Camelot: Member

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, also called William the Marshal (Norman French: Williame li Mareschal,  French: Guillaume le Maréchal), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He served five English kings—Henry II, his sons the “Young King” Henry, Richard I, and John, and finally John’s son Henry III.

Knighted in 1166, he spent his younger years as a knight errant and a successful tournament competitor; Stephen Langton eulogized him as the “best knight that ever lived.” In 1189, he became the de facto earl of Pembroke through his marriage to Isabel de Clare whose Mother was Aoife MacMurrough and father was Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, though the title of earl was not officially granted until 1199 during the second creation of the Pembroke earldom. In 1216, he was appointed protector for the nine-year-old Henry III, and regent of the kingdom.

Before him, his father’s family held a hereditary title of Marshal to the king, which by his father’s time had become recognized as a chief or master Marshalcy, involving management over other Marshals and functionaries. William became known as “the Marshal”, although by his time much of the function was delegated to more specialized representatives (as happened with other functions in the King’s household). Because he was an earl, and also known as the marshal, the term “earl marshal” was commonly used and this later became an established hereditary title in the English peerage.

For More Information: Vampire Council Library