The English knight William Marshall was regent of England under Henry III, as mentioned in a previous post,
The Brussels Hoard. In this
true-life account taken from his biography
, the young Marshall confronts his accusers.
"In the year 1180 William was in the summit of his career in the young king's
court. Valued for his prowess in battle and his sagacity in counsel, he was
favored by Prince Henry over all other members of his household. But his
eminence aroused the anger of a number of his comrades-in-arms. They circulated
the rumor that William was the lover of the young queen, Margaret of France…
"Naturally William wished to put an end to these rumors and clear his name as
quickly as possible. His opportunity came in the autumn of 1182....Categorically denying the truth of the rumor that he was Queen Margaret's lover,
he offered to prove his innocence in battle. On three successive days he would
fight the three strongest of his accusers. If any one of them defeated him, his
master could hang him as a traitor.
"When young Henry refused to accept this offer, William proposed that a
finger should be cut off his right hand and that he should then be allowed to
fight the strongest of his enemies. But Prince Henry had no intention of
bringing the matter to trial. As soon as William realized that his master's
purpose was to drive him from the court, he demanded a safe conduct to the
frontier of the Angevin lands."
From "William Marshall: Knight-Errant, Baron, and Regent of England" by Sidney Painter, Medieval Academy of America © copyright 1982
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