William Marshal

Timeline

1. 1147–1167Newbury · BerkshireBorn near Newbury into a knightly family, he was taken hostage by the royal house as a child when his father held Newbury Castle during the civil war between Stephen and Matilda. He grew up in England and Normandy between 1151 and 1160, then went to France for knightly training.
2. 1167–1189Champagne · ChampagneFrom 1167 he served Henry II and his sons, winning repeated victories in tournaments in France and Champagne, earning the reputation 'the greatest knight', and after 1183 becoming tutor and close friend of the 'Young King' Henry.
3. 1189–1199Pembroke · PembrokeshireCreated Earl of Pembroke under Richard I, he married Isabel, daughter of Richard's minister Richard de Clare, gaining extensive lands in Wales. In the 1190s he took part in Third Crusade logistics and English regency affairs, and in 1199 supported King John's accession.
4. 1199–1219London · EnglandHe mediated among the barons under King John and backed the sealing of the Magna Carta in 1215. After John's death in 1216 he served as regent for the young Henry III, defeated the invasion of King Louis VIII of France, reorganized the government, and died in London in 1219, buried in Temple Church.