Quote (majorblood @ Dec 5 2024 05:09pm)
the goat William Marshal was an earl
(though he wasn't born into nobility)
Quote (Black XistenZ @ Dec 5 2024 05:13pm)
Hmmm, true that. For some strange reason, I only thought of the modern times and some select periods during the ancient times and completely blanked out the middle ages.
Stuff used to be pretty brutal, in the Second Baron's War led by Simon de Montfort, both him and his son(s) routinely went into battle. When his son fell in battle, he became despondent and also fell in battle, killed by the King's personal battlefield death squad. His body was dismembered, desecrated, and his parts were sent around the country. It was common worldwide for father's on the battlefield to kill themselves after their sons fell instead of surrender. Brutus & friends all killed themselves after being defeated in battle and their sons being killed.
Quote
On hearing that his son Henry had been killed, Montfort replied, "Then it is time to die."[42] Before the battle, Prince Edward had appointed a twelve-man death squad to stalk the battlefield, their sole aim being to find the earl and cut him down. Montfort was hemmed in; Roger Mortimer killed Montfort by stabbing him in the neck with a lance.[43] Montfort's last words were said to have been "Thank God".[42] Also slain with Montfort were other leaders of his movement, including Peter de Montfort and Hugh Despenser.
I may have some ultra distant connection to Simon since my dad is from Leicester!
In the modern era, state leaders not going into battle is a historical anomaly. I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would willingly go into battle if their leaders and their sons chicken out. Not worth dying for rulers that don't care about their own people.
This post was edited by El1te on Dec 5 2024 08:16pm