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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)

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