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The late twelfth-century Frence epic poem Raoul of Cambrai is a tale of violence, vengeance, and betrayal in which the basic bonds of society--feudal loyalty, family, and friendship--come into conflict.  The poem poses key questions for feudal society: which is the higher duty, loyalty to a lord or obligation to one's family? may a vassal rightfully renounce his oath of loyalty to a lord who has wronged him? is nobility a matter of birth or of character? are bravery and prowess sufficient to make a knight chivalrous? The result is a moral puzzle which neither the poet nor his heroes/anti-heroes, Raoul, Bernier, Guerri, and Gautier, can fully solve. 
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In the second half of “The finest knight in all the world: the practical chivalry of Sir William Marshal,” Ellen and I examine the career of William Marshal as baron, earl, and, ultimately, regent of England for a child king.  The challenge William Marshal  faced as a baron was to retain possession of all his lands while still preserving his vaunted reputation for loyalty, a seemingly impossible challenge under the rule of the mistrustful and vindictive King John. 

Episode 6 is on the long side because Marshal's life intersected with many key events in medieval English and Irish history.

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The life of Sir William Marshal reads like a medieval story book. Starting out as a landless squire whose only possession was family connections, Marshal rose from household knight to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful nobles in early thirteenth century England. Ultimately, he was chosen by his peers to be the guardian and regent of a boy king, during a French invasion abetted by a baronial revolt. William Marshal's remarkable rise was due to the qualities that made him, in the words of both friends and foes, “the finest knight in all the world,” his prowess, his acumen in both war and court politics, and, above all, his reputation for unshakeable loyalty.

In this episode Richard and Ellen retell stories about William Marshal’s life as a landless household knight. A follow on episode explores his career as a baron and his complicated relationship with King John of Magna Carta and Robin Hood notoriety. The focus of both episodes is on the key to William Marshal’s success, his practical chivalry

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In this episode Richard distinguishes between the popular modern conception of chivalry, which originated in the romantic movement of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and became the code of the gentleman, and medieval chivalry. Richard and his co-host, his wife Ellen, explore what medieval chivalry entailed, the role it played in protecting the social status of knights in a time of economic change, and the relationship between courtly love and martial prowess.  Richard uses Ulrich von Liechtenstein’s  The Service of Ladies as a window on chivalry as conceived by at least one knight in the first half of the thirteenth century. We should warn you in advance that The Service of Ladies is a truly weird book. It takes the form of a memoir in which the German nobleman, knight, and author of love poetry Ulrich von Liechtenstein relates how he dressed in women’s clothing to assume the persona of Lady Venus and traveled with an entourage from Venice to Vienna and beyond challenging all knights to joust with him to demonstrate his love for his lady, an older married noblewoman whom he had served as a page and whom he had only glimpsed from afar since. 

     Our next episode will explore some less eccentric elements of chivalry through the person of the late twelfth and early thirteenth-century English knight William Marshal, who was praised after his death as the “greatest knight in the world.” 

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The quest for the Holy Grail is among the most famous stories about King Arthur and the Round Table. This episode explores the origins and development of the idea of the Holy Grail in medieval romance and examines how the Grail was reconceived in modern times by Nazis, amateur historians, and novelists to support pseudo-historical conspiracy theories.

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In this episode, Richard explains why there are so few movies set in the Middle Ages that are historically accurate, and gives examples of a good film (Eric Rohmer's "Perceval le Gallois"; a bad film, Ridley Scott's "The Kingdom of Heaven"; and a not so bad medieval film, Ridley Scott's most recent blockbuster, "The Last Duel."  Richard and Carol devote most of the podcast to discussing what is historical and what is anachronistic about the last, as it is the most recent medieval blockbuster and is currently streaming on HBO. For those who haven't seen it, "The Last Duel" recounts the true story of a trial by combat that took place in Paris in 1387 to determine guilt or innocence in a case of rape. Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris were friends but as the latter rose in wealth and status at the expense of the former, friendship turned to animosity.  Carrouges' resentment against his more cultured and successful rival turns deadly when Carrouges's wife, Marguerite, accuses Le Gris of raping her. Knowing that Le Gris has the protection of the local count, their mutual lord, Carrouges seeks to vindicate his and his wife's honor through a judicial duel to the death. Like the Japanese film, "Rashomon," also about a rape, the story is told and retold from the viewpoints of each of the three main characters. Richard briefly explains why as a historian he despises the movie "The Kingdom of Heaven." (More on that in a future episode on the Crusades.) Finally, Richard explains why "Perceval le Gallois," a movie that almost derailed the career of the famed French director Eric Rohmer, is the only fully "medieval" movie that Richard has ever seen.....and Carol ponders how a film that she found unwatchable got an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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The title of our podcast ‘Tis But a Scratch: Fact and Fiction about the Middle Ages” is a tribute to one of Richard’s favorite “medieval” movies, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Richard was incredulous when Carol told him that she had never seen the movie.  After she watched it, she was incredulous that he actually used parts of it in his medieval history classes.  In this episode Richard explains how there is more historical truth in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” than anyone would think—probably including the Monty Python troupe—and how he used it in his classes.  Among the topics covered are the “chivalry” of the Black Knight; “Bring out you dead” and the Black Death; courtly love and Castle Anthrax’s amorous 150 maidens; and why Richard the historian hates, hates, hates “Braveheart” (although as a moviegoer he kind of likes it).

(This is the first episode of the podcast and was the first podcast I ever did. I knew that there were problems with the sound quality but had no idea how to fix it. This version is clearer and louder.)

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Intro and exit music are by Alexander Nakarada

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at [email protected]