Chapter 11
The Will of the Anscarids (1126)
Prince Richard and his deceased eldest son
Now King of the Franks, Guy’s fortune kept playing tricks with him. While he managed to climb at the top of the French hierarchy, his family’s future looked dim. His eldest son suffered a stroke mere days after he received the French crown. Richard’s condition worsened so much that he was confined to his bedroom, barely able to move. He spent most of his remaining days bedridden, either asleep or discussing short moments with his wife Aveis or his court bishop. Richard’s eldest son died of illness years before, which meant that the 2nd person in line to the throne was Guy’s great-grandson, the infant Richard, with his younger brother Arnault as 3rd pretender. The young boys were 6 and 4 respectively. Most likely, Richard the elder wouldn’t live for much longer given his crippled health. Putting his hopes on Richard the younger and Arnault, Guy personally tutored the young children, preparing them to rule France soon.
2nd and 3rd in line to the throne
Time worked against the old king. Guy revised his testament and enacted the final version of his will. His greatest fear was that the country would sink in civil war once again, especially if he were to die before little Richard came of age. This would leave the kingdom vulnerable to its powerful neighbors: the Holy Roman Empire and the unified crowns of Norway and England. Guy never forgot the Germans either when they mercilessly invaded France to depose Hughes II. The Old turned to his predecessors, seeking wisdom on how to rule such a big kingdom prosperously. Scholars and bishops from all the country gathered to Paris, presenting various documents of the previous Frankish rulers. Perusing through this vast knowledge, Guy and his council glimpsed wisdom from France’s most successful rulers. They started with the first Catholic King of France: Clovis I.
Clovis I and Clotilde, King and Queen of the Franks
Part of Clovis’ success lay in his collaboration with the Gallo-Roman clergy, an important faction who represented the population of Gaul. They viewed him as a lesser evil to Syagrius, the petty roman king, and the Visigoths in Aquitaine, who maintained the reputation of an iron fisted master and unwilling to have warmer ties with the Gallo-Romans they were controlling. His cooperation with the Christian population of Gaul, followed by the conversion of the Franks, cemented his authority over the Gallo-Romans.
He married a high ranking Burgundian princess, Clotilde, a beautiful and intelligent young woman who was also a devout Catholic. Clotilde would have a great influence on her husband and played a key role in having him baptized. According to legend, Clovis I, the first Catholic King of the Franks, converted to Catholicism during the Battle of Tolbiac. Clovis yearned to the Christian God of his wife, swearing that if He brings him victory, he shall convert and honour His name.
Battle of Tolbiac in 496
"O Jesus Christ, you who as Clotilde tells me are the son of the Living God, you who give succor to those who are in danger, and victory to those accorded who hope in Thee, I seek the glory of devotion with your assistance: If you give me victory over these enemies, and if I experience the miracles that the people committed to your name say they have had, I believe in you, and I will be baptized in your name. Indeed, I invoked my gods, and, as I am experiencing, they failed to help me, which makes me believe that they are endowed with no powers, that they do not come to the aid of those who serve. It's to you I cry now, I want to believe in you if only I may be saved from my opponents."
- Clovis I, King of the Franks
- Clovis I, King of the Franks
A few seconds after he said those words, the leader of the Alemanni was killed by an axe. The emboldened Franks then conquered the rest of the Alemanni, integrating them into the Frankish kingdom. True to his word, Clovis converted along with his soldiers. This cemented his alliance with the influent clergy, while earning the approbation of the Christian Gallo-Romans. The Frankish king led a successful campaign to conquer and unify Gaul under his rule. At this time, the Franks developed a solid military expertise and experience serving the Roman Empire decades before, most notably during the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields against Attila, the Scourge of God.
Codification of the Salic law, 8th century
Clovis’ methods were pretty much a part of Guy’s political agenda ever since he became a Count. What he wanted to avoid, was how Clovis divided his kingdom between his sons. This led to internal warfare, which stopped France’s expansion. Sometimes, a great king could have his work undo by unworthy successors. France’s kings already adopted the Primogeniture succession law, but Guy wanted to change one aspect. He wanted women to be able to inherit should a male heir was absent. After all, the Anscarids’ link to the Carolingians was because Emperor Louis the Pious’ daughter sired his own house generations later. If women remained unable to inherit, his legitimacy would be weakened. Guy’s hatred of the Salian house was known to his court also. Perhaps he wanted to change the Salic law so that it would be one less thing to attach him to the Salians. One could ask if Guy was an early feminist, but I doubt it. While he loved his wife and his daughters, he made no concrete effort to better women’s conditions, even if he was a loving father and husband.
Charles Martel
Charles Martel was next on Guy’s list. Charles Martel safeguarded Western Europe against the Umayyad advance, forever stopping them from expanding into Western Europe. The key to the Hammer’s success lay in his military genius. He struck when his opponents weren’t expecting him, he always chose where the battle would take place, he attacked how his opponents believed he wouldn’t, and he foresaw his adversaries’ strength and danger. All of this was possible through discipline and fierce loyalty from his troops. The only option possible for all these feats was the maintenance of a permanent core veteran army, the first since the fall of Rome in 476. Martel trained his veterans all year round, forging them into a powerful heavy infantry core. While Martel introduced some cavalry later, his strongest asset remained the Frankish heavy infantry.
“Nobles are fickle at best and traitorous at worst. What I need is an elite force that will be loyal to the crown only.”
- Guy I "the Old" d'Ivrea, King of France
- Guy I "the Old" d'Ivrea, King of France
Battle of Tours in 732
“At Poitiers the Franks fought as they had done two hundred years before at Casilinum, in one solid mass, without breaking rank or attempting to maneuver. Their victory was won by the purely defensive tactics of the infantry square; the fanatical Arabs, dashing against them time after time, were shattered to pieces, and at last fled under shelter of night. But there was no pursuit, for Charles had determined not to allow his men to stir a step from the line to chase the broken foe.”
- Charles Oman, in his History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages
- Charles Oman, in his History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages
While not all of my historian colleagues agree on the significance of the Battle of Tours, I can safely say that this battle is one of the few in history that is still remembered centuries and perhaps millennia after it happened. Some Muslim contemporary sources didn’t place the battle as important as the siege of Byzantium in 718, which was considered a crushing defeat in comparison.
Pippin the Short
Martel’s son, Pippin the Short, was only Mayor of the Palace like his father. While Martel didn’t care for titles per se, Pippin did, and so he sought an audience with the Pope, where he asked his question.
“Who should be king, one that has the title, or one that has the power?”
- Pippin, King of the Franks
- Pippin, King of the Franks
At the time, Pope Zachary needed the Franks’ army to defend the Papacy against the pagan Lombards. He understood the significance of Pippin’s question and replied the following. “The one that has the power should be king” was his answer, so he promptly crowned Pippin as King of the Franks. The puppet Merovingian dynasty was no more. As such, the Franks became de facto the protectors of Christianity. This alliance would later serve the Carolingians well, when Charlemagne was crowned Emperor by the Pope. Like Clovis before him, Pippin earned the clergy’s support.
Charles, most serene Augustus crowned by God, the great, peaceful emperor ruling the Roman Empire
Guy had already learned many lessons from his collected studies. Last, he planned to intertwine his rule with a folklore legend: the paladins of Charlemagne. Instead of appointing only a small elite guard, he raised a veritable cavalry contingent. Re-enacting the legend of the twelve peers, Guy proceeded to make these knights the elite force of the Franks. As Charlemagne had his paladins to guard him, the King of France would have the Palatinean knights, or Paladins, to defend the kingdom. The Old delved further into the legend when he created an honorary title for the marshal of France: Durendal. This title took its name from the sword of Roland, the greatest of Charlemagne’s paladins, who died fighting the Saracens. At least, according to legend, since like the Arthurian legend, there is little actual historical evidence that these events effectively took place as they are mentioned. Nevertheless, Roland was an extremely popular figure in the Middle Ages, so borrowing key elements of the myth served to glorify the newly created Paladins. Having a permanent elite army helped solidify Guy’s position as king. He hoped that it would help his family stay on the throne for more than just a few years.
The Durendal of France, on his way to inspect the troops
Accurate painting of a paladin, 12th century
Ok seriously, how they really looked like. Probably.
The Old added his studies’ conclusion into his will. This testament, the Will of the Anscarids, served as a failsafe if Guy died before Richard and Arnault came of age. Copies were quickly written by court monks and distributed to his council and heirs. Guy wanted to make certain that his courtiers understood his intentions to avoid any false interpretation. To sum it up, the king’s recommendations went as follow:
- No division of land between princes.
- Modify the Salic law to allow women to inherit in the absence of male descendants.
- Maintain the clergy’s support.
- Train a permanent army based on Charlemagne’s paladins.
This is only a very brief summation of the manuscript. The whole lengthy document is actually Guy’s memoirs where he relates the important events of his life and his reflections on many events. He literally exposes his ideas and feelings freely, urging his descendants to adopt his ideas after his death. Guy added his own lesson after his illustrious predecessors.
"Word and sword are the two arms of a ruler. Smooth your servants as much as you can, save the sword for the others."
Guy I "the Old" d'Ivrea, King of France