 Chapter 12 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Alec Datesman. Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haran and A.B. Poland, Chapter 12. Harun al-Rashid, Caliph from 789 to 809 A.D. 1. The most celebrated of all Muhammadin caliphs was Harun al-Rashid, which means, in English, Aaron the Just. Harun is also the hero of several of the stories of the Arabian Knights, a famous book which perhaps you have read. There are many curious and wonderful tales in it. When Harun was only 18 years old, he showed such courage and skill as a soldier that his father, who was then caliph, allowed him to lead an army against the enemies of the Muhammadins, and he won many great victories. He afterwards commanded an army of 95,000 Arabs and Persians, sent by his father to invade the Eastern Roman Empire, which was then ruled by the Empress Irene. After defeating Irene's famous general Nikitas, Harun marched his army to Chrysopolis, now Scutari, on the Asiatic coast opposite Constantinople. He encamped on the heights, in full view of the Roman capital. The Empress saw that the city would certainly be taken by the Muslims. She therefore sent ambassadors to Harun to arrange terms, but he sternly refused to agree to anything except immediate surrender. Then one of the ambassadors said, The Empress has heard much of your ability as a general, though you are her enemy, she admires you as a soldier. These flattering words were pleasing to Harun. He walked to and fro in front of his tent, and then spoke again to the ambassadors. Tell the Empress, he said, that I will spare Constantinople if she will pay me 70,000 pieces of gold as a yearly tribute. If the tribute be regularly paid, Constantinople shall not be harmed by any Muslim force. The Empress had to agree to these terms. She paid the first year's tribute, and soon the great Muslim army set out on its homeward march. When Harun was not quite 21 years old, he became the caliph. He began his reign by appointing very able ministers, who carried on the work of the government so well, that they greatly improved the condition of the people. Harun built a palace in Baghdad, far grander and more beautiful than that of any caliph before him. Here he established his court and lived in great splendor, attended by hundreds of courtiers and slaves. He was very anxious that his people should be treated justly by the officers of the government, and he was determined to find out whether any had reason to complain. So he sometimes disguised himself at night, and went all through the streets and bazaars, listening to the talk of those whom he had met and asking them questions. In this way, he learned whether the people were contented and happy, or not. In those times, Baghdad in the east and the Muhammedan cities of Spain in the west were famed for their schools and learned men. Arabian teachers first introduced them to Western Europe, both algebra and the figures which we use in arithmetic. It is for this reason that we call these figures the Arabic numerals. Harun al-Rashid gave great encouragement to learning. He was a scholar and poet himself, and whenever he heard of learned men in his own kingdom or in neighboring countries, he invited them to his court and treated them with respect. The name of Harun, therefore, became known throughout the world. It is said that a correspondence took place between him and Charlemagne, and that, as you have learned, Harun sent the great emperor a present of a clock and an elephant. The tribute of gold that the Empress Irene agreed to pay Harun was sent regularly for many years. It was always received at Baghdad with great ceremony. The day on which it arrived was made a holiday. The Roman soldiers who came with it entered the gates in procession. Muslim troops also took part in the parade. When the gold had been delivered at the palace, the Roman soldiers were hospitably entertained and were escorted to the main gate of the city when they set out on their journey back to Constantinople. 2. In 802, Nicophorus usurped the throne of the Eastern Empire. He sent ambassadors with a letter to Harun to tell him that the tribute would no longer be paid. The letter contained these words. The weak and faint-hearted Irene submitted to pay you tribute. She ought to have made you pay tribute to her. Return to me all that she paid you, else the matter must be settled by the sword. As soon as Harun had read these words, the ambassadors threw a bundle of swords at his feet. The caliph smiled, and drawing his own sword, or scimitar, he cut the Roman swords in two with one stroke without injuring the blade, or even turning the edge of his weapon. Then he dictated a letter to Nicophorus, in which he said, Harun Arashid, commander of the faithful, to Nicophorus, the Roman dog, I have read thy letter, thou shalt not hear, thou shalt see, my reply. Harun was as good as his word. He started that day with a large army to punish the emperor. As soon as he reached Roman territory, he ravaged the country and took possession of everything valuable that he found. He laid siege to Heracleia, a city on the shores of the Black Sea, and in a week forced it to surrender. Then he sacked the place. Nicophorus was now forced to agree to pay the tribute. Scarcely, however, had the caliph reached his palace in Baghdad when the emperor again refused to pay. Harun, consequently, advanced into the Roman province of Phrygia, in Asia Minor, with an army of 15,000 men. Nicophorus marched against him with 125,000 men. In the battle which followed, the emperor was wounded, and 40,000 of his men were killed. After this defeat, Nicophorus again promised payment of the tribute, but again failed to keep his promise. Harun now vowed that he would kill the emperor if he should ever lay hands upon him, but as he was getting ready to march once more into the Roman provinces, a revolt broke out in one of the cities of his own kingdom, and while on his way to suppress it, the great caliph died of an illness which had long given him trouble. Chapter 13 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librivox.org. Recorded by Alec Datesman Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Horan and A. B. Poland. Chapter 13. Egbert, King from 802 to 837 A.D. Egbert the Saxon lived at the same time as did Harun Al Rashid and Charlemagne. He was the first king who ruled all England as one kingdom. Long before his birth, the people who are known to us as Britons lived there, and they gave to the island the name Britain. But Britain was invaded by the Romans under Julius Caesar and his successors, and all that part of it which we now call England was added to the empire of Rome. The Britons were driven into Wales and Cornwall, the western sections of the island. The Romans kept possession of the island for nearly 400 years. They did not leave it until 410, the year that Alaric sacked the city of Rome. At this time, the Roman legions were withdrawn from Britain. Some years before this, the Saxons, Angles and Jutes, German tribes, had settled near the shores of the North Sea. Much about Britain, or trading vessels, even at that early day, crossed the Channel. Among other things, the men from the North learned that Britain was crossed with good Roman roads, and dotted with houses of brick and stone. That walled cities had taken the place of tented camps, and that the country from miles around each city was green every spring with waving wheat, or white with orchard blossoms. After the Roman legions had left Britain, the Jutes led, it is said, by two great captains named Hengist and Horsa, landed upon the southeastern coast and made a settlement. Britain proved a pleasant place to live in, and soon the Angles and Saxons also left the North Sea shores and invaded the beautiful island. The new invaders met with brave resistance. The Britons were headed by King Arthur, about whom many marvelous stories are told. His court was held at Caroleon, in North Wales, where his 150 knights banked it at their famous round table. The British king and his knights fought with desperate heroism, but they could not drive back the Saxons and their companions, and were obliged to seek refuge in the western mountainous parts of the island, just as their forefathers had done when the Romans invaded Britain. Thus nearly all England came into the possession of the three invading tribes. 2. Arthur and his knights were devoted Christians, for the Romans had not only made good roads and built strong walls and forts in Britain, but they had also bought the Christian religion into the island. And at about the time of the Saxon invasion, St. Patrick was founding churches and monasteries in Ireland and was baptizing whole clans of the Irish at a time. It is said that he baptized 12,000 persons with his own hand. Missionaries were sent out by the Irish church to convert the wild Picts of Scotland and at a later day the distant barbarians of Germany and Switzerland. The Saxons, Angles and Jutes believed in the old Norse gods and Tiu and Wotan, Thor and Frigia, or Frigia, were worshipped on the soil of Britain for more than a hundred years. The Britons tried to convert their conquerors, but the invaders did not care to be taught religion by those whom they had conquered, so the British missionaries found the work unusually hard. Aid came to them in a singular way. At some time near the year 575 AD, the Saxons quarreled and fought with their old friends, the Angles. They took some Angles prisoners and carried them to Rome to be sold in the great slave market there. A monk named Gregory passed one day through the market and saw three captives. He asked the dealer who they were. Angles was the answer. Oh, said the monk, they would be angels instead of Angles if they were only Christians, for they certainly have the faces of angels. Years after, when that monk was the Pope of Rome, he remembered this conversation and sent the monk Augustine to England to teach the Christian religion to the savage but angel-faced Angles. Augustine and the British missionaries converted the Anglo-Saxons 200 years before the German Saxons were converted. Still, though both Angles and Saxons called themselves Christians, they were seldom at peace, and for more than 200 years they frequently fought. Various chiefs tried to make themselves kings, and at length there came to be no less than seven small kingdoms in South Britain. In 784, Egbert claimed to be the heir of the kingdom called Wessex, but the people elected another man, and Egbert had to flee for his life. He went to the court of Charlemagne and was with the great king of the Franks in Rome on Christmas Day 800 when the Pope placed the crown on Charles' head and proclaimed him Emperor. Soon after this, a welcome message came to Egbert. The mind of the people in Wessex had changed, and they had elected him king. So bidding farewell to Charlemagne, he hurried to England. Egbert had seen how Charlemagne had compelled the different quarrelling tribes of Germany to yield allegiance to him and how after uniting his empire, he had ruled it well. Egbert did in England what Charlemagne had done in Germany. He either persuaded the various petty kingdoms of the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes to recognize him as their ruler, or forced them to do so. And thus under him, all England became one united kingdom. But Egbert did even better than this. He did much to harmonize the different tribes by his wise conciliation. The name England is a memorial of this. Although Egbert himself was a Saxon, he advised that to please the Angles, the country should be called Anglia, that is Angle land, or England, the land of the Angles instead of Saxonia or Saxon land. End of Chapter 13. Recorded by Alec Datesman, Brooklyn, New York. Chapter 14 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages. This is a liberal works recording. All liberal works recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit liberalfolkslibrivox.org. Recording by Paradise Canflash. Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Harren and E. B. Poland. Chapter 14, Rolo the Viking, died 931 AD. Part 1. For more than 200 years during the Middle Ages, the Christian countries of Europe were attacked on the south west by the Saracens of Spain and on the north west by the Norsemen, or Norsemen. The Norsemen were so called because they came into Middle Europe from the north. Sometimes they were called Vikings or Pirates, because they were adventurous sea robbers who planted all countries which they could reach by sea. Their ships were long and swift. In the centre was placed a single mast which carried one large sail. For the most part, however, the Norsemen depended on rowing, not on the wind. And sometimes there were 20 rowers in one vessel. The Vikings were a terror to all their neighbours, but the two regions that suffered most from their attacks were the island of Britain and that part of the Chaule-Magne's empire in which the Franks were settled. Nearly 50 times in 200 years, the lands of the Franks were invaded. The Vikings sailed up the large rivers into the heart of the region, which we now call France, and captured and pillaged cities and towns. Some years after Chaule-Magne's death, they went as far as his capital, Aix, took the place and stable their horses in the cathedral which the great emperor had built. In the year 860 they discovered Iceland and made a settlement upon its shores. A few years later they sailed as far as Greenland and there established settlements which existed for about a century. These Vikings were the first discovers on the continent on which we live. Ancient books found in Iceland tell the story of their discovery. It is related that a Viking ship was driven during a storm to a strange coast which is thought to have been that part of America, now known as Labrador. When the captain of the ship returned home, he told what he had seen. His tale so excited the curiosity of a young Viking prince called Leif the Lucky that he sailed to the newly discovered coast. Going ashore, he found that the country abounded in wild grapes and so he called it Vinland, or the land of vines. Vinland is thought to have been a part of what is now the Rhode Island coast. The Vikings were not aware that they had found a great unknown continent. No one in the more civilized parts of Europe knew anything about their discovery and after a while the story of the Vinland voyages seems to have been forgotten even among the Vikings themselves. So it is not to them that we owe the discovery of America but to Columbus because his discovery, though nearly 500 years later than that of the Norsemen actually made known to all Europe for all time the existence of the New World. The Vikings had many able chieftains. One of the most famous was Rolo the Walker, so called because he was a giant that no horse strong enough to carry him could be found and therefore he always had to walk. However, he did on foot what few could do on horseback. In 885, 700 ships commanded by Rolo and other Viking chiefs left the harbours of Norway, sailed to the mouth of the Zinn and started up the river to capture the city of Paris. Rolo and his men stopped on the way to Rouen, which also was on the sign but near its mouth. The citizens had heard of the giant and when they saw the river covered by his fleet they were dismead. However, the bishop of Rouen told them that Rolo could be as noble and generous as he was fierce and he advised them to open their gates and trust to the mercy of the Viking chief. This was done and Rolo marched into Rouen and took possession of it. The bishop had given good advice for Rolo treated the people very kindly. Soon after capturing Rouen he left the place, sailed up the river to Paris and joined the other Viking chiefs and now for six long miles the beautiful Zinn was covered with Viking vessels which carried an army of 30,000 men. A noted warrior named Ud was Count of Paris and he had advised the Parisians to fortify the city so not long before the arrival of Rolo and his companions two walls with strong gates had been built around Paris. It was no easy task for even Vikings to capture a strongly walled city. We are told that Rolo and his men built a high tower and rolled it on wheels up to the walls. At its top was a floor well manned with soldiers the people within the city shot hundreds of arrows at the procedures and threw down rocks or poured boiling oil and pitch upon them. The Vikings thought to starve the Parisians and for 13 months they encamped around the city. At length food became very scarce and Count Ud determined to go for help. He went out through one of the gates on a dark stormy night and rode post-haze to the king. He told him that something must be done to save the people of Paris. So the king gathered an army and marched to the city. No battle was fought. The Vikings seemed to have been afraid to risk one. They gave up the siege and Paris was relieved. Rolo and his men went to the Duchy of Burgundy where as now the finest crops were raised and the best of wines were made. Part 3 Perhaps after a time Rolo and his Vikings went home but we do not know what he did for about 25 years. We do know that he abandoned his old home in Norway in 911. Then he and his people sailed from the icy shore of Norway and again went up the Zinn in hundreds of Viking vessels. Of course on arriving in the land of the Franks Rolo at once began to plunder towns and farms. Charles the king of the Franks although his people called him the simple or senseless had sense enough to see that this must be stopped. So he sent a message to Rolo and proposed that they should have a talk about peace. Rolo agreed and accordingly they met. The king and his troops stood on one side of a little river and Rolo with his Vikings stood on the other. Messages passed between them. The king asked Rolo what he wanted. Let me my people live in a land of the Franks. Let us make ourselves homes here and I and my Vikings will become your vassals answered Rolo. He asked for Ruin and the neighbouring land. So the king gave him that part of Francia and ever since it has been called Normandy the land of the Northmen. When it was decided that the Vikings should settle in Francia and become subjects of the Frankish king Rolo was told that he must kiss the foot of Charles in token that he would be the king's vassal. The hot he Viking refused. Never said he will I bend my knee before any man and no man's foot will I kiss. After some persuasion however he ordered one of his men to perform the act of homage for him. The king was on horseback and the Northmen standing by the side of the horse suddenly seized the king's foot and drew it up to his lips. This almost made the king fall from his horse to the great amusement of the Northmen. Becoming a vassal to the king meant that if the king went to war Rolo would be obliged to join his army and bring a certain number of armed men a thousand or more. Rolo now granted parts of Normandy to his leading men on condition that they would bring soldiers to his army and fight under him. They became his vassals as he was the king's vassal. The lands granted to vassals in this way were called feuds and this plan of holding lands was called a feudal system. It was established in every country of Europe during the Middle Ages. The poorest people were called serfs. They were almost slaves and were never permitted to leave the estate to which they belonged. They did all the work. They worked chiefly for the landlords but partly for themselves. Having been a robber himself Rolo knew what a shocking thing it was to ravage and plunder and he determined to change his people's habits. He made strict laws and hanged robbers. His duchy thus became one of the safest parts of Europe. The Northmen learned the language of the Franks and adopted their religion. The story of Rolo is especially interesting to us because Rolo was the forefather of that famous Duke of Normandy who, less than 150 years later, conquered England and brought into that country the Norman nobles with their French language and customs. End of chapter 14 Recording by Andy from Inveron in Scotland Chapter 15 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recorded by Alec Datesman Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haran and A.B. Poland Chapter 15 Alfred the Great King from 871 to 901 A.D. 1. The Danes were neighbors of the Norwegian Vikings and big them were fond of the sea and piracy. They plundered the English coasts for more than a century and most of Northern and Eastern England became for a time a Danish country with Danish kings. What saved the rest of the country to the Saxons was the courage of the great Saxon king, Alfred. Alfred was the son of Ethelvolf, king of the West Saxons. He had a loving mother who bought him up with great care. Up to the age of 12, it is said, he was not able to read well and read the scripts of his mother and others to teach him. When Alfred was a boy, there were no printed books. The wonderful art of printing was not invented until about the year 1440, nearly 600 years later than Alfred's time. Moreover, the art of making paper had not yet been invented. Consequently, the few books in use in Alfred's time were written by skillful penman who wrote generally on leaves of parchment which was sheepskin carefully prepared so that it might retain ink. One day, Alfred's mother showed him his older brother's a beautiful volume which contained a number of the best Saxon ballads. Some of the words in this book were written in brightly colored letters and upon many of the leaves were painted pictures of gaily dressed knights and ladies. Oh, what a lovely book, exclaimed the boys. Yes, it is lovely, replied the mother. I will give it to whichever of you children can read it the best in a week. Alfred began at once to take lessons in reading and studied hard day after day. His brothers passed their time in amusements and made fun of Alfred's efforts. They thought he could not learn to read as well as they could no matter how hard he should try. At the end of the week, the boys read the book to their mother, one after the other. Much to the surprise of his brothers, Alfred proved to be the best reader and his mother gave him the book. While still very young, Alfred was sent by his father to Rome to be anointed by his holiness, the Pope. It was a long and tiresome journey made mostly on horseback. Finally, he was anointed by the Holy Father. Afterwards, he spent a year in Rome receiving religious instruction. 2. In the year 871, when Alfred was 22 years old, the Danes invaded various parts of England. Some great battles were fought and Alfred's elder brother, Elthorid, king of the West Saxons, was killed. Thus, Alfred became king. The Danes still continued to fight the Saxons and defeated Alfred in a long struggle. They took for themselves the northern and eastern parts of England. Moreover, Danes from Denmark continued to cross the sea and ravage the coast of Saxon England. They kept the people in constant alarm. Alfred, therefore, determined to meet the pirates on their own element, the sea. So, he built and equipped the first English navy and in 875 gained the first naval victory ever won by the English. A few years after this, however, great numbers of Danes from the northern part of Saxon lands. Alfred himself was obliged to flee for his life. For many months, he wandered through forests and over hills to avoid being taken by the Danes. He sometimes made his home in caves and in the huts of shepherds and cowherds. Often, he tended the cattle and sheep and was glad to get a part of the farmer's dinner and pay for his services. Once, when very hungry, he went into the house of a cowherd and asked for something to eat. The cowherd's wife was baking cakes and she said she would give him some watch the cakes and do not let them burn while I go across the field to look after the cows, said the woman as she hurried away. Alfred took his seat in the chimney corner to do as he was told. But soon his thoughts turned to his troubles and he forgot about the cakes. When the woman came back, she cried out with vexation for the cakes were burned and spoiled. You lazy good-for-nothing man, she said. I warrant you can eat cakes fast enough, but you are too lazy to help me bake them. With that, she drove the poor hungry Alfred out of her house. In his ragged dress, he certainly did not look like a king and she had no idea that he was anything but a poor beggar. Three. Some of Alfred's friends discovered where he was hiding and joined him. In a little time, a body of soldiers came to him and a strong fort was built by them. For this fort, Alfred and his men went out now and then and gave battle to small parties of the Danes. Alfred was successful and his army grew larger and larger. One day, he disguised himself as a wandering minstrel and went into the camp of the Danes. He strolled here and there, playing on a harp and singing Saxon ballads. At last, Guthrum, the commander of the Danes, ordered the minstrel to be brought to his tent. Alfred went, Sing to me some of your charming songs, said Guthrum. I never heard more beautiful music. So the kingly harper played and sang for the Dane and went away with handsome presence. But better than that, he had gained information that was of the greatest value. He attacked the Danish forces and defeated them with great slaughter in a battle which lasted all day and far into the night. Guthrum was taken prisoner and brought before Alfred. Taking his harp in his hands, Alfred played and sang one of the ballads with which he had entertained Guthrum in the camp. The Dane started in amazement and exclaimed, You then, King Alfred, were the wandering minstrel? Yes, replied Alfred, I was the musician whom you received so kindly. Your life is now in my hands, but I will give you your liberty and become a Christian and never again make war on my people. King Alfred, said Guthrum, I will become a Christian and so all my men if you will grant liberty to them as to me and henceforth we will be your friends. Alfred then released the Danes and they were baptized as Christians. An old road running across England from London to Chester was then agreed upon as the boundary between the Danish and Saxon kingdoms and the Danes settled in East Anglia as the eastern part of England was called. Years of peace and prosperity followed for Alfred's kingdom. During these years the king rebuilt the towns that had been destroyed by the Danes, erected new forts and greatly strengthened his army and navy. He also encouraged trade and he founded a school like that established by Charlemagne. He himself translated a number of Latin books into Saxon and probably did more for the cause of education than any other king that ever wore the English crown. End of Chapter 15 Recorded by Halic Datesman Brooklyn, New York Chapter 16 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recorded by Halic Datesman Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland Chapter 16 Henry the Fowler Coming from 919 to 936 A.D. 1 About a hundred years had passed since the death of Charlemagne and his great empire had fallen to pieces. Seven kings ruled where he had once been sole emperor. West of the Rhine, where the Germans lived the last descendant of Charlemagne died when he was a mere boy. The German nobles were not willing for any foreign prince to govern them and yet they saw that they must unite against the invasions of the Barbarians called Magyars. So they met and elected Conrad, Duke of Franconia to be their king. However, although he became king in name Conrad never had much power over his nobles. Some of them refused to recognize him as king and his reign was disturbed by quarrels and wars. He died in 919 and on his deathbed he said to his brother, Henry Duke of Saxony is the ablest ruler in the empire. Elect him king and Germany will have peace. A few months after Conrad's death the nobles met at Eilat Chapelle and elected Henry to be their king. At this time it was the custom in Europe to hunt various birds such as the wild duck and partridge with falcons. The falcons were long winged birds of prey resembling hawks. They were trained to perch on their master's wrist and wait patiently until they were told to fly. Then they would swiftly dart at their prey and bear it to the ground. Henry was very fond of falconry and hence was known as Henry the Fowler or falconer. As soon as the other dukes had elected him king a messenger was sent to Saxony to inform him of the honor done him. After a search of some days he was at last found, far up in the Harz Mountains, hunting with his falcons. Neuling at his feet the messenger said, God save you Henry of Saxony, I come to announce the death of King Conrad and to tell you that the nobles have elected you to succeed him as king of the Germans. For a moment the duke was speechless with amazement. Then he exclaimed elected me king I cannot believe it. I am a Saxon and King Conrad was a frank and bitter enemy to me. It is true replied the messenger, Conrad when dying advised that the nobles should choose you as his successor. Henry was silent for a while and then he said, King Conrad was a good man. I know it's now and I am sorry that I did not understand him better when he was alive. I accept the position offered to me and I pray that I may be guided by heaven in ruling this people. So Henry the Fowler left the chase to take up his duties as king of the Germans. 2. In proper time Henry was proclaimed king of Germany but he was hardly seated on the throne when the country was invaded by thousands of Magyars from the land which we know today as Hungary. As soon as possible Henry gathered an army and marched to meet the barbarians. He came upon a small force under the command of the son of the Magyar king. The Germans easily routed the Magyars and took the king's son prisoner. This proved to be a very fortunate thing because it stopped the war for a long term of years. When the Magyar king learned that his son was a prisoner in the hands of King Henry he was overwhelmed with grief. He mourned for his son day and night and at last sent to the German camp a Magyar chief with a flag of truce to beg that the prince might be given up. Our king says that he will give whatever you demand for the release of his son said the chief to the German monarch. I will give up the prince on this condition only was the reply. The Magyars must leave the soil of Germany immediately and promise not to war on us for nine years. During those years I will pay to the king yearly five thousand pieces of gold. I accept the terms in the king's name responded the chief. The prince was therefore given up and the Magyars withdrew. During the nine years of truce King Henry paid great attention to the organization of an army. Before this the German soldiers had fought chiefly on foot not as the Magyars did on horseback. For this reason they were at a great disadvantage in battle. The king now raised a strong force of horsemen and had them drilled so thoroughly that they became almost invincible. The infantry also were carefully drilled. Besides this Henry built a number of forts in different parts of his kingdom and had all the fortified cities made stronger. The following year the Magyar chief appeared at the German court and demanded a tenth payment. Not a piece of gold will be given you replied King Henry. Our truce is ended. In less than a week a vast body of Magyars entered Germany to renew the war. Henry held his army in waiting until lack of food compelled the barbarians to divide their forces into two separate bodies. One division was sent to one part of the country the other to another part. Henry completely routed both divisions and the power of the Magyars in Germany was broken. The Danes also invaded Henry's kingdom but he defeated them and drove them back. Henry reigned for 18 years and when he died all Germany was peaceful and prosperous. His son Otto succeeded him. He assumed the title of Emperor which Charlemagne had born more than a hundred years before. From that time on for nearly one thousand years all the German emperors claimed to be the successors of Charlemagne. They called their domain the Holy Roman Empire and took the title Emperor or the Romans until the year 1806 when Francis II resigned it. End of Chapter 16 Recorded by Alec Datesman, Brooklyn, New York Chapter 17 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recorded by Alec Datesman Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haran and A.B. Poland Chapter 17 Canute the Great King from 1014 to 1035 1. The Danes you remember had the eastern and northern parts of England in the time of Alfred. Alfred's successors drove them father and father north and at length the Danish kingdom in England came to an end for a time. But the Danes in Denmark did not forget that there had been such a kingdom and in the year 1013 Swain, king of Denmark invaded England and defeated the Anglo-Saxons. Edelrid, their king fled to Normandy. Swain now called himself the king of England but in a short time he died and his son Canute succeeded to his throne. Canute was 19 years old he had been his father's companion during the war with the Anglo-Saxons and thus had had a good deal of experience as a soldier. After the death of Swain some of the Anglo-Saxons recalled king Edelrid and revolted against the Danes. Canute however went to Denmark and there raised one of the largest armies of Danes that had ever been assembled. With this powerful force he sailed to England. When he landed Northumberland and Wessex acknowledged him as king. Shortly after this, Edelrid died. Canute now thought he would find it easy to get possession of all England. This was a mistake. His son named Edmund Ironside who was a very brave soldier. He became, by his father's death, the king of Saxon England and at once raised an army to defend his kingdom. A battle was fought and Edmund was victorious. This was the first of five battles that were fought in one year. Did none of them could the Danes do more than gain a slight advantage now and then. However, the Saxons were at last defeated in a sixth battle through the act of a traitor. Edric, a Saxon noble, took his men out of the fight and his treachery so weakened the Saxon army that Edmund Ironside had to surrender to Canute. But the young Dane had greatly admired Edmund for the way in which he had fought against heavy odds, so he now treated him most generously. Canute took certain portions of England and the remainder was given to Edmund Ironside. Thus for a short time the Anglo-Saxon people had at once a Danish and a Saxon monarch. Two. Edmund died in 1016 and after his death Canute became sole ruler. He ruled wisely. He determined to make his Anglo-Saxon subjects forget that he was a foreign conqueror. To show his confidence in them he sent back to Denmark the army he had brought over the sea, heaping on a part of his fleet and a small body of soldiers to act as guards at his palace. He now depended on the support of his Anglo-Saxon subjects and he won their love. Although a king and is generally believed that kings like flattery, Canute is set to have rebuked his courtiers when they flattered him. On one occasion when they were talking about his achievements one of them said to him, Most noble king, I believe you can do anything. Canute sternly rebuked the courtier for these words and then said come with me gentlemen. He led them from the palace grounds to the seashore where the tide was rising and had his chair placed at the edge of the water. You say I can do anything he said to the courtiers. Very well. I who am king and the lord of the ocean now command these rising waters to go back and not dare wet my feet. But the tide was disobedient and steadily rose and rose until the feet of the king were in the water. Turning to his courtiers Canute said, Learn how feeble is the power of earthly kings. None is worthy the name of king but he whom heaven and earth and sea obey. During Canute's reign England had peace and prosperity and the English people have ever held his memory dear. Chapter 17 Recorded by Alec Datesman, Brooklyn, New York Chapter 18 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recorded by Alec Datesman Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Horan and A.B. Poland. Chapter 18 The Sid Late one sunny afternoon one and twenty knights were riding along the highway in the northern part of Spain. As they were passing a deep mire they heard cries for help and, turning, saw a poor leper who was sinking in the mud. One of the knights, a handsome young man was touched by the cries. He dismounted, rescued the poor fellow, took him upon his own horse and thus the two rode to the inn. The other knights wondered at this. When they reached the inn where they would stop for the night, they wondered still more for their companion gave the leper a seat next to himself at the table. After supper, the knight shared his own bed with the leper. If the knight had not done this, the leper would have been driven out of the town with nothing to eat and no place in which to sleep. At midnight, while the young man was fast asleep, the leper breathed upon his back. This awakened the knight who turned quickly in his bed and found that the leper was gone. The knight called for a light and searched, but in vain. While he was wondering about what had happened, a man in shining garments appeared before him and said, Rodrigo, are thou asleep or awake? The knight answered, I am awake, but who art thou that bringest such brightness? The vision replied, I am St. Lazarus, the leper to whom thou wasst so kind. Because I have breathed upon thee, thou shalt accomplish whatever thou shalt undertake in peace or in battle. All shall honor thee, therefore go on and evermore do good. With that, the vision vanished. The promise of St. Lazarus was fulfilled. In time, young Rodrigo became the great hero of Spain. The Spaniards called him the Campeador, or champion. The Saracens called him the Sid, or lord. His real name was Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, but he is usually spoken of as the Sid. The Goths, after the death of Alaric, had taken Spain away from the Romans. The Saracens, or as they were usually called, the Moors, had crossed the sea from Africa, and in turn had taken Spain from the Goths. In the time of Charles Martel, the Goths had lost all Spain except the small mountain district in the northern part. In the time of the Sid, the Goths, now called Spaniards, had driven the Moors down to about the middle of Spain. War went on all the time between the two races, and many men spent their lives in fighting. The Spanish part of the country then comprised the kingdoms of Castile, Lyon, Aragon, and others. The Sid was a subject of Fernando of Castile. Fernando had a dispute with the king of Aragon about a city which each claimed. They agreed to decide the matter by a combat. Each was to choose a champion. The champions were to fight, and the king whose champion won was to have the city. Fernando chose the Sid, and though the other champion was called the bravest knight in Spain, the youthful warrior vanquished him. When Alonzo, a son of Fernando, succeeded to the throne, he became angry with the Sid with just cause, and banished him from Christian Spain. The Sid was in need of some money, so he filled two chests with sand, and sent word to two wealthy money lenders that he wished to borrow 600 Spanish marks, about $2,000, and would put into their hands his treasures of silver and gold which were packed in two chests. But the money lenders must solemnly swear not to open the chests until the full year had passed. To this they gladly agreed. They took the chests and loaned him 600 marks. The Sid was now ready for his journey. 300 of his knights went into banishment with him. They crossed the mountains and entered the land of the Moors. Soon they reached the town of Alcocer, and after a siege captured it and lived in it. Then the Moorish king of Valencia ordered two chiefs to take 3,000 horsemen, recapture the town and bring the Sid alive to him. So the Sid and his men were shut up in Alcocer and besieged. Famine threatened them and they determined to cut their way through the army of the Moors. Suddenly and swiftly they poured from the gate of Alcocer and a terrible battle was fought. The two Moorish chiefs were taken prisoners and 1,300 of their men were killed in the battle. The Sid then became a vassal of the Moorish king of Saragosa. After a while Alfonso recalled the Sid from banishment and gave him orders and the lands adjoining them. He needed the Sid's help in the greatest of all his plans against the Moors. He was determined to capture Toledo. He attacked it with a large army in which there were soldiers from many foreign lands. The Sid is said to have been the commander. After a long siege the city fell and the victorious army marched across the great bridge built by the Moors, which you would cross today if you went to Toledo. Valencia was one of the largest and richest cities in Moorish Spain. The city was terrified, but the Sid determined to attack it. A plane about the city was irrigated by streams that came down from the neighboring hills. To prevent the Sid's army from coming near the city the Saracens flooded the plane, but the Sid camped on high ground above the plane and from that point besieged the city. Food became very scarce in Valencia. Wheat, barley, and cheese were also deer that none but the rich could buy them. People ate until in the whole city only three horses and a mule were left alive. Then on the 15th of June 1094 the governor went to the camp of the Sid and delivered to him the keys of the city. The Sid placed his men in all of the forts and took the Citadel as his own dwelling. His banner floated from the towers. He called himself the Prince of Valencia. When the King of Morocco heard of this he raised an army of 50,000 men. They crossed from Africa to Spain and laid in Valencia. But the Sid with his men made a sudden sally and routed them and pursued them for miles. It is said that 15,000 soldiers were drowned in the river Guadalquivar which they tried to cross. The Sid was at the height of his power and lived in great magnificence. One of the first things he did was to repay the two friends who had lent him the 600 marks. He was kind and just to the Saracens who had become his subjects. They were allowed to have their mosques and to worship God during time the Sid's health began to fail. He could lead his men forth to battle no more. He sent an army against the Moors but it was so completely routed that few of his men came back to tell the tale. It is said by a Moorish writer that when the runaways reached him the Sid died of rage. There is a legend that shortly before he died he saw a vision of Saint Peter who told him that he should gain a victory over the Saracens after his death. So the Sid gave orders that his body should be preserved that it seemed alive. It was clothed in a coat of mail and the sword that had won so many battles was placed in the hand. Then it was mounted upon the Sid's favorite horse and fastened to the saddle and at midnight was born out of the gate of Valencia with a guard of a thousand knights. All silently they marched to a spot where the Moorish king with 36 chieftains lay encamped and at daylight the knights of the Sid made a sudden attack. The king awoke. It seemed to him that against him full 70,000 knights all dressed in robes as white as snow and before them rode a knight taller than all the rest holding in his left hand a snow white banner and in the other a sword which seemed a fire. So afraid were the Moorish chief and his men that they fled to the sea and 20,000 of them were drowned as they tried to reach their ships. There is a Latin inscription near the tomb of the Sid which may be translated brave and unconquered famous in triumphs of war and closed in this tomb lies Roderick the Great of Bivar End of Chapter 18 recorded by Alec Datesman, Brooklyn, New York Chapter 19 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Christina Chapter 19 Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor King from 1042 till 1066 The Danish kings who followed Canute were not like him. They were cruel unjust rulers and all the people of England hated them. So when in the year 1042 the last of them died, Edward the son of the Saxon Ethelred was elected king He is known in history as Edward the Confessor He was a man of holy life and after his death was made a saint by the church with the title of the Confessor Though born in England he passed the greater part of his life in Normandy as an exile from his native land He was 38 years old when he returned from Normandy to King. As he had lived so long in Normandy he always seemed more like a Norman than one of English births. He generally spoke the French language and he chose Normans to fill many of the highest offices in his kingdom For the first 8 years of his reign there was perfect peace in his kingdom except in the counties of Kent and Exxess where pirates from the North Sea made occasional attacks These pirates were mostly Norwegians whose leader was a barbarian named Kerdrick They would come sweeping down upon the Kentish coast in many ships make a landing where there were no soldiers and fall upon the towns and landers then Then as swiftly and suddenly as they had come they would sail away homeward before they could be captured One day Kerdrick's fleet arrived of the coast and as no opposing force was visible the pirates landed and started toward the nearest town to plunder it By a quick march a body of English soldiers reached the town before the pirates and when the latter arrived they found a strong force drawn up to give them battle. A short struggle took place more than half of the pirates were slain and the remainder were taken prisoners After the prisoners had been secured the English ships that were stationed on the coast attacked the pirate fleet and destroyed it Edward took part in the events upon which Shakespeare 500 years later founded his famous tragedy of Macbeth There lived in Scotland during his reign an ambitious nobleman named Macbeth who invited Duncan the king of Scotland to his castle and murdered him to make it appear that the murder had been committed by Duncan's attendants and he caused the king's son an heir Prince Malcolm to flee from the land he then made himself king of Scotland Malcolm hastened to England and appealed to king Edward for help When the king was told the number of soldiers Malcolm would probably need he gave orders for double that number to march into Scotland with this support attacked Macbeth and after several well thought battles draw the usurper from Scotland and took possession of the throne Edward did a great deal during his reign to aid the cause of Christianity he rebuilt the ancient Westminster Abbey in London and directed churches and monasteries in different parts of England Edward was long supposed to have made many just laws and years after his death people when suffering from bad government would exclaim oh for the good laws and customs of Edward the Confessor what he really did was to have the old laws facefully carried out he died in 1066 and was buried in Westminster Abbey End of Chapter 19 Chapter 20 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Roger Maline Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Harron and A.B. Poland Chapter 20 William the Conqueror King from 1066 to 1087 On the death of Edward the Confessor the throne of England was claimed by William Duke of Normandy When Edward took refuge in Normandy after the Danes conquered England he stayed at the Palace of William He was very kindly treated there and William said that Edward had promised in gratitude that William should succeed him as King of England One day in the year 1066 when William was hunting with a party of his courtiers in the woods near Rouen a noble came riding rapidly toward him shouting Your Highness, a messenger has just arrived from England bearing the news that King Edward is dead and that Harold, the son of Earl Godwin has been placed on the English throne William at once called his nobles together and said to them I must have your consent that I enforce my claim by arms The barons gave their consent so an army of 60,000 men was collected and a large fleet of ships was built to carry this force across the Channel During the months of preparation William sent an embassy to the English court to demand of Harold that he give up the throne Harold refused Soon all England was startled by the news that William had landed on the English coast at the port of Hastings with a large force Harold immediately marched as quickly as possible from the north to the southern coast In a week or so he arrived at a place called Sennlach 9 miles from Hastings in the neighborhood of which town the Norman army was encamped He took his position on a low range of hills and awaited the attack of William His men were tired with their march but he encouraged them and bade them prepare for battle On the morning of October 14th 1066 the two armies met The Norman foot soldiers opened the battle by charging on the English stockades They ran over the plain to the low hills singing a war song at the top of their voices but they could not carry the stockades although they tried again and again They therefore attacked another part of the English forces William clad in complete armor was in the very front of the fight urging on his troops At one time a cry arose in his army that he was slain and a panic began William drew off his helmet and rode along the line shouting I live! I live! Fight on! We shall conquer yet! The battle raged from morning till night Harold himself fought on foot at the head of his army and behaved most valiantly His men, tired as they were from their forced march bravely struggled on hour after hour But at last William turned their lines and threw them into confusion As the sun went down Harold was killed and his men gave up the fight From Hastings William marched toward London On the way he received the surrender of some towns and burned others that would not surrender London submitted and some of the nobles and citizens came forth and offered the English crown to the Norman Duke On the 25th of December 1066 the Conqueror as he is always called was crowned in Westminster Abbey by Archbishop Yaldred Both English and Norman people were present When the question was asked by the Archbishop Will you have William Duke of Normandy for your king? All present answered We will! At first William ruled England with moderation The laws and customs were not changed and in a few months after the Battle of Hastings the kingdom was so peaceful that William left it in charge of his brother in Normandy for a visit While he was gone many of the English nobles rebelled against him and on his return he made very severe laws and did some very harsh things He laid waste in extensive territory destroying all the houses upon it and causing thousands of persons to die from lack of food and shelter because the people there had not sworn allegiance to him He made a law that the lights should be put out and fires covered with ashes at eight o'clock every evening so that the people would have to go to bed then A bell was rung in all cities and towns throughout England to warn the people of the hour The bell was called the curfew from the French words couvre de feu meaning to cover fire To find out about the lands of England and their owners who might be made to pay taxes he appointed officers in all the towns to report what estates there were who owned them and what they were worth The reports were copied into two volumes called the Doomsday Book This book showed that England at that time had a population of a little more than a million William made war on Scotland and conquered it During a war with the King of France the city of Monts was burned by William's soldiers As William rode over the ruins his horse stumbled and the King was thrown to the ground and injured He was born to Rouen where he lay ill for six weeks His sons and even his attendants abandoned him in his last hours It is said that in his death struggle he fell from his bed to the floor where his body was found by his servants End of Chapter 20 Recording by Roger Moline Chapter 21 Of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is the LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Christine Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Harne and A. B. Poland Chapter 21 Peter the Hermit Peter the Hermit About 1050-1115 During the Middle Ages the Christians of Europe used to go to the Holy Land for the purpose of visiting the tomb of Christ and other sacred places Those who made such a journey were called pilgrims Every year thousands of pilgrims kings, nobles and people of humbler rank went to the Holy Land While Jerusalem was in the hands of the Arabian caliphs who reigned at Baghdad the Christian pilgrims were generally well treated After about 1070 when the Turks took possession of the city Outrageous became so frequent that it seemed as if it would not be safe for Christians to visit this saviour's tomb at all After the year 1095 there lived at Amiens, France among, named Peter the Hermit Peter was present at a council of clergy and people held at Clermont in France when his Holiness Pope Urban II made a stirring speech He begged the people to rescue the Holy Sepulchre and other sacred sites from the Mohammedans The council was so roused by his words that they broke forth into loud cries God wills it God wills it It is indeed his will said the Pope and let these words be your war cry when you meet the enemy Peter listened with deep attention Immediately after the council he began to preach in favour of a war against the Turks with head and feet bare and closed in a long coarse rope tied at the waist with a rope He went through Italy from city to city riding on a donkey He preached in churches on the streets wherever he could secure an audience When Peter had gone over Italy he crossed the Alps and preached to the people of France Germany and neighbouring countries everywhere he kindled the zeal of the people and multitudes enlisted as champions of the cross Thus begun the first of seven wars known as the Crusades or Wars of the Cross Waged to rescue the Holy Land from the Mohammedans It is said that more than 100,000 men women and children went on the first crusade Each war on the right shoulder the emblem of the cross Peter was in command of one portion of this great multitude His followers began their journey with shouts of joy and praise But they had no proper supply of provisions So when passing through Hungary They plundered the towns and compelled the inhabitants to support them This rose the anger of the Hungarians They attacked the Crusaders and killed a great many of them After long delays about 7000 of those who had started on the crusade reached Constantinople They were still enthusiastic and sounded their war cry God wills it with as much fervor as when they first joined Peter's standard Leaving Constantinople they went eastward into the land of the Turks A powerful army led by the Sultan met them The crusaders fought heroically all day long but at length were badly beaten Only a few escaped and found their way back to Constantinople Peter the hermit had left the crusaders before the battle and returned to Constantinople He afterwards joined the army of Godfrey of Boulogne Godfrey's army was composed of six divisions each commanded by a soldier of high rank and distinction It was a well organized and disciplined force and numbered about half a million men It started only a few weeks after the irregular multitude which followed Peter the hermit and was really the first crusading army For Peter's undisciplined strong could hardly be called an army After a long march Godfrey reached Antioch and laid siege to it It was believed that this Muslim stronghold could be taken in a short time but the city resisted the attacks of the Christians for seven months then it surrendered And now something happened that none of the crusaders had dreamed of An army of 200,000 persons arrived to help the Muslims They laid siege to Antioch and shut up the crusaders within its walls for weeks However after a number of engagements in which there was great loss of life the Turks and Persians were at last driven away The way was now open to Jerusalem But out of the half million crusaders who had marched from Europe less than 50,000 were left They had won their way at a fearful cost Still on board they pushed with brave hearts until on a bright summer morning they caught the first glimpse of the holy city in the distance For two whole years they had toiled and suffered in the hope of reaching Jerusalem Now it lay before them But it had yet to be taken For more than five weeks the crusaders carried on the siege Finally on the 15th of July 1099 the Turks surrendered The Muslim flock was hauled down and the banner of the cross floated over the holy city A few days after the Christians had occupied Jerusalem God free of bullion was chosen king of the holy land I will accept the office, he said But no crown must be put on my head and I must never be called king I cannot wear a crown of gold where Christ wore one of thorns nor will I be called king in the land where once lived the king of kings Peter the hermit is said to have breached an eloquent sermon on the Mount of Olives He did not, however, remain long in Jerusalem But after the capture of the city returned to Europe he founded a monastery in France and within its walls passed the rest of his life End of chapter 21 Chapter 22 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Kristina Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Hahn and A. B. Poland Chapter 22 Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa Emperor from 1152 to 1190 Frederick I was one of the most famous of German emperors He was a tall, stalwart man of majestic appearance He had a long red beard and those people called him Barbarossa or red beard He came to the throne in 1152 At that time the province of Lombardy in northern Italy was a part of the German Empire In 1158 Milan the chief city of Lombardy revolted Then over the Alps came an army of 100,000 German soldiers with Frederick at their head After a long siege the city surrendered But soon it revolted again The emperor besieged it once more and once more it surrendered Its fortifications were destroyed and many of its buildings ruined But even then the spirit of the Lombards was not broken Milan and the other cities of Lombardy united in a league and defied the emperor He called upon the German dukes to bring their men to his aid All responded except Henry the lion Duke of Saxony Frederick's cousin whom he had made Duke of Bavaria also Frederick is said to have kneeled and implored Henry to do his duty but in vain In his campaign against the Lombards Frederick was unsuccessful His army was completely defeated and he was compelled to grant freedom to the cities of Lombardy Everybody blamed Henry the lion The other dukes charged him with treason and he was summoned to appear before a meeting of the nobles He failed to come and the nobles thereupon declared him guilty and took from him everything that he had except the lands he had inherited from his father Frederick now devoted himself to making Germany a united nation Two of his nobles had been quarreling for a long time and as a punishment for their conduct each was condemned with ten of his counts and barons to carry dogs on his shoulders from one county to another Frederick finally succeeded in keeping the nobles in the different provinces of Germany at peace with another and persuaded them to work together for the good of the whole empire He had no more trouble with them and for many years his reign was peaceful and prosperous After the Christians had held Jerusalem for eighty-eight years it was recaptured by the Muslims the lead of the famous Saladin in the year 1187 There was much excitement in Christendom and the Pope proclaimed another crusade Frederick immediately raised an army of crusaders into the German empire and with one hundred and fifty thousand men started for Palestine He marched into Asia Minor attacked the Muslim forces and defeated them in two great battles But before the brave old warrior reached the holy land his career was suddenly brought to an end One day his army was crossing a small bridge over a river in Asia Minor At a moment when the bridge was crowded with troops Frederick rode up rapidly He was impatient to join his son who was leading the advance guard and when he found that he could not cross immediately the bridge he plunged into the river to swim his horse across Both horse and rider were swept away by the current Barbarossa's heavy armor made him helpless and he was drowned His body was recovered and buried in Antioch Barbarossa was so much loved by his people that it was said Germany and Frederick Barbarossa are one in the hearts of the Germans His death caused the greatest grief among the German crusaders They had now little heart to fight the infidels and most of them at once returned to Germany In the empire the dead hero was long mourned and for many years the peasants believed that Frederick was not really dead but was asleep in a cave in the mountains of Germany with his gallant knights around him He was supposed to be sitting in his chair of state with a crown upon his head His eyes half closed and slumber His beard as white as snow and so long that it reached the ground When the ravens seized to fly around the mountain said the legend Barbarossa shall awake and restore Germany to its ancient greatness End of Chapter 22 Chapter 23 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Christine Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Hahn and A. B. Poland Chapter 23 Henry II and his sons Henry II 1154 till 1189 and his sons 1189 till 1216 In 1154 while Barbarossa was reigning in Germany Henry II one of England's greatest monarchs came to the throne Henry was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet Count of Anjou in France and Mathilda daughter of King Henry I and granddaughter of William the Conqueror Count Geoffrey used to wear in his hat a sprig of a broom plant which is called a Latin Plantagenista From this he adopted the name Plantagenet and the kings who descended from him and ruled England for more than 300 years are called the Plantagenets Henry II inherited a ways domain in France and managing this in addition to England kept him very busy One who knew him well said he never sits down he is on his feet from morning to night His chief assistant in the management of public affairs was Thomas Beckett whom he made chancellor of the kingdom Beckett was fond of pomp and luxury and lived in a more magnificent manner than even the king himself The clergy had at this time become almost independent of the king To bring them under his authority Henry made Beckett archbishop of Canterbury thus putting him at the head of the church in England The king expected that Beckett would carry out all his wishes Beckett however refused to do that with the king most desired an aquarium arose between them At last to escape the king's anger Beckett fled to France and remained there for six years At the end of this time Henry invited him to come back to England Not long after however the old quarrel began again One day while Henry was sojourning in France he cried out in a moment of passion while surrounded by a group of knights Is there no one who will rid me of this turbulent priest? Four knights who heard him understood from this angry speech that he desired the death of Beckett and they went to England to murder the archbishop When they met Beckett they first demanded that he should do as the king wished but he firmly refused A dusk that same day they entered Canterbury Cathedral again seeking for him Where is the traitor Thomas Beckett? one of them cried Beckett boldly answered Here am I no traitor but a priest of God As he finished speaking the knights rushed upon him and killed him The people of England were horrified by this brutal murder Beckett was called a martyr and his tomb became a place of pious pilgrimage The Pope canonized him and for years he was the most venerated of English saints King Henry was in Normandy when the murder occurred He declared that he had had nothing whatever to do with it but from this time Henry had many troubles His own sons rebelled against him His parents were unfriendly and conspiracies were formed Henry thought that God was punishing him for the murder of Beckett and so determined to do penance at the tomb of the saint For some distance before he reached Canterbury Cathedral where Beckett was buried he walked over the road with bare head and feet After his arrival he fasted and prayed a day and a night The next day he put scourges into the hands of the cathedral monks and said Scourge me as I kneel at the tomb of the saint The monks did as he bathed them and he patiently bore the pain Henry finally triumphed over his enemies and had some years of peace which he devoted to the good of England In the last year of his life however he had trouble again The king of France and Henry's son Richard took up arms against him Henry was defeated and was forced to grant what they wished When he saw a list of the barons who had joined the French king he found among them the name of his favourite son John and his heart was broken He died a few years later Henry's eldest surviving son Richard was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1190 He took the title of Richard the first but is better known as Cor de Lyon, the lion hearted a name which was given him on account of his bravery He had wonderful strengths and his brave deeds were talked about all over the land With such a man for their king the English people became devoted to chivalry and on every field of battle they gathered together in brave deeds Nighthood was often the reward of valor Then as now Nighthood was usually conferred upon a man by his king or queen A part of the ceremony consisted in the severance touching the kneeling subject soldier with the flat of a sword and saying arise third night This was called the accolade Richard did not stay long in England after his coronation In 1191 he went with Philip of France on a crusade The French and English crusaders together numbered more than 100,000 men They sailed to the Holy Land and joined an army of Christian soldiers and camped before the city of Acre The beseechers had dispaired of taking the city but when reinforced they gained fresh courage Cor de Lyon now performed deeds of valor and fame throughout Europe He was the terror of the Saracens In every attack on Acre he led the Christians and when the city was captured he planted his banner in triumph on its walls So great was the terror inspired everywhere in the Holy Land by the name of Richard that mostly mothers are said to have made their children quiet by threatening to send for the English king Every night when the crusaders encamped the heralds blew their trumpets and cried three times save the Holy Sepulchre and the crusaders nailed and said Amen The great leader of the Saracens was Saladin He was a model of heroism and the two leaders one the champion of the Christians and the other the champion of the Mohammedans wired with each other in nightly deeds Just before one battle Richard wrote down the Saracen line and boldly called for anyone to step forth and fight him alone Now when responded to the challenge for the most valiant of the Saracens did not dare to meet the lion-hearted king After the capture of Acre Richard took us alone then he made a truce with Saladin by which the Christians acquired the right for three years to visit the holy city without paying for the privilege Richard now set out on his voyage home He was wrecked however on the Adriatic Sea near Trieste To get to England he was obliged to go through the lines of Leopold, Duke of Austria one of his bitterest enemies So he disguised himself as a poor pilgrim returning from the holy land But he was recognized by Acostley Rings that he wore and was taken prisoner at Vienna Duke Leopold His people in England anxiously awaited his return and when after a long time he did not appear they were sadly distressed There is a legend that the faithful squire named Blondel went in search of him and as a wandering minister traveled for months over central Europe vainly seeking for news of his master At last one day while singing one of Richard's favorite songs of the castle where the king was confined he heard the song repeated from a window He recognized the voice of Richard From the window Richard told him to let the English people and the people of Europe know where he was confined and the minister immediately went upon his mission Soon Europe was astounded to learn that brave Richard of England the great champion of Christendom was imprisoned That's probably not true but what is true is that England offered to ransom Richard that the Pope interceded for him and that finally it was agreed that he should be given up on the payment of a very large sum of money The English people quickly paid the ransom and Richard was freed The king of France had little love for Richard and Richard's own brother John had less Both were stories that Coir de Lion was at liberty John had taken charge of the kingdom during his brother's absence and hoped that Richard might pass the rest of his days in the prison castle of Leopold As soon as Richard was released the French king sent word to John the devil is loose again and a very disappointed man was John when all England rang with rejoicing at Richard's return Upon the death of Richard in 1199 Arthur the son of his elder brother Joffrey was the rightful heir to the throne John however seized the throne himself and cast Arthur into prison There is a legend that he ordered Arthur's eyes to be put out with red hot irons The jailer however was touched by the boy's prayer for mercy and spared him but Arthur was not to escape his uncle long One night the king took him out upon the same in a little boat murdered him and cast his body into the river Besides being a king of England John was Duke of Normandy and Philip king of France now summoned him to France to answer for the crime of murdering Arthur John would not answer the summons and this gave the king of France an excuse for taking possession of Normandy and thus this great province was lost forever to England Nothing in France was left to John except Aquitaine which had come to him through his mother John's government was unjust and tyrannical and the bishops and barons determined to preserve the rights and the rights of the people They met on a plane called Rooneymeade and then forced John to sign the famous Magna Carta Great Charter Magna Carta is the most valuable Charter ever granted by any sovereign to his people In it King John names all the rights which belong to the citizens under a just government and he promises that no one of these rights shall ever be taken away from any subjects of an English king For violating this promise one English king lost his life and another lost to American colonies Magna Carta was signed in 1215 a year after he signed it the king died his son Henry III succeeded him End of the chapter 23 Chapter 24 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by David Kloparek Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Herron and A. B. Poland Chapter 24 Louis IX King from 1226 to 1270 After the time of Barbarossa and King Richard Carradillon lived another great crusading king This was a grandson of Philip II named Louis IX who became sovereign of France in 1226 He was then only 11 years old so for some years his mother ruled the kingdom A few years after he began to reign Louis decided to make his brother Alphonse the governor of a certain part of France The nobles of the region refused to have Alphonse as governor and invited Henry III of England to help them in a revolt Henry crossed to France with an army to support the rebellious nobles He was Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony so that although he was the king of England he had to do homage to the king of France for his possessions in that country and fight for him if called upon to do so Louis gathered an army and hastened to meet English troops He drove Henry from place to place Until at last he forced him to make terms of peace The rebellious nobles who had invited the English king to France Soonce were allegiance to Louis and afterward he had little trouble in his kingdom Once Louis was dangerously ill and his life was disbared of Finally he was believed to be dying and his wife and chief officials gathered round his bed to await the end Suddenly he roused himself and said in a feeble voice The cross, the cross They laid the cross upon his heart and he clasped it fervently For a while he slumbered When he awoke he appeared much better In a day or two he was entirely well He then made a solemn vow that in thankfulness for his restoration he would go on a crusade to the holy land Louis lived at a time when everybody was full of the crusading spirit A few years before he was born even the children in France and Germany started out on a crusade of their own It is called in history the Children's Crusade Several thousands left their homes and marched toward the Mediterranean They thought that God would open a pathway to the holy land for them through its waters A number of them died in cold and hunger while trying to cross the Alps Some reached Rome and when the Pope saw them he told them to return home and not think of going on a crusade until they were grown up It is easy to understand how in such an age people flocked to Louis' banner when he asked for volunteers to go with him on another crusade In a few months 40,000 crusaders assembled at a French port on the Mediterranean Sea On a bright day in August 1248 they went on board the fleet which was ready to sail The king called to the crusaders sing in the name of God shout forth his praises as we sail away Then quickly on ship after ship shouts of praise burst from the lips of thousands and amid the grand chorus the fleet began its voyage The crusaders went to Damietta in Egypt Louis was so eager to land that he jumped into the water up to his waist and waited ashore he captured the city without striking a blow He had resolved to make war on the Muslims in Egypt rather than the holy land Damietta he marched southward He supposed there would be no strong force to stop his progress However he was mistaken for he had not marched 40 miles towards Cairo when he was attacked by a Muslim army led by the Sultan of Egypt A great battle was fought The crusaders were commanded by King Louis and throughout the battle they showed the utmost bravery but they were outnumbered Thousands were slain and the survivors went toward Damietta The Muslims pursued them and the crusaders were obliged to surrender Out of the 40,000 men who had left France only about 6,000 now remained Many had died of disease as well as in battle King Louis was among the prisoners and the Sultan of Egypt agreed to release him only upon the payment of a large ransom When the ransom had been paid a truce was made 10 years between Louis and the Sultan and the good king left Egypt He then went to the holy land and for 4 years worked to deliver the crusaders who were in Muslim prisons 2 During the time that Louis was in the holy land his mother ruled France in regent When she died he returned immediately to his kingdom and devoted himself to governing it In 1252 he took part in the founding of the Sebon the most famous theological college of Europe from the days of Saint Louis down to the time of the French Revolution He ruled his people so wisely and justly that it is hard to find any better king or even one equally as good in the whole line of French kings He never wronged any man himself or knowingly allowed any man to be found by others Near his palace there was a grand oak with widespreading branches under which he used to sit on pleasant days in the summer There he received all persons who had complaints to make rich and poor like Everyone who came was allowed to tell a story without hindrance For hours Louis would listen patiently to all the tales of wrongdoing of hardships and misery that were told him and could to right the wrongs of those who suffered When news came of some more dreadful persecutions of Christians by the Muslims of Palestine Louis again raised an army of crusaders and started with them for Tunis Although he was sick and feeble so sick indeed that he had to be carried on a litter upon his arrival in Tunis he was attacked by fever and died in a few days He is better known to the world as Saint Louis as Louis IX because some years after his death Pope Boniface VIII canonized him on account of his p.s. life and his efforts to rescue the Holy Land from the Turks End of Chapter 24 Recording by David Kluperg Chapter 25 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public to mean For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox LibriVox.org He is reading by Paradise Camouflage Chapter 25 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Harren and A.B. Poland Robert Bruce King from 1306 to 1329 The most famous King that Scotland ever had was Robert Bruce He lived in the days when Edward I, Edward II and Edward III were Kings of England During the reign of Edward I the King of Scotland died and 13 men claimed the throne Instead of fighting to decide which of them should be King they asked Edward to settle the question When he met the Scottish nobles and arrivals each of whom thought that next day he would be wearing the crown and told them that he would himself be their King just then an English army marched up What could the nobles do but kneel at the feet of Edward and promised to be his vassals This they did and so Scotland became a part of Edward's kingdom and Baleol, one of the rivals who claimed the Scottish throne was made the vassal king Sometime after this Edward ordered Baleol to fight the French Baleol refused to do this so Edward marched with an army into Scotland and took him prisoner He was determined that the Scottish should have no more Kings of their own So he carried away the sacred stone of scone on which all Kings of Scotland had to sit when they were crowned and put it in Westminster Abbey in London and there it is to this day It is underneath the chair on which we sit when the crown of England Scotland and Ireland is placed upon their heads It is said to have been the very stone that Jake abused for a pillow on the night that he saw in his dream angels ascending and descending on the ladder that reached from earth to heaven Edward now supposed as he had this sacred stone and had put King Baleol in prison that Scotland was conquered but the men whom he appointed ruled unwisely and nearly all the people were discontented Suddenly an army of Scots was raised It was led by Sir William Wallace a knight who was almost a giant in size Wallace's men drove the English out of the country and Wallace was made the guardian of the realm Edward then led a great army against him The Scottish soldiers were nearly all Wallace arranged them in hollow squares spearmen on the outside bowmen within The English horsemen dashed vainly against the walls of spear points but King Edward now brought his searches to the front Thousands of arrows flew from their bows and thousands of Wallace's men fell dead The spears were broken and the Scots were defeated Wallace barely escaped with his life He was afterwards betrayed to Edward and put him to death Part 2 But the Scots had learnt what they could do and they still went on firing for freedom under two leaders named Robert Bruce and John Common Edward marched against them with another large army He won a great victory and the nobles once more swore to obey him But in spite of this oath Bruce meant to free Scotland if he could and win the crown He was privately crowned King of Scotland in the Abbey of Scone in 1306 He said to his wife henceforth you are the queen and I am the king of our country I fear, said his wife that we are only playing it being king and queen like children in their games Nay, I shall be king and earnest said Bruce The news that Bruce had been crowned roused all Scotland and the people took up arms to fight under him against the English King Edward defeated the Scots and Bruce himself fled to the Grampian Hills For two months he was closely pursued by the English who used bloodhounds to track him He and his followers had many narrow escapes once he had to scramble barefoot up some steep rocks and another time all the party would have been captured had not Bruce awakened just in time to hear the approach of the enemy He and his men lived by hunting and fishing however many brave patriots joined them and until after a while Bruce had a small army five times he attacked the Inclus and five times he was beaten after his last defeat he fled from Scotland and took refuge in a wretched hut on an island of the north coast of Ireland Here he stayed all alone during one winter Part 3 It is said that one day when he was very downhearted he saw a spider trying to spin a web between two beams of his hut The little creature tried to throw a thread from one beam to another but failed Not discouraged it tried four times more without success Five times has the spider failed said Bruce That is just the number of times the English have defeated me If the spider has courage to try again I also will try to free Scotland He watched the spider It rested for a while as if to gain strength and then through its slender thread through the beam This time it succeeded I thank God exclaimed Bruce The spider has taught me a lesson No more will I be discouraged About this time Edward I died and his son Edward II succeeded to the throne of England For about two years the new king paid little attention to Scotland Meantime Bruce captured nearly all the Scotch castles that were held by the English and the nobles and chiefs throughout the country acknowledged him as their king At last Edward II marched into Scotland at the head of 100,000 men Bruce met him at Bannockburn on June the 24th 1314 with 30,000 soldiers Before the battle began Bruce rode along the front of his army to encourage his men Suddenly an English knight Henry de Boan galloped across the field and tried to strike him down with a spear Bruce saw his danger in time and with a quick stroke of his battle axe he cleft the night's skull The Scotch army shouted again and again at this feed of their commander and they went into the battle feeling sure that the victory would be theirs They rushed upon the English with fury and although outnumbered three to one completely defeated them Thousands of the English were slain and a great number captured In spite of this terrible blow Edward never gave up his claim to the Scottish crown But his son Edward III in 1328 recognised Scotland's independence and acknowledged Bruce as her king End of chapter 25 Chapter 26 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages This is the LibriVox Recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Kristina Famous Men of the Middle Ages of the Middle Ages of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording of the LibriVox Recording his father was a wealthy merchant, who often went on trading journeys to distant lands. In 1271, when Marco was 17 years old, he accompanied his father and uncle on a journey through the Holy Land, Persia and Tartary, and at length to the Empire of China, then called Cati. It took the traveller three years to reach Cati. The Emperor of Cati was a monarch named Kublai Khan, who lived in Peking. Marco's father and uncle had been in Cati once before, and had entertained Kublai Khan by telling him about the manners and customs of Europe. So when the two Venetian merchants again appeared in Peking, Kublai Khan was glad to see them. He was also greatly pleased with the young Marco, whom he invited to the palace. Important positions at the Chinese court were given to Marco's father and uncle, and so they and Marco lived in the country for some years. Marco studied the Chinese language, and it was not very long before he could speak it. When he was about 21, Kublai Khan sent him on a very important business to a distant part of China. He did the work well, and from that time was often employed as an envoy of the Chinese Monarch. His travels were sometimes in lands never before visited by Europeans, and he had many strange adventures among the almost unknown tribes of Asia. Step by step he was promoted. For several years he was governor of a great Chinese city. Finally he and his father and uncle desired to return to Venice. They had all served Kublai Khan facefully, and he had appreciated it, and given them rich rewards, but he did not wish to let them go. While the matter was being talked over, an embassy arrived in Peking, from the king of Persia. This monarch desired to marry the daughter of Kublai Khan, the Princess Kokahin, and he had sent to ask her father for her hand. Consent was given, and Kublai Khan fitted out a fleet of fourteen ships to carry the wedding party to Persia. The Princess Kokahin was a great friend of Marco Polo, and urged her father to allow him to go with the party. Finally Kublai Khan gave his consent. Marco's father and uncle were also allowed to go, and the three Venetians left China. The fleet with the wedding party on board sailed southward on the China Sea. It was a long and perilous voyage. The ships were made at Borneo, Sumatra, Tselin and other places, until the ships entered the Persian Gulf, and the Princess was safely landed. After the reach of the capital of Persia, the party, including the three Venetians, was entertained by the Persians for weeks, in a magnificent manner, and costly presents were given to all. At last the Venetians left their friends, went to the Black Sea, and took ships for Venice. They had been away so long, and were so much changed in appearance, that none of their relations and old friends knew them when they arrived in Venice. As they were dressed in tatter costume, and sometimes spoke the Chinese language to one another, they found it hard to convince people that they were members of the Polo family. At length, in order to show that they were the men that they declared themselves to be, they gave a dinner to all their relations and old friends. When the guests arrived, they were greeted by the travellers, a raid in gorgeous Chinese robes of crimson satin. After the first course they appeared in crimson damask. After the second, they changed their costumes to crimson velvet. While at the end of the dinner they appeared in usual garb of wealthy Venetians. Now my friends, said Marko, I will show you something that will please you. He then brought into the room the rough tatter coats, which he and his father and uncle had worn when they reached Venice. Cutting open the seams, he took from inside the lining packets filled with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. It was the finest collection of jewels ever seen in Venice. The guests were now persuaded that their hosts were indeed what they claimed to be. Eight hundred years before Marko Polo's birth, some of the people of North Italy had fled before Attila to the muddy islands of the Adriatic and founded Venice upon them. Since then, the little settlement had become the most wealthy and powerful city of Europe. Venice was the queen of the Adriatic and her merchants were princes. They had vessels to bring the costly wares of the east to their wares. They had warships to protect their rich cargoes from the pirates of the Mediterranean. They carried on wars. At the time when Marko Polo returned from Cetti, they were at war with Genoa. The two cities were fighting for the trade of the world. In a great naval battle, the Venetians were completely defeated. Marko Polo was in the battle and with many of his countrymen was captured by the enemy. For a year he was confined in a Genoese prison. One of his fellow prisoners was a skillful penman and Marko dictated to him an account of his experiences in China, Japan and other eastern countries. This account was carefully written out. Copies of the manuscript exist to this day. One of these is in a library in Paris. It was carried into France in the year 1307. Another copy is preserved in the city of Bern. It is said that the book was translated into many languages so that people in all parts of Europe learned about Marko's adventures. About 175 years after the book was written, the famous Genoese Christopher Columbus planned his voyage across the Atlantic. It is believed that he had read Marko's description of Java, Sumatra and other East India islands, which he thought he had reached when he discovered Haiti and Cuba. So Marko Polo may have suggested to Columbus the voyage which led to the discovery of America. End of Chapter 26 Chapter 27 of Famous Men of the Middle Ages. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Kristina. Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Harn and A. B. Poland. Chapter 27 Edward the Black Prince. Edward the Black Prince lived from 1330 to 1376. One of the most famous warriors of the Middle Ages was Edward the Black Prince. He was so called because he wore black armor in battle. The Black Prince was the son of Edward III, who reigned over England from 1327 to 1377. He won his fame as a soldier in the wars which his father carried on against France. You remember that the early kings of England from the time of William the Conqueror had possessions in France. Henry II, William's grandson, was the Duke of Normandy and Lord of Brittany and other provinces, and when he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, she brought him that province also. Henry's son John lost all the French possessions of the English crown except a part of Aquitaine and Edward III inherited this. So when Philip of Valois became King of France, about a year after Edward had become King of England, Edward had to do homage to Philip. To be King of England and yet to do homage to the King of France, to bend the knee before Philip and kiss his foot was something Edward did not like. He thought it was quite beneath his dignity, as his ancestor, Rollo, had thought when told that he must kiss the foot of King Charles. So Edward tried to persuade the nobles of France that he himself ought by right to be the King of France instead of being only a vessel. Philip of Valois was only a cousin of the late French King Charles IV. Edward was the son of his sister. But there was a curious old law in France called the Salic Law, which forbade the daughter should inherit lands. This law barred the claim of Edward, because his claim came through his mother. Still he determined to win the French throne by force of arms. A chance came to quarrel with Philip. Another of Philip's vessels rebelled against him, and Edward helped the rebel. He hoped by doing so to weaken Philip, and more easily overpower him. Philip at once declared that Edward's possessions in France were forfeited. Then Edward raised an army of 30,000 men, and visit invaded France. The Black Prince was now only about 16 years of age, but he had already shown himself brave in battle, and his father put him in command of one of the divisions of the army. The divisions of French troops led by King Philip were hurried from Paris to meet the advance of the English, and on the 26th of August 1346 the two armies fought a hard battle at the village of Cressy. During the battle the division of the English army commanded by the Black Prince had to bear the attack of the whole French force. The Prince fought so bravely, and managed his men so well, that King Edward, who was overlooking the feud of battle from a windmill on the top of a hill, sent him words of praise for his gallant work. Again and again the Prince's men drew back the French and splendid style, but at last they seemed about to give way before a very fierce charge, and the Earl of Warwick hastened to Edward to advise him to send the Prince aid. Is my son dead, or unhorsed, or so wounded, that he cannot help himself, asked the King. No sire was the reply, but he is hard-pressed. Return to your post, and come not to me again for aid, so long as my son lives, said the King. Let the boy prove himself a true knight and win his spurs. The Earl went to the Prince and told him what his father had said. I will prove myself a true knight, exclaimed the Prince. My father is right, I need no aid. My men will hold their post, as long as they have strength to stand. Then he rode, where the battle was still furiously raging, and encouraged his men. The King of France led his force a number of times against the Prince's line, but could not break it, and was at last compelled to retire. The battle now went steadily against the French, although they far outnumbered the English. Finally, forty thousand of Philip's soldiers lay dead upon the field, and nearly all the remainder of his army was captured. Philip gave up the struggle and fled. Among those who fought on the side of French at Christy was the blind King of Bohemia, who always wore three white feathers in his helmet. When the battle was at its height, the blind King had his followers lead him into the thick of the fight, and he dealt heavy blows upon his unseen foes, until he fell mortally wounded. The three white feathers were taken from his helmet by the Black Prince, whoever after wore them himself. As soon as he could, King Edward rode over the field to meet his son. Prince, he said, as he greeted him, you are the conqueror of the French. Turning to the soldiers who had gathered around him, the King shouted, cheer, cheer for the Black Prince, cheer for the hero of Christy. What cheerings and rows in the battlefield, the air rang with the name of the Black Prince. Soon after the battle of Christy, King Edward laid siege to Calais, but the city resisted his attack for twelve months. During the siege, the Black Prince aided his father greatly. After the capture of Calais, it was agreed to stop fighting for seven years, and Edward's army embarked for England. In 1355 Edward again declared war against the French. The Black Prince invaded France with an army of 60,000 men. He captured the rich towns and gathered a great deal of booty. While he was preparing to move on Paris, the King of France raised a great army and marched against him. The Black Prince had lost so many men by sickness that he had only about 10,000 when he reached the city of Poitiers. Suddenly, near the city, he was met by the French force of about 55,000, splendidly armed and commanded by the King himself. King Edward helped us, exclaimed the Prince, when he looked at the long lines of the French as they marched on a plane before him. Early on the morning of September 14, 1356 the battle began. The English were few in number, but they were determined to contest every inch of the ground and not surrender while a hundred of them remained to fight. For hours service stood the onset of the French. But last a body of English horsemen charged furiously on one part of the French line, while the Black Prince attacked another part. This sudden movement caused confusion among the French. Many of them fled from the field. When the Black Prince saw this, he showed it to his men, advanced English banners, in the name of God and son George. His army rushed forward and the French were defeated. Most of prisoners were taken, including the King of France and many of his nobles. The King was sent to England, where he was treated with the greatest kindness. When sometime afterwards there was a splendid procession in London to celebrate the victory of Poythiers, he was allowed to ride in the procession on a beautiful white horse, while the Black Prince rode on a pony at his side. The Black Prince died in 1376. He was sincerely mourned by the English people. They felt that they had lost a prince who would have made a group.