William Marshal, Knight-Errant, Baron, and Regent of England

I learned after reading the Painter biography of William Marshal that it has been largely superseded by David Crouch's (which I will be reading soon), but I believe it still has much to offer. For this work, first published in 1933, Painter draws heavily on the _Histoire de Guillaume le Marechal_, a contemporary chronicle written by an obvious Marshal partisan. Naturally, the Histoire's version on Marshal's life, the glowing but vague physical descriptions, the legendary exploits and such, is to be taken with a grain of salt. However, Painter's book is much more than a mere translation of the _Histoire_. While Marshal's early life is to some extent lost in the mists of time, significant objective information becomes available beginning with his association with the Plantagenets when he was in his early 20s. From this point on, this well-footnoted book references a variety of chronicles and administrative records, and references to the _Histoire_ grow fewer and farther between. Two aspects of Marshal's life make his life story especially edifying to the medievalist: First, it shows us what virtually every younger son who didn't go into holy orders wanted to be. Marshal epitomized the late twelfth-century knight, first distinguishing himself in battle and on the tournament field, then garnering the attention of a powerful patron, Eleanor of Aquitaine, which he then parlayed into a long and profitable royal association that included marriage to the wealthiest heiress in the realm. Late in life, he became the reluctant but highly effective regent of England. Even if the _Histoire_ sometimes is a bit too glowing in its praise, somewhat over the top in detailing his exploits, "reading between the lines" renders an only slightly duller portrait. Second, his long life and intimate association with English royalty means that his story is also a crash course in early Plantagenet history, beginning with latter part of Henry II's reign and then encompassing Richard I, John, and the first few years of the boy king Henry III. While Painter probably isn't entirely fair to John, with whom William fell out a couple of times, William's experiences with John are well-documented and can still be instructive. I found Painter's writing surprisingly readable, at least as much, and probably more so, than Georges Duby's. Painter was only slightly less enthusiastic about Marshal than the writer of the _Histoire_, never applying anything but the highest of motives to Marshal's actions. But he does a good job of justifying his positions; I always felt they were grounded in realism.