General Notes

Marshal, William, Earl of Pembroke (1146?-1219), marshal and regent in England and France, who served four kings. William Marshal was the fourth son of John the Marshal, a minor English baron who was marshal of the royal court (official in charge of military affairs). William Marshal was trained in the duties of a knight at the court of a relative, William, lord of Tancarville, hereditary chamberlain of Normandy. In 1167 William Marshal was made a knight and accompanied his uncle Patrick, Earl of Salisbury, to Poitou, one of the French provinces in the possession of the English king. While in France Marshal proved himself a brave and able knight.

Three years later, in 1170, King Henry II appointed Marshal as guardian and tutor of his eldest son, also named Henry, who had just been crowned as associate king. Marshal served the younger king Henry until the latter's death in 1183. Marshal then returned to work for Henry II through his turbulent last years when his sons Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) and John rebelled against him.

Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.