Before Plantagenet - Chapter 137
October 1109 - Melun, France
It had been months since the keep at Melun had this much activity.
Foulques slowly walked down the hall, his grandson, Foulques the Younger, providing support. Servants and workers hurried past them as the pair moved at their slow pace. Preparations had to be made for the feast that would be held in the evening - preparations that Foulques, as steward, technically oversaw.
Technically because in actuality, Foulques left the business to others, specifically his son Geoffrey’s chancellor Alias, who had remained behind in Melun even as his lord ventured south with the king. It was a “gift” from Geoffrey that Foulques did not want, but he grudgingly accepted, as there was no way the duke could handle the job of steward these days on his own.
And Foulques did not wish for any problems with this feast - not when the guest of honor was someone he has to deal with.
The King of the Saxons to some, King of England to others, the former Prince Thoræd had been crowned days before. His father Ælfmær had succumb in the Holy Lands on Crusade and now the new king, having taken his father’s place on the throne, looked to take his place leading men against the heathens.
His journey to the Holy Lands would see him travel south through the realm of the Franks with his entourage of knights and warriors. Then he would travel along the coast by boat until reaching his destination.
However, there was no King of the Franks to greet him. Hugues was fighting heathens himself, in Catalonia. By his side was Geoffrey, leading troops as they laid siege to Rosello, just over the border with Toulouse.
That meant Thoræd’s hosts in Melun would be the council. At the head was the Count of Mallorca, acting as regent. But Foulques and Toulouse needed to make their appearances as well, while Alphonse had greeted Thoræd when he landed in Normandy, but did not accompany him to Melun.
It took much of Foulques’ strength to remain upright when Thoræd arrived in the main hall, as he stood with the other members of the council. His body continued to fail him, so much so that he found it difficult to stand, much less walk. But through sheer determination he managed.
But while Thoræd was present in the hall, he did not have to move. And once the initial greetings were finished, Mallorca and Toulouse led Thoræd away, while Foulques the Younger was able to once again move to his grandfather’s side.
In truth, Foulques needed his grandson with him. While he could walk, he struggled to maintain his balance now. Stumbles were frequent. And he moved at a snail’s pace.
It had become almost impossible to hide. So Foulques had kept himself largely out of sight. When that was impractical, he kept Foulques the Younger close by to maintain the illusion the best he could.
It was just one of many changes Foulques found himself dealing with. Beyond the decline of his physical health, he had to handle a role he was uncomfortable with while ordering change in Anjou.
His own council had gained two new members over the past year. First was the steward - with Guilhem’s death, Rogier de Bourges had been elevated to the role. Foulques’ grandnephew by way of Gilles and the mother of the Karling brood, Ermengarda, the young man had also been rewarded with a new wife in the form of Ness.
Foulques knew his former lover was less than thrilled with the prospect of marrying a simple courtier, especially given her own sister was a duchess in name, but he had little interest in sending her elsewhere in the realm where she could plot against him or his family. Under the watchful eye of his loyal courtiers in Anjou, she could do the least amount of harm.
But not everyone in the de Limoges clan was downtrodden. Adhemar was all smiles these days, or at least Foulques imagined he was in Bourges, as the young man had been named as the new chancellor of Anjou.
It pained Foulques to do it as, unlike with Guilhem, Godfrey still lived. But former chancellor had contracted the Great Pox in his travels, and it had wreaked havoc on his mind. Unable to keep his sanity long enough to be properly effective in the role, even Agnes, who had remained his strongest ally, was forced to concede that a change was in the duchy’s best interest.
It had been months since Foulques had seen his council in Anjou, but he was glad for it - they were a reminder of how the world was changing around him. And he did not like it.
Of course, the new council members seemed to have their growing pains. Adhemar had yet to secure the claim in Bourges any faster than Godfrey had. And Rogier had angered the mayors in Anjou by unsettling the peasantry in his attempt to collect taxes - something Foulques could not remember Guilhem doing in all his years of service.
Fortunately for Rogier, Foulques found himself more forgiving than in the past. Such was the case now that the elder duke had a better understanding of the role of a steward and the difficulty in it. Reading the ledger was enough to put him to sleep and the less said about collecting taxes the better.
He had been tasked by the king to learn what technological advances might be of use for the kingdom and even that was difficult. Alias assisted him the best he could, as did the men Geoffrey had promised him. But it was slow and painful with little progress being made.
So while it was rare for diplomacy to provide a respite from anything for Foulques, today he was looking forward to focusing on something else. And the potential to flex some muscle was also appealing.
After Foulques and his grandson arrived in his chambers, they knew they did not have much time. Servants were finishing up their preparations when they arrived and Foulques gave them the order to let Alias know they were ready to receive the king.
“Chin up, boy,” Foulques instructed to his grandson as they waited. “You need to cut an impressive figure.”
“Do you think it will have an impact on whether he accepts me as a son-by-law?” the teen asked.
“It will not hurt,” Foulques said.
He suspected Thoræd would accept Foulques the Younger regardless. After all, these unions had more to do with the benefits for each side than whether the prospective bride and groom looked impressive. However, having a healthy and knightly looking Foulques the Younger was better than the alternative.
The knock soon came, with Alias escorting Thoræd into the duke’s chambers.
“Duke Foulques,” Alias said, “May I present to you Thoræd, first of his name, king of England.”
“Thank you Alias,” Thoræd said as he shook the hand of the chancellor. “Please pass along my regards to Duke Geoffrey the next time you see him. And that I pray for his safe return.”
“He will be glad to hear it, and no doubt offer you the same prayers,” Alias said as he bowed before Thoræd. And with that the chancellor of Aquitaine slipped out of the room, while the king approached Foulques and his grandson.
Foulques had forgotten how short and stout Thoræd was. He came up to just the chin of Foulques and the comparison was even more stark when he came up to the teen, who was slightly taller than his grandfather and still rather thin and lanky.
“I am glad to see you once more, Duke Foulques,” Thoræd said. “And this fine lad is?”
“My grandson,” Foulques said as he introduced him. The boy bowed before the king.
“It is my pleasure, your highness,” Foulques the Younger said. “Congratulations on your recent coronation and may you find success in the Holy Lands.”
“Ah, the younger Foulques,” Thoræd said as he reached up to grip the boy by the shoulders. “I have heard much about you. Both your father and your grandfather speak of your promising future.”
The teen blushed but made certain to meet the king’s gaze. “I am grateful for their praise. But I have much to live up to. My grandfather and father are two of the greatest men the realm has seen.”
“And with their guiding hands, I have little doubt you prove worthy of their legacy,” Thoræd said.
“Thank you for your faith, your highness,” the teen said.
Foulques the Younger then pulled a chair from the table for his grandfather. As to not make it seem as though he was doing it because Foulques was unable to, he also did so for Thoræd. Then he stood close by to Foulques as the elder duke carefully lowered himself into the chair, ready to spring to his aid should it be required.
It wasn’t as Foulques successfully sat. He looked back to the teen.
“You may go boy,” Foulques instructed. “I will call if I have further need of you.”
The teen bowed before the two men and then swiftly made his exit.
“Handsome boy,” Thoræd said. “It appears he will grow into a strapping lad. Fine build for a knight.”
“As I’ve mentioned, he shows talent for that as well,” Foulques said. “I think I shall quickly find a place among my men when he comes of age.”
“I hope for similar things of my son when it is his time,” Thoræd said.
“So, I hear this crusade fares well,” Foulques noted.
“Yes!” Thoræd exclaimed. “My father made significant gains before he finally succumb to his illness. I trust God will reward such efforts - I heard his final few months were difficult. He is now at peace.”
“And now you take up his sword,” Foulques said.
“How could I not?” Thoræd asked. “It is God’s calling. Every able Christian man should.”
“And I suppose you are disappointed that the Franks of this realm have not?” Foulques asked.
“It is not for me to judge whether anyone is able,” Thoræd said. “Now… I know you did not wish to meet with me to discuss this crusade… rather my Æthelræda.”
“You’ve seen the boy,” Foulques said after taking a sip from his goblet. “Would he not make for a fine husband for your daughter?”
Thoræd grinned. “Let us be honest, Duke Foulques. He is a fine lad, but there are many fine lads who seek the hand of my daughter. What can you and Lord Geoffrey offer me that others cannot?”
“At my disposal is a levy that is near equal to the entirety of your nation,” Foulques said. “And it is a levy that may well grow in size in time, when my son’s possessions in Aquitaine and Poitou are added.”
“You promise me help… should I require it?” Thoræd asked.
“I can promise you nothing directly,” Foulques admitted. “I will not lie to you and claim that if you need it, Anjou will be by your side. Because i know not what the future holds. But I will say that we shall look upon you with favor… and as long as we are friends with you, we shall not be friends with your Norman troublemakers.”
“Normans?” Thoræd asked. “Duke Foulques, I have little to fear from Normans. Robert, son of the Bastard and the man who dreamed himself king died in the spring. You think I fear this boy he leaves in his stead?”
“The boy who claims both the blood of the Bastard, and the blood of the two houses of Hwicce?” Foulques asked. “The boy who rules Mercia and York? If you do not fear him, then you are a fool.”
Thoræd narrowed his gaze. “I think you forget who you speak with.”
“If I were the grandson of a king of the Franks… and possessed the levies I do, would the king of the Franks be right to fear me?” Foulques asked.
Thoræd frowned. “It is not the exact same…”
“You are right,” Foulques admitted. “The king fears me, and I do not even have a claim. I cannot imagine his state if I did.”
“Have you invited me here to taunt me, Duke Foulques?” Thoræd asked.
“I lay out the situation,” Foulques said. “My son is the one who speaks honeyed words. I am the old knight, the one who hasn’t time to coddle you with falsities.”
A grunt escaped the king’s lips followed by: “The Normans have approached you?”
“I look for powerful allies outside my realm,” Foulques said. “When I look to your island, I see you, and I see that Norman boy. If I cannot have one, then I may well have the other.”
“So you deal with both of us?” Thoræd asked.
“No, I prefer you, King Thoræd - I never have liked dealing with Normans, given my ancestors’ many battles with them,” Foulques said. “Though times do change. I assure you that if we do not agree to this now, it will change with my son - who never has held the Normans in as low esteem as I have.”
“Some might take that as a threat,” Thoræd replied.
“Take it how you would like,” Foulques said. “I have spent my life as a blunt man, King Thoræd. I see no reason to change now. It is what you shall get with me.”
“So it is,” Thoræd said. “So it is.”
The king sat, rapping is fingers on the table.
“It shall be,” Thoræd said. “As I am departing for the East, I cannot wait on this any longer. My daughter is hereby promised to your grandson. I do pray that your friendship is worth as much as you claim it is, Duke Foulques.”
“That we do not deal with the Normans is worth plenty, I would think,” Foulques said as he took Thoræd’s hand.
Thoræd did not seem thrilled at Foulques’ response, but the men shook hands anyway.
Foulques did not know what might become of this union. Did Geoffrey truly harbor ambition to influence the events of the realm of the Saxons? The elder duke thought it foolish - there was plenty to do in their own realm.
But ultimately, he could not think of a better match for his grandson. Marrying a princess brought prestige. And with prestige came respect… and possibly further power.
He suspected King Hugues would not like it. But the king would accept it. He would not dare challenge Foulques. And Geoffrey likely could spew some nonsense that would placate him.
In the end it did not matter. It was another issue he had resolved… before the end.
Now, he just needed Bourges.
