The Expendables
The last two knights
on our list are known most for their mediocrity. I dubbed this chapter The Expendables, they’re mentioned enough in history to include
them in my narrative but history remembers them mostly for their less than
stellar contributions to the first crusade.
(In order of most expendable/least impressive)
Expendable #1: Hugh of Vermandois,
Also
known as Hugh the Great (A title
either given him by himself, or by some ancient historian’s mistake) He was
known for being “Great only in his boasting.”
He was brother to Philip I, King of France and joined the crusade on his
brother’s behalf (King Philip had been grounded by the Pope/excommunicated for
philandering and couldn’t go himself.)
He
is most known for his haughty, abrasive personality, and his tendency to run
away from danger and other inconveniences.
He sent a letter to Emperor Alexius, (the most powerful man in the world
at that time), saying:
"Know,
O King, that I am King of Kings, and superior to all, who are under the sky.
You are now permitted to greet me, on my arrival, and to receive me with
magnificence, as befits my nobility.”
He
sailed with a large army to Constantinople but his fleet sank in a storm just
off the coast. Most of his army and all
of his credibility perished. Hugh’s
letter however did arrive in Constantinople, so when he was rescued/captured by
Byzantine forces Alexius had Hugh the
Arrogant imprisoned. He was held in
captivity until he agreed to swear vassalage, and acknowledge Alexius as his
liege lord. His infamy was not earned
among his peers however, until he left Antioch to “request aid from Alexius.” He failed in his mission to secure aid for
his brothers in arms, (If he even attempted to do so) and returned to Paris.
Upon
his return he was sharply criticized along with the other deserters, but It
wasn’t until he was threatened with excommunication by the Pope, and noogied by
his brother, that he finally agreed to return to Jerusalem on the ill-fated
Crusade 1.5 which was destroyed by Kilij Arslan and his allies. (Ill-fated may
be too strong a word. It was
ill-planned, ill-executed, and ill-manned!) He died in Tarsus of a festering
wound, probably from an arrow in the back.
Expendable #2: Stephen “the Sensitive,” Count of Blois
Some knights were more lovers than
fighters, none perhaps more than Count Stephen. He was one of the leaders of the First
Crusade, and the son-in-law of William the Conqueror. He is known for often writing enthusiastic
letters to his wife Adela of Normandy, to whom he seemed completely infatuated
with. Stephen was the head of the army council at the crusaders' siege of Nicaea
in 1097 so he must have held the respect of his peers. His leadership position was short lived. Perhaps unable
to concentrate on anything but his Adela, (or because Stephen believed the neighboring lord was trying to move in on his old lady), he lost heart.
After
enduring severe hardship alongside the beleaguered crusaders at Antioch, he stole
away in the dead of night. leaving his men and honor behind. It’s easy to
gloss over details with the word “beleaguered”.
In truth I’m sure the thought of running away crossed the mind of each
and every one of the crusaders. Soldiers
have been known for their affinity for complaining, it’s a coping mechanism that
helps one find humor in a very unfunny business. The siege of Antioch was a combat situation
that even the most hardened, and enlightened modern veteran couldn’t
comprehend: looming defeat, constant attacks, little hope of re-enforcement,
disease, and starvation (to the point of rampant cannibalism). Though thousands
soldiered on, it was a daily reality
that Stephen and many others simply couldn’t cope with.
