kingdom of nations

Chapter 56 Visitors to the Eagle's Nest (Part )

"I ask all knights and squires who accept the challenge not to think that I am organizing this tournament out of pride, hatred, vanity, or any other evil intention. I only hope to gain your friendship and praise."

This decree, signed by Amalric I himself, was copied by the monks and carefully transcribed on a three-foot square wooden board. The first letter was enlarged, and images of saints and patterns were painted around it. It was erected at the entrance of the tournament venue so that everyone entering and leaving could see it.

This line of words also appeared in the Holy Land and even more distant places. The farthest place, as we all know, was England. William Marshall, the undefeated knight who had never lost in either melee or one-on-one combat, came from there. He saw the challenge and invitation from King Alasarus on the bulletin board in London and came here eagerly.

Some small towns may not have notice boards, or the lords may be illiterate. There are also "informers" who ride horses through dense forests, rivers, and swamps to deliver the news to castles or fortresses.

The tournament held by Amalric I for this wedding is said to have lasted for several months, which is quite surprising but not so uncommon, because it would take one or two months just to wait for the knights to arrive at the tournament venue from all directions, and more people would continue to arrive in the next three or four months. If the tournament was limited to the usual six to eight weeks, some knights would still be on the way and the tournament would have to end.

The announcement and challenge letter also stated the location of the tournament and the various rules that the knights needed to abide by, such as not plundering residents along the way for the tournament, not arbitrarily initiating battles (even against Saracens), not committing crimes, not damaging forests, fields, wells, etc. - all of these things were done by the knights in the past.

In addition, participating in the tournament is not free, and knights need to pay fees according to their status.

Amalric I also wrote that the host of the tournament was Raymond, Count of Tripoli, a knight famous for his fairness and strictness. Even William, who was far away from the Holy Land, had to admit that every game he presided over was impartial and he could show some mercy when making the right judgment.

When he found that some knights' armor was worn out or their horses were old, he would try his best to persuade them to give up the competition. If the other party was still unwilling, he would give them some money and ask the knights to replace their armor and horses before fighting again.

As for whether the knight really exchanged his equipment after taking the money or just left, Earl Raymond didn't care.

The tournaments at that time were not as warm and affectionate as those hundreds of years later. The knights never used blunt swords or hollow spears. If such "polite weapons" were discovered, your opponent would not be grateful for your mercy. Instead, he would feel humiliated and would be determined to fight you to the death.

This led to the tournament becoming a real battle, with hundreds of knights participating and dozens of knights dying. This was also one of the reasons why the church strongly criticized the tournament. "They died for money and glory, not for God." A bishop once criticized it sharply.

But so what? Knights are lifelong professional soldiers who hone their skills all day long. But even in Alaska, there are not wars every day. To prove one's martial arts skills, what could be better than a tournament?

If a knight did not dare to participate in a tournament, even a lame serf could spit on him. If a king did not dare to participate in a tournament - even if, in theory, the head of a country should not participate in such a bloody and dangerous game - but as far as we can see, there is no king who did not appear in the arena wearing armor and holding a spear. Even if they were knocked off their horses and stabbed by spears and swords, they were not afraid.

If there were a coward wearing a crown, the people would laugh at him, and his vassals and knights would desert him.

Amalric I will appear on the last three days of this month, participating not only in one-on-one battles but also in melee combat.

A tournament with the king in attendance was like gold inlaid with gems, which only added to its splendor. People flocked to the tournament, and the procession was even more noisy and lively. At first there were drummers and flute players. The king entered the venue, surrounded by his ministers. He was wearing gilded chain mail and helmet, a white robe, and a golden-embroidered Alaska cross shining brightly.

And behind him are thirty noble ladies, each of them extremely beautiful, dressed in silk or velvet, with smiles as beautiful as flowers. They will sit at the top of the arena - watching, and only watching, the winner.

However, apart from those young knights whose blood boiled and they could not restrain themselves when they saw these reserved ladies, some experienced knights were more concerned about the "Lady of Graces" in this tournament. This lady was usually the wife or daughter of a lord or a king. If Amalric I had not married, or the Byzantine princess had not yet entered Alaska, today's "Lady of Graces" would definitely be his daughter Sibylle.

No one could deny the beauty of Princess Sibylle, but there were so many things more important than beauty. People watched as the thirty noble ladies surrounded the Byzantine Princess Maria and Sibylle as they ascended the platform, and in the end it was Maria who sat on the main seat.

It was as if the last chess piece had fallen. They sighed in their hearts, but it was not surprising. After all, if the knight who finally won the crown was the king, he should present the wreath to "the most beautiful and noble lady here"...

If Princess Maria did not receive the wreath, no one would care to whom Amalric I gave it - even if that person was his daughter Sibylle, rumors that she was not favored by her husband would continue to spread for years.

And even if there was no Byzantine princess, Amalric I would not have handed the wreath to Sibylle. You know, Charlemagne caused a lot of credible rumors because he did not allow his daughters to get married - people said that he had immoral relationships with his daughters, and the priest who wrote his biographer said that he had illegitimate children with both daughters.

In fact, it was just that Charlemagne was reluctant to give up the dowry - each princess had to have at least a city as a dowry. He had five daughters, at least from what Cesar heard from the knight. Charlemagne's daughters were not married, but they were never lonely in bed.

Ah, this is a bit far-fetched - anyway, sitting next to the vacant throne is of course Princess Maria, the most noble woman here. Her face disappoints some frivolous knights, but more knights are increasingly eager to try. Whether she is beautiful or not is not a big deal, the most important thing is that she will be the queen of Alasar in the future.

If she could accept their allegiance, they would have a path to advancement that would lead them straight to the sky.

Cesar and Baldwin also have a good position - fortunately they are still princes and servants now. "Are these knights who have seen the saint?"

"It should be," Baldwin said, he was also a little excited: "My father and the knights around him have all been blessed." The day they were allowed to leave the castle, a competition for the "unblessed" knights happened to be held. They did not see anyone emitting a divine light. Although the competition was fierce, it did not exceed the scope of ordinary people.

"Look, that's William Marshall."

They were so impressed by the knight's unusual stature that they recognized him even with his nose-guard helmet, but even if they had not recognized him, the wild shouts of the audience would have revealed his identity. "William of London!" they shouted.

This knight has never been defeated since he entered the arena.

William Marshall took off his helmet on horseback and bowed to express his gratitude. As an Englishman, the cheers he received here made the Frankish knights look unhappy, but when the host formed the teams, he received the most invitations - originally the teams were divided according to regions, and the person with the highest status was the coach, but there were too few knights in Britain.

The Count of Tripoli presided over the tournament, and he arranged the events from few-most-most, that is, one-on-one jousting with lances, ground sword fighting, and bare-handed combat, then group competitions between groups of three or four knights (who could decide whether to bring squires or not), and finally free-for-all combat, which was a competition that was no different from a small war. At that time, all the contestants would enter the arena, fully armed, with squires and armed servants, and the battle would last until daylight disappeared.

Amalric I first defeated several people, including the Grand Master of the Knights of the Charity, Bohemond, Duke of Antioch, and several other noble opponents. He generously returned their armor and horses without asking for ransom, in exchange for compliments and praise.

But in battle with William Marshall, he was defeated by the young knight.

This was also the first time that Cesar saw the knights who had visions of the saint fighting head-on. When the host announced the identity of the knight loudly, he called out the name of the saint that William had visions of - Saint Patrick. This saint could also be said to be a legendary figure.

The two knights first knelt down to pray, then mounted their horses, saluted each other, and then galloped face to face.

William and Amalric I's spears were shrouded in bright white light. They galloped on their horses, and the arena was silent. Apart from the heavy sound of horse hooves, the confrontation took place in a flash. Baldwin and Cesar could clearly see that Amalric I was one step behind. Perhaps his horse stepped on a small stone, or perhaps the wind blew across his eyes... The tip of his spear was slightly tilted, and William saw the opportunity.

He raised his spear with all his strength and stabbed it into the tiny gap. The whistling force smashed the round shield raised by the king, and the shield shattered immediately. Amalric I roared and turned the tip of his spear, intending to whip William's face, but William's spear had already pierced the king's ribs, penetrated the chain mail, and threw him high into the air!

No, it was not just Amalric I. Even Amalric I's mount could not withstand this tremendous force and fell face down on the ground, pinning the king underneath.

Some knights and priests of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre had already stood up. Heraclius, who had been paying attention to the situation in the field, immediately raised his hand when he saw this. The king had already broken free from his horse, and William also jumped off the horse. After Amalric I took the two-handed sword handed to him by his entourage, he also took the new weapon from his entourage.

This time William was at a disadvantage, not because of his lack of martial proficiency or piety, but because of his broadsword. His sword could not withstand the king's blow and broke in two without warning.

The king ordered two new swords to be brought, but William refused. From his expression and the shape of his mouth, it could be seen that he did not think that the enemy would give him weapons on the battlefield.

But in the subsequent bare-handed fight, William once again defeated Amalric I. As we said before, he had a pair of long arms blessed by God, and he always managed to hit Amalric I first. Although this was a bit unfair, it didn't mean that he had to cut off one of his arms before the fight...

During this battle, countless facilities in the arena were destroyed. Princess Maria's face turned pale, and she didn't know if it was because the fight between the two men reminded her of the crazy mother bear.

"I thought you would be grateful to St. Patrick," Baldwin whispered as William knelt before the king and asked for forgiveness. Indeed, St. Patrick had many similarities with Cesar's current life experience. For example, he did not believe in Catholicism at first, even though his father was a priest (priests could get married at that time). But when he was sixteen, he was kidnapped by thieves and sold to Ireland (the Irish had not yet converted at that time). During his difficult slave life, he gradually heard the voice of God and was blessed.

He escaped with several fellow slaves and later returned to Ireland to preach. According to legend, the Irish threw stones at him, but he remained unharmed.

"Perhaps it's because you were never a slave," Baldwin added.

By this time, Amalric I had pulled William up, accepted his apology, and invited him to join his team in the subsequent melee.

William, of course, gladly complied.

In the chaotic fight, the one confronting Amalric I was Raymond, Count of Tripoli, who was the most suitable person. The one who temporarily replaced him was Bohemond. Bohemond sat leisurely in Raymond's original position, read out the names and origins of the participants aloud, expressed gratitude to the saint's holy name, and demarcated a safe zone for both sides, where the knights could rest and receive treatment, and the prisoners would also be moved here.

The match was evenly matched. Raymond and Amalric I were not only battle-hardened generals who were familiar with each other's fighting styles, but every knight present was no ordinary person, and the damage they caused was exceptionally great - monks and priests kept running back and forth, treating them or saving their lives.

Even Baldwin became nervous. He stared at the figure in gilded chain mail without blinking. Suddenly, the man was surrounded by several knights and was knocked off his horse in an instant!
(End of this chapter)