The Forest King

© 2006 Carson Clay. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 5/1/2006

ISBN: 978-1-4259-0682-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4670-8090-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2005910653

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Acknowledgments:

Facts

Prologue

Chapter I

The Passage

Chapter II

The Pristine Land

Chapter III

Ingrained Perceptions

Chapter IV

Earths Treasures

Chapter V

Friends and Adventures

Chapter VI

The Giant

Chapter VII

The Beasts

Chapter VIII

Weapons

Chapter IX

The Eagles Flight

Chapter X

The Order of the Arrow

Chapter XI

The Challenge

Chapter XII

The Fortress.

Chapter XIII

The Ruffians

Chapter XIV

The Raiders

Chapter XV

Battle Tactics

Chapter XVI

Preparation for Battle

Chapter XVII

The Phantoms

Chapter XVIII

The Siege

Chapter XIX

Midnight Attack

Chapter XX

The River

Chapter XXI

Hebron’s March

Chapter XXII

Randolph’s Raid

Chapter XXIII

Prisoners

Chapter XXIV

Negotiations

Chapter XXV

The Gamble

Chapter XXVI

The Mill

Chapter XXVII

Rescue

Chapter XXVIII

Leap of Faith

Chapter XXIX

Celebration

Chapter XXX

The End of Hostilities

Chapter XXXI

Knighthood

Chapter XXXII

The Wedding

Epilogue

Cast of Significant Characters:

Acknowledgments:

I would like to express my gratitude to Robert Walters, of Author-house publications. His genuine enthusiasm, intelligent encouragement and timely feedback provided vital links in formulating my ideas and efforts into the reality of producing The Forest King. I cannot fully describe the value of having a knowledgeable and exceptional staff available as an aid toward finalization of such a project.

The core of my research began with Gunnar Haywood’s Historical Atlas of the Medieval World, edited by Susan Kennedy and Peter Lewis of Barnes and Noble Books. I found this encyclopedic atlas factual, excellently illustrated and easy to use. With constant reference to it I was able to pull data needed and much of the premise that my own work is based upon.

I also thank the computer source Wikipedia for several excellent articles available for reference by means of the internet. Their resources enabled me to cross-reference and build upon, or dismiss, a great deal of information obtained from other sources.

I gratefully acknowledge Sanderson Beck’s study, Europe’s 12th-Century Development from which information for this book was garnered. Suffice to say there were numerous supplementary internet sources used to research and build facts pertinent to this work.

Extreme gratitude also must be expressed to my technical editor, nephew and friend, Mark Allen DeVrieze. An Attorney at Law in Illinois, Mark’s previous experience as editor of the University of Colorado Law Review, gave him insight regarding suggestions, friendly encouragement and timely criticism. This gave the work the professional stratum that he insisted upon and that I needed to offer the public an easily readable and interesting novel.

I also thank my sons, Matthew, Andrew and Michael whose past actions and activities gave me character reference that could be transferred into a medieval spectrum. Indeed many of the activities and events portrayed in this novel are based upon the real life experiences of these young men and several of their friends.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to the United States Army’s Third Infantry Division. Much of the thinking and strategy employed throughout this epic is indicative of what I learned while serving with that unit in heavily forested, semi-mountainous locals. The events and actions were, of necessity, tempered by medieval settings however all depictions were cross referenced to insure compatibility with actual strategy employed in medieval days.

Although last in this list I will not detract from or diminish the importance of my wife, Rita, who gave me encouragement and excellent ideas. I thank my lucky stars that I had the common sense to listen to and use them. Her skill and training as a teacher in elementary education were of great value to my pursuit. My wife’s patience combined with timely edits has been paramount to this books completion.

For Matthew

Facts

It was the development of the English longbow that, for the first time, enabled the peasant to compete against an armored soldier. Armed with that weaponry the peasant could be as powerful as the mounted knight; thus his status rose toward equality and the rights of citizenship.

During the Crusades most experienced men-at-arms were conscripted to serve. This left property and wealth to be administered and protected by women. Raids on property were common throughout this period. Women and children were called upon to defend their homes, property and castles.

The Order of the Hatchet (Orden de la Hacha) was founded in 1149 by Raymond Berenger, the Count of Barcelona. Women who had fought against the Moors in defense of the town of Tortosa were admitted to the order. The women took up weapons, donned the armor of their dead husbands and through resolute fighting overcame the Moorish siege.

In 1554, a castle in Belgium was besieged by troops of the French King Henry II. Three wives of officers killed in the siege took command of the defending knights. They ran out of food and water and were about to surrender. The three women, hand in hand, leaped to their death off the castle walls. Since then the castle was renamed Creve Coeur which translates to Breaking Heart.

In 1233, Loderigo d’Andalo, a nobleman of Bologna in Italy brought together a military order for women called The Order of the Glorious Saint Mary. It was approved by Pope Alexander IV in 1261. It lasted until 1558 when it was disbanded by the edict of Pope Sixtus V.

Jeanne Hachette, in an action unrelated to the Orden de la Hacha (described above) fought to repel a Burgundian assault on the town of Beauvais in 1472. The French King knighted her and ordered an annual procession be made in the town to commemorate the event. This tradition is still being carried on.

Other knighted military orders that allowed women included: The Hospitalieres and later The Teutonic Knights. After three year probations, those passing were knighted by the sword and the accolade of a seasoned knight, noble or king.

Prologue

Feudalism, a system by which a lord granted a fief (or estate) to a nobleman or knight in return for sworn homage or military support, had gained prominence in the Christian countries of medieval Europe by the eleventh century. By the twelfth century it had been spread by the Normans throughout England, Sicily, Eastern Europe, the Scandinavian countries and Spain.

At that time, over ninety percent of the population was peasant farmers. The lords divided their estates up to individuals who in turn used the land for their own benefit and returned a fair percentage back to the nobles in the form of produce, labor or money. In addition to giving use of the land, the lords were expected to administer justice, protect the peasants in times of war and provide relief in times of famine.

Under the feudal system the peasants were free men with many established rights. Most of the farmers developed additional skills and trades. Under a just and wise lord, this had the effect of increasing individual resources, benefiting both the peasants and the nobles. During periods of war or duress, there were many instances where peasants improved their station in life through outstanding deeds and accomplishments. This is such a story.

In 1187 the Sultan, Salah ad-Din Yusuf (Saladin) defeated crusader forces at Hattin near the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This removed Christian control of Jerusalem and all the coastal cities in Palestine and Syria. Pope Clement III sent emissaries to the Christian monarchs calling for a Third Crusade.

Several kings personally answered Clement’s call: William of Sicily, Frederick (Barbarossa) of The Holy Roman Empire (Germany), Phillip of France and Richard (the Lionhearted) of England. Following them were many thousands of both noble and peasant birth. Randolph, a knight from Bavaria, and Fielo, a fletcher’s son from Flanders, were two young men who took up the cross and followed these leaders to the distant war far in the east.   

Chapter I

The Passage

I’m taking you on a journey. Our port of call may or may not be distant geographically; but, for certain, you will find it’s far removed from any map at hand. The trail we’ll follow, however vague, is still there. The course is clouded in the mists of time. We are moving backwards now beyond the days of our parents, their parents and countless generations before them. When we finally arrive you will discover an era much different from ours today. Even so, you will recognize places you have seen and events you may have known of but have not personally witnessed. Upon finally returning, as we must, you will have experienced the lives and events of those who came before us long ago.

There was a young lad Erik who lived in a small castle near a deep endless forest. Erik’s family included his mother, Elizabeth, his father, Fielo, and two brothers: Andre and Paul. Elizabeth and Fielo were the boy’s providers and teachers.

The family had traveled to the forest from a land far to the west where there were few trees and where strong winds blew across the plains. They were driven east because evil and betrayal had befallen that land. In that western land they raised Arab horses called coursers from stock Fielo had captured and brought back from a previous holy war.   

With the intent to move east, they sold or gave away what they could and said good-by to the life they had known. Elizabeth, with young Andre, Paul, and their few possessions drove the wagon followed by their faithful hound, Beau. They followed Fielo and Erik, who rode sturdy mounts and drove the herd of horses toward the new territory.

Far to the east was a land Fielo and Randolph, his friend from the Crusade, had traveled through. Randolph lived there now. It was a place of low mountains and gigantic forests teeming with game. There were wide, deep lakes and clean rivers abundant with fish. At the edge of this forest were open meadows of fertile soil. It was a land where people were just and accepting of those willing to work in harmony with neighbors and contribute to the well being of society.   

Together they traveled in search of this new land with faith that it could offer peace, freedom and provide the means to thrive. Fielo explained, While we move toward the new land I will teach you things I have garnered from experience that will formulate good rules to live by. He said to his boys When you follow these rules they will point out the path to follow and you can rely on them as a basis for your actions in times of need.

Moving steadily eastward they came to the great forest called Swartzenwald. While following the rough road through the forest valleys they were stunned by its vastness and beauty. After days of travel they reached an ancient city Mainz – Mayence — founded by the Romans around the year 200AD as a trading center. East of the city was a wide deep river flowing northward — the Rhine. The family set up camp near its bank across from the junction of another river that flowed into the Rhine from the east. They needed supplies and a few days rest before making the river crossing to start the last leg of their journey. Fielo picketed the horses and hired a few local boys to watch over them.

Fielo took his wife and sons into the city where they purchased a few items for themselves, grain for their horses and inquired as to the best route to take after crossing the river. As they toured the city Fielo took them to see the great cathedral of Saint Martin. While there he explained, Thousands of young men including myself traveled to this city in the spring of 1188 to join the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I. He was known as ‘Barbarossa’ because of his long flowing red beard. It was inside of this cathedral that we vowed to ‘Follow the Cross’ with him and in doing so we pledged to put cities in the Levant that had been conquered by the Saracens back into Christian hands. King Frederick and Pope Gregory had also proclaimed that during our crusade we were to respect the Hebrews and bring no harm to them. You see, in the past, Jewish populations had been attacked by misguided crusading soldiers.

While at the cathedral Fielo asked a priest if he knew trustworthy young men who could ride and would be willing to help drive his horses through the more dangerous territory east of the Rhine. He said, They’ll be paid handsomely as they will each be given a strong healthy steed to keep at the end of the trip. The priest said he would contact some young men he knew and have them report to their camp by the river the next morning. As Fielo rose to rejoin his family he smiled and said, Father, it wouldn’t hurt if the men were handy with a sword. The priest smiled back saying, When one travels east across the river from here, good knowledge of weaponry is not an assumption but a necessity. There are bandits in that area and you were wise to approach me before leaving.

After they got back to camp and paid the lads for watching the herd, Elizabeth said, I’m sure the boys don’t know about the Crusades and the Levant. I imagine they would like to hear more about it from you. In truth, when you returned from that land years ago it seemed as if you were reluctant to talk about it. Erik asked, Please Father, since we are soon to meet Randolph, your friend from the holy war, shouldn’t we know what happened? Fielo agreed and said when they had finished their chores and evening meal he would tell them more about the adventures he and Randolph had experienced together.   

After eating, as they gathered around the campfire, Fielo began, With a large army we crossed the Rhine from here and headed east toward Randolph’s fathers castle. Many more soldiers joined us as we marched. Randolph and I, as scouts, rode on ahead and blazed the trail. We reached the castle a week before Barbarossa’s army advanced into that territory. There we met and visited with his parents, who were the Lord and Lady of a large fife of land. They gave us directions in order to lead the army on toward Regensburg where a long stone bridge had been constructed that crossed the Danube River. More soldiers were arriving there every day to join our army in preparation for the long overland march to the Levant. When we finally reached Regensburg the army set up a bivouac and rested there as still more soldiers arrived from the north. Elizabeth interjected, Fie, I’m not sure if the boys know what the Levant is. Could you explain the meaning of the word?

Fielo got up and placed a few more logs on the fire and asked if they needed anything. The boys, as he knew they would, requested cups of cider and Elizabeth rose and offered to help. As they stood by the wagon getting refreshments Fie whispered to his wife, I didn’t realize how I would feel in telling our boys the story. Back when I first returned I only wanted to forget the bloodshed and violence that had gone on. As I look at it now I realize there are things that took place then that the boys should know of. If the story gets too bold let me know and I’ll try to work around those situations as best as I can. As he poured the cider for Beth and the boys he said, "I think a little hausbrand might be more fitting for myself, there’s a slight chill in the air. She laughed and replied, I knew you’d pull the cork on that bottle you bought. He chuckled and replied, Just a little nip to stop the chill and loosen my tongue dear," as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

As the boys stared expectantly up over their cider mugs, Fielo sat down and said, The Levant! The Hebrew’s call it ‘The Land of Milk and Honey’. This is the land east of the Mediterranean Sea presently comprised of the Principality of Antioch, The Country of Tripoli and The Kingdom of Jerusalem. This is the Land of the Jews and the cradle of Christianity. It’s the land from where our Christian religion began and spread throughout much of the world. It’s the land where Christ was born, lived, preached and died.

Sipping his spirits he went on, "When the Muslim faith united the Arab world in the early seventh century, between the years 636 to 638AD the Arabs had taken Syria and Palestine by force of the sword. From there they spread their faith, again by strength of arms, across all of North Africa and Arabia. They conquered all the lands in the east to India and in the north up to and including the territory between the Caspian and Black Seas. They also