 So we're not talking about a small-scale joust event, then? 230 00:16:23,039 --> 00:16:26,080 No, this is an entirely different order of event. 231 00:16:26,460 --> 00:16:29,279 I mean, a joust is a one-on-one event between two knights. 232 00:16:29,279 --> 00:16:35,279 But this is more of a mock battle involving hundreds, thousands of knights. 233 00:16:35,279 --> 00:16:43,149 They would assemble and draw up opposite each other in two great long lines, 234 00:16:43,149 --> 00:16:46,149 hundreds of knights on either side. 235 00:16:46,149 --> 00:16:51,610 It must have been tremendously exciting. 236 00:16:51,610 --> 00:16:54,610 Your insides must have been turning to liquid, though. 237 00:16:54,610 --> 00:16:57,610 I mean, it would be unbelievably frightening. 238 00:16:57,610 --> 00:17:02,610 And the last moment, that great helm is put over your head, 239 00:17:02,610 --> 00:17:06,049 and through it, you can just see your noble opponents 240 00:17:06,049 --> 00:17:07,670 at the other end of the field. 241 00:17:21,660 --> 00:17:25,200 Once the green light went on and everybody was off, 242 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,460 the whole thing is completely out of your control 243 00:17:28,460 --> 00:17:31,900 and you're just swept along with the tide of the event. 244 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:46,339 It must have been really exhilarating 245 00:17:46,339 --> 00:17:49,400 to be part of so many knights 246 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:52,319 charging against a wall of other knights. 247 00:17:53,539 --> 00:18:01,059 Both sides would come together 248 00:18:01,059 --> 00:18:03,960 and there'd be a huge clash right in the middle of the field. 249 00:18:07,539 --> 00:18:12,039 The people who are off are going to try and protect themselves from the horse's hooves. 250 00:18:12,339 --> 00:18:15,339 And the dust and the noise would be unbelievable. 251 00:18:16,500 --> 00:18:19,960 Screaming horses, screaming men, people yelling orders, 252 00:18:20,099 --> 00:18:22,079 trying to get their formations back together. 253 00:18:22,579 --> 00:18:24,099 It'd be total chaos. 254 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:33,259 They would turn, this is what gave the tournament its name, 255 00:18:33,259 --> 00:18:36,460 and then they would melee, which means that they would fight, 256 00:18:36,559 --> 00:18:39,039 and they would fight as if they were in an actual battle. 257 00:18:45,660 --> 00:18:48,160 This is where you get out your swords and your maces 258 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,380 and hammer down blows on the helmets of your opponents. 259 00:18:58,660 --> 00:19:01,440 Now you can hear the sound of sword blade on sword blade. 260 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:17,319 the grunts and groans of effort and exertion sooner or later the whole melee would break up 261 00:19:17,319 --> 00:19:22,900 as some nights broke away some were pursued some were turning to find advantage and eventually they 262 00:19:22,900 --> 00:19:27,160 would spread over this entire landscape and they would use the landscape too because this was a 263 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:31,779 mock battle and it was used like a battlefield and they would use the ditches they would use 264 00:19:31,779 --> 00:19:36,400 the hedges they would use the small woods to take cover to take refuge as a 265 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:41,519 rest place as somewhere to actually sit and just bandage up their wounds 266 00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:47,160 and also they would use it as a place for ambushing other nights who came from 267 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:55,279 suspecting past and it might go on to sunset or in my 268 00:19:55,279 --> 00:19:59,279 consulate I or it might go on until one side had just lost heart and ran for it 269 00:19:59,279 --> 00:20:09,559 back to their base but what could have motivated these nights to trek to a 270 00:20:09,559 --> 00:20:15,920 field in northern France and risk their lives in such a lethal activity by the 271 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:23,599 late 12th century the knight had already begun to develop his role as a lord as a 272 00:20:23,599 --> 00:20:31,880 social figure as a figure with political power but primarily they were warriors 273 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:34,539 They were the warrior elite. 274 00:20:36,099 --> 00:20:40,880 What made them special was the fact that they fought on horseback. 275 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:43,960 That is what defined the medieval knight 276 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:48,539 and set him apart from every other form of fighting man. 277 00:20:53,490 --> 00:20:56,650 Anyone who wanted to be a professional soldier had to train, 278 00:20:57,029 --> 00:21:01,269 and the best way of training to be a knight was to fight in tournaments. 279 00:21:01,269 --> 00:21:05,809 That was the whole reason they were invented, was as training for war. 280 00:21:05,970 --> 00:21:11,109 You need to know what it's like to face people who desperately want to kill you. 281 00:21:12,650 --> 00:21:17,430 It was said that you weren't truly a knight 282 00:21:17,430 --> 00:21:21,490 until you'd felt your teeth crack and your blood flow. 283 00:21:22,289 --> 00:21:24,890 And both of those things are going to happen in a tournament. 284 00:21:26,390 --> 00:21:29,609 While the warrior elite reveled in their martial training, 285 00:21:29,609 --> 00:21:34,569 Their violent behaviour was far from popular with medieval society's other elite. 286 00:21:35,730 --> 00:21:38,849 The church always had a very negative attitude towards tournaments. 287 00:21:39,490 --> 00:21:42,970 They objected on many grounds. They objected on moral and spiritual grounds. 288 00:21:43,069 --> 00:21:46,210 They thought that tournaments were breeding places for all the vices. 289 00:21:46,990 --> 00:21:53,660 You get examples of abbeys where knights have been put up for the night, 290 00:21:53,839 --> 00:21:55,319 ready to go out to fight the tournament, 291 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:59,079 and they all get drunk and rampage through the place and destroy it. 292 00:21:59,079 --> 00:22:02,579 and sometimes townsmen objected for that same reason, they would shut the doors. 293 00:22:10,039 --> 00:22:12,859 You've got large groups of armed men wandering around the countryside, 294 00:22:13,099 --> 00:22:16,079 they can seize what they want, they don't necessarily pay for it, 295 00:22:16,079 --> 00:22:19,420 because they've got arms and who's going to argue against them? 296 00:22:20,619 --> 00:22:23,299 The church always said, right from 11.30, 297 00:22:23,519 --> 00:22:26,640 that anybody who took part in a tournament should be excommunicated, 298 00:22:27,299 --> 00:22:30,240 which meant they were literally cut off from all the sacraments of the church, 299 00:22:30,319 --> 00:22:31,660 they couldn't go in, they couldn't confess, 300 00:22:31,660 --> 00:22:35,759 they were not allowed to have church burial if they were killed in the tournament. 301 00:22:37,539 --> 00:22:42,039 In practice, the church could do very little to prevent the knights from indulging in their 302 00:22:42,039 --> 00:22:47,400 violent hobby. But the knights were not totally without religious scruple. They avoided holding 303 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:52,119 their mock battles on Fridays and Sundays, the days of meditation and worship, and they 304 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:57,119 put away their lances for the whole of Lent, which is why Shrove Tuesday was the most popular 305 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:57,960 day for a melee. 306 00:23:01,660 --> 00:23:08,660 And another type of melee also took place on Shrove Tuesdays across 12th century England. 307 00:23:08,660 --> 00:23:17,660 Mass football games were held throughout the country, a tradition that is still alive today here at Ashbourne in Derbyshire. 308 00:23:17,660 --> 00:23:26,660 Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent. 309 00:23:26,660 --> 00:23:57,299 the tournament was an extremely violent exercise and even the most skilled 310 00:23:57,299 --> 00:24:01,380 martial artists would get banged up 311 00:24:03,539 --> 00:24:08,099 broken arms and broken shoulder blades there's probably never been 312 00:24:08,099 --> 00:24:11,940 a medieval knight who hasn't had some of his fingers broken and some of his teeth 313 00:24:11,940 --> 00:24:14,500 knocked down 314 00:24:18,500 --> 00:24:22,819 people got hurt seriously hurt there are plenty of examples of 315 00:24:22,819 --> 00:24:27,220 famous noblemen even from england who were hit on the head in a tournament 316 00:24:27,220 --> 00:24:31,779 and and literally lost their senses or lost their sight they were blinded in the in the midst of the 317 00:24:31,779 --> 00:24:36,740 melee and people were killed too people tended to commemorate a tournament as oh that was the 318 00:24:36,740 --> 00:24:40,660 tournament in which such and such a man was killed which tells you that actually it wasn't that 319 00:24:40,660 --> 00:24:44,500 common but you could get killed and there are plenty of high profile people were killed 320 00:24:46,660 --> 00:24:50,579 but how anyone survived this brutal activity remains a mystery to me 321 00:24:51,380 --> 00:24:55,460 especially if like william marshall they were at it for 20 years 322 00:24:57,220 --> 00:25:04,900 tournaments were intended as training for war so killing people can't be the primary objective 323 00:25:07,220 --> 00:25:11,220 it has to have an element of danger for it to be useful as training for war 324 00:25:11,220 --> 00:25:17,460 but there are other considerations in the tournament ransom is first and foremost of those 325 00:25:17,460 --> 00:25:36,980 it turns out that the aim of the tournament is not to kill your opponent but to capture 326 00:25:36,980 --> 00:25:42,839 him and take a ransom and you can't get a ransom from a dead man this prize usually 327 00:25:42,839 --> 00:25:48,859 took the form of his weapons his armor his tack and of course the valuable possession 328 00:25:48,859 --> 00:25:54,619 of his highly trained horse the objective was to try and capture another night so one 329 00:25:54,619 --> 00:25:59,420 more people would set upon a knight that they thought looked a good wealthy one and they would 330 00:25:59,420 --> 00:26:03,099 capture him by dragging hold of his reigns and pulling him out of the fighting and away from 331 00:26:03,099 --> 00:26:08,299 his own men they would take him to one of the refuges and force him to give some sort of oath 332 00:26:08,299 --> 00:26:13,500 that he would pay a ransom you could be very physical and brutal as well you could reach out 333 00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:17,980 grab his chainmail hood and wrench him off the horse over the back and onto the ground then jump 334 00:26:17,980 --> 00:26:23,660 on him and get him to say the magic word and the magic word was fiance fiance i offer you a pledge 335 00:26:24,619 --> 00:26:33,779 Disable them, break their arm or crack their ribs or something, but just make sure they can still reach for their wallets. 336 00:26:35,779 --> 00:26:43,779 William Marshall's great thing was that he would go up and grab the reins of a knight and drag him out of the melee and force him to surrender. 337 00:26:48,539 --> 00:26:57,539 A dazzling feat of horsemanship, you know, riding past another knight, grabbing the reins out of his hand and then just dragging him off the field, handing him over to Skyes. Everybody applauded that. 338 00:26:57,539 --> 00:27:03,220 that so if you were a poor landless knight like william marshall if you were really good at the 339 00:27:03,220 --> 00:27:08,019 tournament you could make your fortune doing that because you not only acquired better equipment for 340 00:27:08,019 --> 00:27:13,460 yourself but you could sell on all your games and and earn yourself a nice little fortune while you 341 00:27:13,460 --> 00:27:20,019 were at it william's first tournament was a great success he captured three knights one an important 342 00:27:20,019 --> 00:27:25,460 courtier of the king of scotland these ransoms gave him a measure of independence and william 343 00:27:25,460 --> 00:27:28,980 Tim Tankerville led him head straight off to another tourney. 344 00:27:28,980 --> 00:27:33,400 Again he distinguished himself, and he soon embarked on a lengthy tour of the tournament 345 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:34,519 circuit. 346 00:27:34,519 --> 00:27:53,380 The marshal was well on his way, and the melee was his means. 347 00:27:53,380 --> 00:27:57,220 ransoms weren't the only protection for knights during these violent tournaments 348 00:27:58,019 --> 00:28:00,579 just as important was their armor 349 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:15,640 let's just pause there shall we and rewind that 350 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,480 just in case you miss me risking life and limb 351 00:28:25,750 --> 00:28:28,309 and yes that really is me in there 352 00:28:31,029 --> 00:28:33,029 That was terrifying. 353 00:28:33,029 --> 00:28:37,599 But no harm done, thanks to this plate armour, 354 00:28:37,599 --> 00:28:40,599 which is designed to deflect all blows against it. 355 00:28:40,599 --> 00:28:44,599 But when William Marshall was tourneying in the late 12th century, 356 00:28:44,599 --> 00:28:46,599 plate armour was still in the future. 357 00:28:46,599 --> 00:28:49,599 What he was using was very similar to the armour 358 00:28:49,599 --> 00:28:52,599 worn by William the Conqueror at Hastings in 1066. 359 00:28:52,599 --> 00:28:56,599 But what I can't understand is how anyone using such minimal protection 360 00:28:56,599 --> 00:28:59,599 could have been attacked with swords and lances 361 00:28:59,599 --> 00:29:01,599 and lived to tell the tale. 362 00:29:02,599 --> 00:29:09,599 This is the kind of armor that you would expect to see on the battlefield and on the tournament ground in the 12th century. 363 00:29:09,599 --> 00:29:16,599 It's mostly male, supplemented by solid steel helmets and cloth armor, padded cloth armor. 364 00:29:16,599 --> 00:29:18,599 Very important for this period. 365 00:29:18,599 --> 00:29:23,599 If anything, it looks a little bit more flexible and lighter than some of the armor I can see around the walls, 366 00:29:23,599 --> 00:29:27,599 but probably the best way to get a sense of what it feels like is actually to put it on. 367 00:29:27,599 --> 00:29:33,559 Yes, armor is a physical subject, and to really understand it, you need to get inside. 368 00:29:34,180 --> 00:29:36,339 So, let's put you in it. 369 00:29:36,619 --> 00:29:37,619 Okay, I'll give it a go. 370 00:29:40,019 --> 00:29:46,859 Throughout the whole of that night, the knights had their halberds polished, their leg armor rubbed, and they ready their arms. 371 00:29:47,839 --> 00:29:51,680 The others tried out their helmets to see that they were comfortable for the occasion. 372 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,119 Some said, bring me my shield 373 00:29:54,119 --> 00:29:56,180 I want the neck strap to be sturdy 374 00:29:56,180 --> 00:29:59,599 And I also want the arm thong to be made to fit my size 375 00:29:59,599 --> 00:30:00,640 As it should 376 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,559 After that, you would have seen men on all sides 377 00:30:04,559 --> 00:30:06,680 Putting on their coifs and ventails 378 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,480 And adjusting them to fit their lengths of mail 379 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:24,470 Excellent 380 00:30:24,470 --> 00:30:26,349 So, Saul, how do you feel? 381 00:30:27,150 --> 00:30:30,569 Well, the first sensation is the sheer weight of it all. 382 00:30:30,750 --> 00:30:32,529 I mean, you begin to wonder when you first put it on. 383 00:30:32,569 --> 00:30:35,049 When I put the legging on, I thought, if that's the weight on one leg, 384 00:30:35,109 --> 00:30:37,049 what's it going to feel like, the whole thing on? 385 00:30:37,190 --> 00:30:40,769 So the weight, but not too heavy for you not to be able to move. 386 00:30:41,109 --> 00:30:43,730 And, of course, it restricts you a bit under the arms, 387 00:30:43,910 --> 00:30:47,529 but actually I can move my arms, I can fight, I can get on a horse. 388 00:30:47,529 --> 00:30:49,789 So I'm beginning to see how this stuff actually works. 389 00:30:50,009 --> 00:30:52,890 Well, the first thing that we've got to be aware of 390 00:30:52,890 --> 00:30:55,990 is that the mail, the metal bit, 391 00:30:56,430 --> 00:30:58,630 is not the most important part of the armor. 392 00:30:58,890 --> 00:31:02,470 We tend to focus on it because that's the interesting bit. 393 00:31:02,869 --> 00:31:05,549 But the foundation of the armor 394 00:31:05,549 --> 00:31:09,309 is the padded undergarment, the padded gambeson. 395 00:31:09,609 --> 00:31:10,829 That's your real armor. 396 00:31:11,150 --> 00:31:13,690 That's what cushions the shock of blows. 397 00:31:13,809 --> 00:31:15,069 That's what really protects you. 398 00:31:15,369 --> 00:31:17,630 The mail is there simply as an augmentation. 399 00:31:18,210 --> 00:31:20,450 It's an extra defense if you can afford it. 400 00:31:20,450 --> 00:31:29,190 And what it does is it protects the soft armor from laceration and from the points of arrows and that kind of thing, which the soft armor can't protect you. 401 00:31:29,630 --> 00:31:32,809 Now, to get through all of that, this is good protection against swords. 402 00:31:33,130 --> 00:31:38,269 To get through that, you have other weapons appearing around this time, like the mace. 403 00:31:38,549 --> 00:31:44,369 Now, this kind of mace was a fairly recent development in William Marshall's time. 404 00:31:44,630 --> 00:31:49,049 But it's focusing the force of an attack on a very small area. 405 00:31:49,049 --> 00:31:56,069 And the idea is to break your bones through all of the various soft and and and hard armor 406 00:31:56,589 --> 00:31:59,130 It's not designed actually to get through the mail itself 407 00:31:59,130 --> 00:32:03,450 It'll just the blow will this will just crush you inside the mail now 408 00:32:03,450 --> 00:32:08,869 Of course the final piece of protection is the helmet and this of course is complete insurance, isn't it? 409 00:32:08,869 --> 00:32:14,190 You've got the protection from the flows from the top from the front and also from the bag anymore sneaky enough to come around 410 00:32:14,190 --> 00:32:16,710 The back absolutely so can I try this on please? 411 00:32:16,710 --> 00:32:28,420 fits very well I can actually see quite well either side heavy of course but the 412 00:32:28,420 --> 00:32:33,700 real key is it probably would protect very well from blows on the top 413 00:32:40,079 --> 00:32:43,880 William Marshall may being one of the first people to wear one of these 414 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:48,859 all-enclosing bucket helmets we know this because of the famous incident the 415 00:32:48,859 --> 00:32:54,380 tournament of Pleurs in 1179. He'd won the prize and everybody was looking for him everywhere 416 00:32:54,380 --> 00:32:59,440 and they heard blows coming from the blacksmith's forge. They went there and they found William 417 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:05,500 Marshall lying with his head on the anvil and the blacksmith was literally trying to beat the helm 418 00:33:05,500 --> 00:33:10,740 back into shape so that he could take it off. Well I've learned a lot about the type of armor 419 00:33:10,740 --> 00:33:14,859 that William Marshall would have worn during the melee but it begs the question if everyone 420 00:33:14,859 --> 00:33:22,410 was wearing one of these how could they tell friend from foe it's a mystery that i'm hoping 421 00:33:22,410 --> 00:33:31,240 a modern day herald can clear up for me what they hit on was to take the newly developing form of 422 00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:38,279 heraldry of devices on shields as you can see very colorful things with the combination of geometric 423 00:33:38,279 --> 00:33:45,960 shapes and animals and beasts and birds of all kinds in rather stylized form and to use that 424 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:52,039 not only on the shield but on a surcoat the coat that would go over armor and in this different way 425 00:33:52,039 --> 00:33:57,640 a knight and his followers would be easily recognizable you wear badges of your company 426 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:02,119 so that you can tell that you're not fighting against your own people but the other thing is 427 00:34:02,119 --> 00:34:07,480 that it enables you on the battlefield the tournament field to identify who is going to 428 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:13,719 be the most valuable person to capture so you can say i can see that's the count of so-and-so 429 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:18,679 he will be worth so many great thousands of numbers of shillings or pounds i will all i will 430 00:34:18,679 --> 00:34:30,429 take my company and grab him and in the 1170s and 80s it was the colors of the young king henry of 431 00:34:30,429 --> 00:34:37,949 england that every night seeking a large ransom was focused upon so the king had the very best 432 00:34:37,949 --> 00:34:44,989 men to protect himself the young king was the new heir to the throne and he held a very lavish court 433 00:34:44,989 --> 00:34:49,070 and he was besotted with tournaments and william was specifically appointed 434 00:34:49,070 --> 00:34:52,829 to look after him in the tournament and to teach him how to do it 435 00:34:54,909 --> 00:34:59,309 the young king was always running out of money because he was so lavish and in his patronage 436 00:35:02,519 --> 00:35:05,639 and we know that in the greatest tournament of the 12th century the tournament of long 437 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:13,960 1179 in november he took on the field with him 500 knights which cost him 200 pound a day 438 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:30,059 200 pounds was the revenue for the county of Worcester in England for a year and he was 439 00:35:30,059 --> 00:35:35,179 spending that every day that that enormous retinue was in the field and the funding of 440 00:35:35,179 --> 00:35:40,579 those great tournament teams in the 12th century was not unlike the funding of a very very great 441 00:35:40,579 --> 00:35:47,820 football team today and Abramovich the young king both people with gigantic resources the 442 00:35:47,820 --> 00:35:53,019 difference is that the young king could actually fight himself whereas i've yet to see abramovich 443 00:35:53,019 --> 00:36:02,059 actually play for chelsea it's hard to make an exact modern sporting parallel with the tournament 444 00:36:02,619 --> 00:36:07,260 but for sheer physicality it has to be closest to professional rugby 445 00:36:07,260 --> 00:36:24,769 and like sport today the marshals tournament exploits were watched by passionate fans 446 00:36:24,769 --> 00:36:31,710 among them knights squires and their ladies and also a group known as lara sky the riffraff 447 00:36:31,710 --> 00:36:38,710 the common people as it were were spectating held behind barriers and they got so excited 448 00:36:38,710 --> 00:36:42,590 that they pull up the barriers and literally wade in to join in the action. 449 00:36:42,750 --> 00:36:44,730 So it's just like a Millwall football match, you know. 450 00:36:44,730 --> 00:36:50,010 And you get people called palour d'armes, which means armchair warriors. 451 00:36:50,389 --> 00:36:51,789 Perhaps knights who were just superannuated 452 00:36:51,789 --> 00:36:55,110 who came to talk about the current champions of the day and who was best 453 00:36:55,110 --> 00:36:59,489 and to bore people senseless with their recollections of previous tournaments. 454 00:37:02,309 --> 00:37:04,369 And there were even team chants. 455 00:37:04,929 --> 00:37:08,269 The most famous was that of the English king, Dex Aie. 456 00:37:08,710 --> 00:37:10,710 God I help 457 00:37:18,250 --> 00:37:20,750 But unlike today's regulated sports 458 00:37:20,750 --> 00:37:26,550 There were few rules in the tournament and little chivalrous behavior as we would understand it 459 00:37:26,550 --> 00:37:31,010 There's nothing at all fair about the way that William Marshall and his contemporaries fought tournaments 460 00:37:31,010 --> 00:37:34,610 They would all gang up on a particular night who they thought was vulnerable 461 00:37:34,610 --> 00:37:38,610 Information would be passed from one team to the other as to who were the inexperienced young knights 462 00:37:38,610 --> 00:37:43,610 who were easy to pick off and had lots of money and would be wonderful juicy prizes. 463 00:37:43,610 --> 00:37:49,610 One of the great tactics of the tournament field, which William Marshall was adept at doing, 464 00:37:49,610 --> 00:37:55,610 was to hold back his company, wait until all the rest of them had fought for several hours and were absolutely exhausted. 465 00:37:57,610 --> 00:38:00,610 And then he would charge in with his men who were all fresh and ready to fight 466 00:38:00,610 --> 00:38:03,610 and they would capture everybody because nobody could put up any resistance. 467 00:38:03,610 --> 00:38:11,500 any resistance. But the Marshal's opportunism was to get him into trouble. 468 00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:19,179 He devised his own chant, Dex Aiee Marichal, God for the Marshal, a rip-off of the royal 469 00:38:19,179 --> 00:38:27,300 chant. And from 1179, he wore his own colours, featuring a red lion rampant associated with 470 00:38:27,300 --> 00:38:33,099 the Kings of England. He and the King soon fell out. 471 00:38:33,099 --> 00:38:36,820 William Marshall had a falling out with the young King and didn't know what to 472 00:38:36,820 --> 00:38:41,739 do with himself lots of other great leaders and patrons of the tournament 473 00:38:41,739 --> 00:38:46,219 came rushing up with great offers to him saying come and fight for me he took a 474 00:38:46,219 --> 00:38:51,360 fee a very substantial free quarter the rents of the city of Santo Mayor from the 475 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:57,099 count of Flanders as his transfer fee into the count of Flanders his team 476 00:38:57,159 --> 00:39:05,860 it's almost impossible to put a modern figure on that but it's a lot you're 477 00:39:05,860 --> 00:39:12,820 talking millions you're talking about a deal that even david beckham would widen his eyes at 478 00:39:15,539 --> 00:39:20,820 but lancers for hire like william marshall could get more from the tournament than just money 479 00:39:22,739 --> 00:39:29,139 there was also the prospect of political power the tournament was a hugely important social 480 00:39:29,139 --> 00:39:34,659 networking opportunity because it brought together barons and knights and all the 481 00:39:34,659 --> 00:39:40,420 wealthy and prestigious people from a very wide area right across northern france and i'm from 482 00:39:40,420 --> 00:39:47,380 england too and all coming together to socialize and william marshall's social acumen off the 483 00:39:47,380 --> 00:39:54,659 tournament field was as effective as his military prowess on it he was much more than just brawn he 484 00:39:54,659 --> 00:40:01,860 was also a great brain he was very skilled and acute and a good politician he knew how to work 485 00:40:01,860 --> 00:40:08,820 his way around the camps at night and go and talk to the right people um to make alliances with 486 00:40:08,820 --> 00:40:16,820 people and and to build up connections that would serve him in the future and his connections did 487 00:40:16,820 --> 00:40:24,019 serve him well after henry the young king died in 1183 william marshall moved to the courts of 488 00:40:24,019 --> 00:40:32,179 richard the lionheart and then to that of his brother king john and when john died in 1216 489 00:40:32,179 --> 00:40:36,900 he was made regent of england protector to the nine-year-old king henry iii 490 00:40:38,500 --> 00:40:44,099 william marshall was now 70 years old and he was about to face the toughest challenge of his career 491 00:40:46,519 --> 00:40:52,039 french knights under prince louis invaded england and joined forces with disaffected english barons 492 00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:59,880 it looked highly likely that within a few months um henry we sort of either killed or consigned 493 00:40:59,880 --> 00:41:05,639 to a monastery the whole of his dynasty would be swept away louis would become king of england and 494 00:41:05,639 --> 00:41:09,719 england and france would come under the same dynasty the whole political shape of europe 495 00:41:09,719 --> 00:41:16,440 would be different the fate of the country depended on william marshall defeating the 496 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:23,480 rebellious army part of that rebel force came here to lincoln they took the town and then besieged 497 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:28,039 this castle william marshall's response was to gather a force to the north of the town 498 00:41:28,039 --> 00:41:33,239 on a flat plane suitable for battle at first the rebels went out to fight him but they soon 499 00:41:33,239 --> 00:41:39,079 changed their minds and ducked back inside the city walls to await reinforcements i joined up 500 00:41:39,079 --> 00:41:44,760 with david carpenter to hear how the tournament champion fared in his battle to save a kingdom 501 00:41:45,480 --> 00:41:50,199 so david how did the marshal get into the town well it was all thanks to the bishop of winchester 502 00:41:50,199 --> 00:41:56,280 an extraordinary armor-plated prelate master in warfare he went on this daring personal 503 00:41:56,280 --> 00:42:00,760 reconnaissance and discovered the strongly this undefended entrance so it goes back to the 504 00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:06,139 marshal said right there's your chance you can get in that way the marshal's at 70 but he's so 505 00:42:06,139 --> 00:42:11,179 keen to get in he just charges in and forgets to put on his helmet so his squire pulls him 506 00:42:11,179 --> 00:42:15,760 past he must put a helmet on laces up for heaven's sake and then in he goes again the bishop winchester 507 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:23,019 charging behind says god help the marshal and they charge on into the town the marshal charges 508 00:42:23,019 --> 00:42:28,599 into town, knights, opponents on either side. He deals a great blow onto the shoulders of 509 00:42:28,599 --> 00:42:33,440 Robert of Wropsley and then it's here, right in front of the cathedral, that the really 510 00:42:33,440 --> 00:42:38,420 decisive confrontation takes place because the Count of Perche, the commander of the 511 00:42:38,420 --> 00:42:42,840 French forces, makes his last stand and he's fighting with the marshal and with a knight 512 00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:47,820 called Reginald Crock and then all of a sudden Reginald, the Count's wearing on these great 513 00:42:47,820 --> 00:42:52,820 with his little eyepiece, jabs his sword through the eyepiece of the Count's helm. 514 00:42:52,820 --> 00:42:54,820 And no-one quite saw what happened. 515 00:42:54,820 --> 00:42:56,820 For a second, the Count was OK. 516 00:42:56,820 --> 00:43:00,820 He brought three crashing blows of his sword down on William Marshall's helmet, 517 00:43:00,820 --> 00:43:04,820 so lucky he'd put it on, and then he suddenly crashed from his horse. 518 00:43:04,820 --> 00:43:07,820 The Marshal just said, ''Take his helmet off, he's probably just fainted. 519 00:43:07,820 --> 00:43:10,820 ''Give him a bit of air, a smelling-salt, something like that.'' 520 00:43:10,820 --> 00:43:14,820 And then they saw the ghastly wound, and he was dead. 521 00:43:14,820 --> 00:43:16,820 And that was the decisive moment of the battle. 522 00:43:16,820 --> 00:43:21,679 battle. After that, the French, their English supporters retreat down the hill. The battle's won. 523 00:43:22,099 --> 00:43:24,619 David, it sounds like a lot of people were killed during this battle. 524 00:43:24,860 --> 00:43:30,679 Well, yes and no. Yes, if you're like you and me, ordinary soldiers. But everyone was terribly sad 525 00:43:30,679 --> 00:43:35,199 about the death of Count of Perch. And actually, very, very few members of the High Nobility were 526 00:43:35,199 --> 00:43:40,059 killed in the battle. And I suppose that's a profound way in which the battle was very much 527 00:43:40,059 --> 00:43:45,380 like a tournament. It was like that for this reason, that the great aim in the battle was not 528 00:43:45,380 --> 00:43:51,619 kill your noble opponent at all. It was to take him captive. And why? Because then you 529 00:43:51,619 --> 00:43:56,019 could get the ransom. And one of the best jokes about William Marshall's helmet is this. 530 00:43:56,239 --> 00:44:00,940 Why did he forget it? It was because he was so eager to get into the battle, so all the 531 00:44:00,940 --> 00:44:05,800 best ransoms hadn't gone before he got there. So, you know, in an extraordinary way, Lincoln, 532 00:44:06,420 --> 00:44:11,219 a battle which decides the whole future political structure of Europe, is really just like a 533 00:44:11,219 --> 00:44:22,769 tournament. Lincoln was William Marshall's last set piece. Fortunately for England, the man who 534 00:44:22,769 --> 00:44:28,789 had won so many prizes on the tournament field won again on the battlefield. Louis was soon on his 535 00:44:28,789 --> 00:44:34,829 way back to France and the English throne had been saved. It was a fitting end to the final chapter 536 00:44:34,829 --> 00:44:44,230 of the Marshall's extraordinary career. Two years after the Battle of Lincoln, William Marshall lay 537 00:44:44,230 --> 00:44:52,250 dying surrounded by his family and his entourage the deathbed scene in the 538 00:44:52,250 --> 00:44:58,190 martial biography is one of the most poignant in literature as he lay dying 539 00:44:58,190 --> 00:45:03,289 surrounded by family and retainers he recalled with mingled regret and pride 540 00:45:03,289 --> 00:45:09,289 that he had taken prisoner as many as 500 nights along with their arms horses 541 00:45:09,289 --> 00:45:15,130 and equipment but when someone suggested that he return all this booty he chided 542 00:45:15,130 --> 00:45:23,530 them. A tournament night to the end. And finally, the man who had defended himself against the 543 00:45:23,530 --> 00:45:31,949 blows of countless enemies said, I am dying. I cannot defend myself from death. 544 00:45:48,309 --> 00:45:54,250 With William Marshall's death, the great era of the melee also passed. Writing soon after 545 00:45:54,250 --> 00:45:59,170 his demise, William's biographer lamented that the tournament had changed so dramatically. 546 00:45:59,170 --> 00:46:04,750 the huge melee tournament which took place here in the 12th and early 13th centuries 547 00:46:04,750 --> 00:46:16,409 began to lose its popularity with the emergence of the small-scale joust the joust was more 548 00:46:16,409 --> 00:46:22,469 practical there were fewer fatalities less damage to property and above all the great 549 00:46:22,469 --> 00:46:29,349 deeds of the Knights could now be more easily admired by their audience and in the most 550 00:46:29,349 --> 00:46:35,409 unlikely places so Juliet what he brought us here well we're looking over 551 00:46:35,409 --> 00:46:39,050 one of the great medieval streets of London this is cheap side hugely 552 00:46:39,050 --> 00:46:42,969 important jousting scene for tournaments that were held in the Middle Ages 553 00:46:42,969 --> 00:46:47,389 particularly in the 14th century we're standing on the balcony of the Church of 554 00:46:47,389 --> 00:46:51,130 Saint Mary Lebeau which was rebuilt by Ren after the Great Fire of London but 555 00:46:51,130 --> 00:46:54,849 apparently according to legend he built this balcony here because this was where 556 00:46:54,849 --> 00:46:58,989 they had all the stands where the ladies used to come to watch the joust that 557 00:46:58,989 --> 00:47:01,369 were taking place in the street below. 558 00:47:01,369 --> 00:47:03,369 They'd cover the street with sand 559 00:47:03,369 --> 00:47:05,730 so that the horse's hooves didn't slip. 560 00:47:05,730 --> 00:47:07,230 And then they'd have to damp it all down 561 00:47:07,230 --> 00:47:09,250 because obviously if it got dry and dusty, 562 00:47:09,250 --> 00:47:11,750 then the crowds would actually be covered in dust 563 00:47:11,750 --> 00:47:12,869 and be choking. 564 00:47:12,869 --> 00:47:15,090 And when two knights actually joust against each other, 565 00:47:15,090 --> 00:47:16,329 they often miss. 566 00:47:16,329 --> 00:47:18,170 So what they did was try and jazz it all up 567 00:47:18,170 --> 00:47:19,449 and make it more exciting. 568 00:47:19,449 --> 00:47:21,750 So literally knights bring in tents 569 00:47:21,750 --> 00:47:23,130 that are painted to look like castles 570 00:47:23,130 --> 00:47:25,869 and the knights can emerge and rescue the damsels 571 00:47:25,869 --> 00:47:28,469 who are stuck in another set of towers or whatever. 572 00:47:28,469 --> 00:47:29,710 Or they would even dress up as women. 573 00:47:29,849 --> 00:47:32,389 They would have the monks versus nuns. 574 00:47:32,469 --> 00:47:34,269 And there's even one sort of, my favourite one, 575 00:47:34,329 --> 00:47:36,190 where they dress up as the seven deadly sins. 576 00:47:36,550 --> 00:47:40,030 And you can just imagine what fun they would have doing that 577 00:47:40,030 --> 00:47:42,829 and how it would be instantly recognisable to the spectators. 578 00:47:43,050 --> 00:47:45,650 It was meant to be fun for everybody involved. 579 00:47:45,969 --> 00:47:49,010 And now we will bring a cheer for all of our heroes! 580 00:47:49,750 --> 00:47:58,360 And that theatrical pageant which replaced the mellow 581 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:02,760 is one that has continued to entertain us down the ages. 582 00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:28,039 Now to bbc.co.uk forward slash time watch 583 00:48:28,039 --> 00:48:31,320 to talk with me online about the world at the greatest night.