Osprey - General Military - Knight - The Warrior and ... - Brego-weard
Osprey - General Military - Knight - The Warrior and ... - Brego-weard
Osprey - General Military - Knight - The Warrior and ... - Brego-weard
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(as opposed to rebellion) was considered to be a terrible crime. <strong>The</strong> 11th-century<br />
knight Robert ol Rhuddlan was infamous for refusing to ransom his captives,<br />
preferring instead to imprison them in his dungeons for long periods. Another Norman<br />
knight, Robert of Belleme, made a habit of incarcerating his prisoners <strong>and</strong> even<br />
torturing them; after one engagement some 300 prisoners were left to starve to death<br />
although he was offered large ransoms for their release. Edward I reprim<strong>and</strong>ed one<br />
of his knights, John Fitz Marmaduke, for the degree of pleasure he took in the deaths<br />
of his enemies <strong>and</strong> the excesses of his cruelty.<br />
We are told that the morning after Agincourt the French heralds were given<br />
permission to search the field in order to identify the dead knights <strong>and</strong> nobles; we<br />
should imagine the same task being performed after most battles for whilst thepedites<br />
<strong>and</strong> ignoble might be buried in massed graves such as those excavated at Wisby <strong>and</strong><br />
Towton, the corpses of most knightly warriors would be returned home tor burial, the<br />
CAMPAIGN AND BATTLE<br />
<strong>The</strong> effigy of the Black<br />
Prince, in Canterbury<br />
Cathedral, of gilded<br />
bronze <strong>and</strong> with his helm,<br />
shield, spurs <strong>and</strong> cote-<br />
armour hanging above it,<br />
was a befittingly ornate<br />
tomb for the doyen of<br />
14th-century chivalry.<br />
(Corbis)