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JACKALS
IN IRON
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By Merlin Douglas Larsen
List Price: $10.95
Soft Cover 458p 3 Maps
Agreka™ Books ISBN 1-888106-83-2 June 1999 LC 99-60979
About
the Author Introduction Topics
Excerpt Medieval
Glossary Author Comments
Related Internet Sites Back Cover
Authors Web Site
offers an interactive adventure inspired by his novel.
Jackals in Iron
is an historical novel filled with history, and succinctly told with depth and
authentic detail. This is a tale of sweeping scope, passing through more than a
century of intrigue, battles and alliances. Extensive glossary of medieval terms
and maps.
Fate made them enemies from boyhood. Destiny and
vengeance made them allies. Here Guy meets Edward the Confessor, King of
England, and his dashing successor Harold Godwinson. Guy joins Normandy's war
against Harold to seek a morbid vengeance. He admires and loathes William
Bastard, Duke of Normandy, destined to become King of England, and known to
history as the Conqueror. Guy says he is William's enemy, and yet, at the end,
no one else stands by him save he alone. The story of the Norman Invasion of
England.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Merlin Douglas Larsen is willing to admit to being a
medieval history fanatic. He has studied medieval military history for decades.
The study of his favorite subject is on-going and he plans to write further
books of an historical novel stripe. The Crusades beckon him onward, and do not
be surprised to find one or two characters from Jackals in Iron showing
up in his next novel, which is set in the first decades of the Crusader Kingdom
of Jerusalem. He lives out West with his family of numerous children. Their
modest house is over a quarter century old. Life is congenial and he admits that
Count Guy's observations about family life are similar to his own.
INTRODUCTION
Jackals in Iron is a novel about the
Norman-led invasion of England. It deals with the relationship between the
protagonist, Count Guy of Ponthieu, and his enemy -and sometime ally -Duke
William Bastard of Normandy. The story begins in the year 1099 and 1100, when
Count Guy is an old man and William Bastard is already long in his grave. Count
Guy is invited to the abbey of Saint-Evroult to relate for the monk historians
his memories of his career and life. This he does, and the main part of the tale
is given by him in the first-person. At the Battle of Hastings, the bizarre
death of King Harold of England spells the apogee of Count Guy's fortunes. His
brother Hugh is mixed up in the atrocity and Duke William is displeased, to say
the least. Ponthieu languishes for years under that displeasure before
William-now King of England-finally forgives past offenses. But his rewarding of
Ponthieu for old services rendered is hardly an advantage to Guy's family:
William Bastard's reward is a marriage between Ponthieu and the infamous house
of Bellesme.
Throughout the course of the book, the reader discovers
how the relationships between the rulers of Normandy and England created the
inevitability of the Norman invasion, how the Duchy of Normandy grew to
political and military might which could actually succeed in such a venture, why
and how the Bayeux Tapestry was made, and why Bishop Guy of Amiens wrote his
famous poem, the Carmen de Hastingae Proelio, the most detailed and
controversial original source for the Norman conquest and the Battle of
Hastings. However, the readers are nowhere told that the Conquest of England was
either a good or a bad thing, and are left to make that decision for themselves.
TOPICS
Harold II, William I, William II, William the
Conqueror, Harald Hardrada, Guy I of Ponthieu, Bishop Guy of Amiens, Bellesme,
Bellême, Curthose, Eustace II, Matilda, Lanfranc, Bishop Odo, Bayeux, Mortain,
Godwinson, Godwineson, William of Poitiers, Norman Conquest, Medieval Normandy,
Medieval England, Medieval France, Medieval History, Medieval Warfare, Medieval
Reader, Eleventh Century, Gesta Willelmi, Carmen de Hastingae Proelio, Battle of
Hastings, Battle of Stamford Bridge, Vikings, Knights, Military History.
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EXCERPT
Our 'army' was small, compared with those of the
previous day. Only a few oblates would follow Uncle Guy into further
infractions. The Duke wisely refrained from involving the manor boys, who would
be inclined to tattle beforehand and thus ruin our plans. As we slipped over the
abbey wall, we numbered five brothers, uncles and nephews, three oblates and the
Duke. He at first would not allow Waleran, who was truly too small for such
adventures. But my little brother put up a fuss and threatened to tell Abbot
Enguerrand if we did not include him. The Duke tried his most threatening scowl
on Wally, but he had our family stubbornness and pride and would not be bullied
into being left behind. The Duke laughed and rubbed Wally's hair roughly.
"I like your courage, boy," he said.
Wally almost burst his tunic and strutted beside the
Duke on our way to the manor, trying to match his stride.
The Duke ordered us to carry our 'weapons' on the raid.
"Whatever for?" I asked. "They'll just
get in the way."
He would not let my practical nature ruin his fun. He
wanted to carry his own very fine sword, and he would not be the only one to
bear arms.
"I know that," he said. "But this is
practice, don't you see? And when you raid you must carry weapons for the chance
that you'll require them. So get your sword and keep it by you, so that you will
grow accustomed to being properly armed whenever you ride forth."
My 'sword' was a broom handle, and none of us had
mounts upon which to 'ride forth'. But I said nothing more on the matter.
We came soon to the manor kitchen. The door was wide
open as usual. The macaroons called upon the air to our abbey-starved palates
like the mythical sirens.
To keep them safely out of the way, Wally was placed in
command of the 'reserve', the two youngest oblates.
On the Duke's signal, the rest of us fell upon the
kitchen door with our best war cries. The kitchen women screamed as we poured
through the doorway into their quiet domain. For an instant, they must have
feared a raid from Montgomery's band. The overseer dived for us all at the same
time and failed to trap anyone. But after dashing about the kitchen, scooping up
handfuls of cookies-even stuffing our mouths full-we got bottle-necked at the
door. The overseer seized upon Hugh and an oblate, whose name was Ivo. Duke
William adroitly transferred most of his cookies to the crook of his left arm
and drew his sword from his belt. A quick swat from the flat of the blade on the
overseer's arm released Hugh. The howling overseer made a grab for the Duke, but
he ducked and escaped. The unfortunate Ivo was left a prisoner with the enemy.
We eight survivors ran across fallow fields and through
an orchard and into the scrub. We stopped when we came to a chalky ravine with a
stream at the bottom of it. Slithering down to the stream, we spread out and
savored our booty.
"And we only lost one man," the Duke exulted.
"That's good casualties. You have to expect some casualties in war
anyway."
"I think we had too many of us inside the
kitchen," I added, but I was not really trying to start an argument.
William Bastard looked at me hard for a long moment
before speaking.
"Ponthieu, if you thought of that before
we went in you should have advised me as my subordinate."
"I am no subordinate of yours," I retorted.
"My father is the Count of Ponthieu."
"Your father should be my vassal. I am the Duke of
Normandy."
I got to my feet. "That's a bloody lie," I
shouted. "We owe fealty to the King of France, not some rascal of a
Norman."
William Bastard got to his feet then and we faced each
other over spilled macaroons.
"Your family is fighting right now to put me back
on my throne," he said. "Why are they doing that? Because they know I
am greater than you. Your father will swear fealty to me at Rouen, wait and
see."
"Pigs will fly first," I said. I was proud of
that, having heard Grandfather use it often. I had saved it for a good
opportunity.
He did not even hear me. He said: "Besides, my father told me that your family
weren't even counts until after I was born. We have been counts at
Rouen since Rolf and dukes since my grandfather took the title from King
Louis."
I had heard enough.
"Well, you can't make any claims upon a
grandfather, when you're nothing but a bastard," I said.
Then he was on top of me and we rolled on the ground
punching at each other. The others made a ring and watched. I could hear Wally
screaming out to us to stop.
I never stood a chance of beating William Bastard. He
was not then quite as large as I, but he was far more aggressive and inured to
pain like a veteran. Before he could pound my face to pulp, the loyalty of my
kin came to my rescue. They pulled William Bastard off from me and held him.
They would have let me hit him back, we were all of us that angry at his
superior ways just then. But I was already losing my berserk fury. Besides,
there was that terrible flat look in William Bastard's eye which said that he
would kill me. An eleven year old boy would try and kill me, and the thought
chilled my blood.
Little Waleran was still crying.
"Alright Wally," I said and let my little
brother hug me.
He was terrified. The two boys he admired most had been
fighting. Not as rivals in some wrestling bout, but with murderous intent that
boys can feel because of the learning of their forebears. We hated the Normans
as barbarian interlopers, too powerful to defeat or ignore. They looked upon us,
the descendants of the great empire of the Franks, as soft and over-civilized,
and subject to them because they were better warriors and could take what they
wanted with the sword. Five generations of that scorn ran in William Bastard's
veins. And in mine surged the hatred of their barbaric ways, fueled upon the
stories of burned towns, rapine, treacheries and lost battles.
When he saw that the fight had gone out of me, William
Bastard quickly regained his own composure.
Top
Acie(s): Small units of cavalry,
composed of two or more conrois. Angevin(s): A man or men from the County of
Anjou.
Atheling(s): Prince or princes of the
royal blood of the Cerdingas, the line of kings in England descending (
supposedly )from King Cerdic of Wessex ( 519-34 ).
Bailey: The lower courtyard of a
castle, where the common buildings are located. Usually, the lord of the
castle's residence-the great hall- is also in the bailey. Nearly all of the
castles in this period are of wooden construction.
Balista(e): A large catapult, usually
of the crossbow form, used to shoot javelin-sized bolts.
Barb: A breed of horse or mule,
originally from Barbary in northern Africa, but introduced into Spain by the
Moors.
Belfry: A moveable tower of wood on
wheels, used to assault fortress walls, by placing a bridge from the belfry to
the battlements so the attackers can arrive within combat range without having
to resort to scaling ladders. It is named for its resemblance to the belfry of a
church.
Boulognnais: Citizen(s) from Boulogne.
Brabancon: A citizen of Brabant in
Belgium. In early medieval times, the most common mercenaries of northern Europe
came from Brabant, or at least were captained by men from there.
Burgess: Wealthy townsman, often a
member of the town council, usually either a merchant or craftsman.
Cappas Clausa: The long-sleeved,
full-length outer garment worn by monks. It has a hood. Also called a cassock.
Carmen: A poem, often sung by a
minstrel.
Conroi(s): A unit of mounted knights,
somewhere between twenty and fifty men and horses in size.
Castelan: The commander of a castle,
often an appointee of the duke where the castle is a ducal stronghold.
Ceorl: In Anglo-Saxon England, the
lowest social level of citizen. Beneath ceorl came cottager, a non-landed
peasant, usually not free to move; and then at the bottom were thralls, or
slaves. Other names for the ceorl class might be: bordar, freeman or villein (
villager ).
Chatelaine: The lady of the castle,
usually the wife of the lord, but in any case the chief noble woman who rules
over domestic affairs and manages the castle in her lord's absence. It is the
feminine form of castelan.
Comital: Relating to the station of a
count ( French, comte ).
Constable: For convenience, I have
used this later Anglo-Norman term. The office of constable comprised keeping the
public safety in times of peace ( police work ) and leading the army in the
duke's absence; or, as in the case of Duke William, leading when the sovereign
is under age.
Demesne: French, for domain. A lord's
holding for which he owes fealty to a greater lord.
Destrier: French, for a war-horse.
Donjon: French, for keep. The last and
most formidable place of defense in a castle, usually set atop the motte, or
some natural feature of limited accessibility. In this period it was nearly
always constructed of wood.
Ducal: Relating to the station of a
duke.
Earl: The highest office enjoyed by
the nobility of Anglo-Saxon England, below that of king. Earls were originally
favored thegns. By the time of the Norman Conquest, the kingdom had been divided
into six great administrative districts, called earldoms: Wessex, Kent, Mercia,
Huntingdon, East Anglia, and Northumbria. These earls all sat on the king's
council, and they were also members of the Witan. After the Conquest, the office
of earl was appointed by the king, and many smaller earldoms were created to
meet administrative and strategic needs.
Fealty: The bond between lord and
vassal, wherein each swears to uphold the other, the lord to provide for and
protect his vassal, and the vassal to perform services-usually military-for his
lord.
Fleming: A citizen of Flanders.
Fosse: A ditch. It is a dry moat
around a fortress, intended to make access to the base of the walls difficult.
Fyrd: In Anglo-Saxon and early
Anglo-Norman England, a militia formed by the muster of freemen. The ratio
mustered was apparently one in five, with the other four fyrd men providing for
the support of the man called up for service. The main part of the fyrd was
composed of thegns and the more wealthy ceorls. In the district that was
threatened by war, the entire body of freemen could be called out for defense,
but they rarely ever traveled more than a day's journey away.
Gregarii: Latin, signifying a band. In
this context, a band of professional soldiers who owe no fealty and fight only
for pay ( mercenaries ). It is a form of the word gregarius ( our gregarious ).
The term is somewhat derogatory.
Hauberk: The mail armor worn over the
head and shoulders. It is sometimes named for the entire coat of mail armor.
Housecarle: A paid household warrior,
in Anglo-Saxon England, and by the time of the Norman invasion equal in social
rank to a thegn.
Hundred: In England, the subdivision
of a county or shire, with its own assembly of notables and village
representatives.
Jongleur: French, for a juggler. But
in this period a minstrel.
Magnate: In this period, a landholding
lord above the rank of knight. Baron or higher. Knights at this time were just
emerging above the social rank of common warriors.
Manceau(x): A citizen of the County of
Maine.
Merlon: The raised portion of the
battlements. Between the merlons are the crenels, or the embrasures where the
garrison stand to defend the wall.
Mesne: The collected strength of
mounted knights from a fief, or group of fiefs from a county, etc.
Milites: Old French ( Latin ), for a
mounted warrior. Milites, or miles, evolve into the knights of the Middle Ages.
Motte: French, for a mound. It usually
refers to an artificially constructed mound of earth, which leaves the ditch
from which the earth was cast up as the fosse around it, and atop the motte
stands the donjon.
Mummer: A medieval juggler, acrobat or
performer of similar entertainments.
Nithing: Anglo-Saxon, German, Norse,
signifying hatred and strife. A criminal who was declared 'nithing' was
forbidden all sustenance or concourse within the realm. Those who gave to him
were risking the same punishment.
Ponthievin(s): A citizen or citizens (
male ) of Ponthieu.
Proem: The introduction or dedication
to a literary work.
Seizin: The possession of status and
the land relating with the completion of feudal investiture.
Thegn: The warrior class in England,
roughly equivalent to a miles, or knight. He was a mounted warrior, but usually
dismounted to do combat. A thegn was obligated to fight because of his social
class. If he held land ( and he usually did ) he was doubly obligated to fight
for the lord he held his land from. Some thegns held from no one and could
"take their land where they would." In other words, transfer their
service to the lord of their own choice.
Trebuchet: A catapult which worked on
the counterpoise principal. Sometimes the gravity was supplied by a heavy
weight, but usually a team of men holding ropes would pull down on command, thus
applying the force to pivot the arm and launch the missile.
Trouvere: French, for a medieval poet
in northern France.
Viscount: The representative of a count ( French,
vicomte ). More specifically, in the duchy, the representative of the Count of
Rouen, in other words the Duke of Normandy.
Witan: Anglo-Saxon, the short version
of Witenagemot. Witan signifies those who know, in other words, those great men
who know the king and the needs of the land. Agemot probably signifies a church
council, thus the Witenagemot was the king's council of lords and bishops and
archbishops who advised him. It was representative of the common people only in
the loosest sense. The members were appointed by the king, or served upon the
Witan by right of office or birth.
Top
"The history of our house has been greatly
affected by the presence of the Normans. If I am honest, I will admit this right
from the start: Ponthieu has been eclipsed by William Bastard and his
brood..."
Thus begins the dictated history of Count Guy of
Ponthieu, in the last year of his life, as he meets with monk historians at the
abbey of Saint-Evroult. They have asked the aged Count of Ponthieu to commit his
memories and observations to writing, for a great compiled history of the Norman
dukes and kings of England. The year is 1100 A D. The Norman Conquest of England
is the accomplished fact of the previous generation. Count Guy's generation.
He grew up, the younger son of Count Hugh, in a world
being taken over by the aggressive Normans, the children of Viking invaders. Guy
saw his brothers slain in battle against them. After he became Count of Ponthieu
himself, Guy tried to avoid Norman entanglements. But the inescapable presence
of William Bastard's meteoric rise to power and fame swept Ponthieu into his
plans. Serving the ends of the Duke of Normandy cost Count Guy even more blood
and sacrifices from his own family before he finally said "enough."
But his decision was harder to live with than he had thought. Late in life, his
own house is pulled irrevocably into the Anglo-Norman realm through marriage
with the notorious house of Bellesme.
This is a tale of sweeping scope, passing through more
than a century of intrigue, battles and alliances. Here Guy meets Edward the
Confessor, King of England, and his dashing successor Harold Godwinson. Guy
joins Normandy's war against Harold to seek a morbid vengeance. He admires and
loathes William Bastard, Duke of Normandy, destined to become King of England,
and known to history as the Conqueror. Guy says he is William's enemy, and yet,
at the end, no one else stands by him save he alone.
Jackals in Iron is a novel. But much more than
this, it is good history, succinctly told with depth and authentic detail.
Top
Although no part of this book directly quotes from
another author's work, the author would like to acknowledge Marjorie Chibnall's
book, The World of Orderic Vitalis, for the useful details therein
about the abbey of Saint-Evroult. Also heavily relied upon are the works of
Catherine Morton and Hope Muntz, The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio, and
Hope Muntz's superb novel, The Golden Warrior; Elizabeth van Houts'
edition of The Gesta Normannorum Ducum; and various articles contained
in the collected volumes of Anglo-Norman Studies. Stephen Morillo's book, The
Battle of Hastings, places all the principal sources at the
student's fingertips.
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Related Internet Sites: www.sp.uconn.edu/~wwwmedev/medstud.html
This site contains many links of considerable interest.
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