Thus, screaming the battle cry of their patron saint did the
knights of Brittany charge to the rescue of Count Geoffrey. It's a small scene
in Sharon Kay Penman's historical novel Devil's Brood.
The excitement surrounded tournament time. Without a major
war going on and boys being boys, the knights fought for glory and the
occasional ransom of a defeated opponent. Killing was not allowed but fatal
accidents did happen. Various groups followed individual leaders from different
kingdoms and principalities. Mass charges, individual combat and melees
everywhere were commonplace. What fun! If you lost you and your group could run
away to escape or if surrounded yield and pay a ransom to be determined later.
Count Geoffrey of Brittany, fourth son of Henry II (King of
England, England, Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou) and Eleanor (Queen of
England and Duchess of Aquitaine) had been unhorsed by an illegal blow. Injured
and without a weapon he refused to surrender. Like sharks drawn to blood in the
water, more opponents thinking ransom money, were drawn to the scene. It was
then that he heard from all over the field the cry of "Saint Malo" as
Bretons fought their way to his rescue. His wife Constance, who had been the
sole heir of her father's rule of Brittany, also rushed to his side.
St. Malo
today is a major seaport connecting France and Great Britain. Brittany lies in
the northwest of the Republic adjacent to Normandy. It was here in the fall of
2006 that I traveled with my bride and friends Steve and Jewell. The trip to
France was the fulfillment of a promise I had made to her upon her retirement.
Reading the novel brought back fond memories of some of the
places we visited in France. Normandy, Tours, Angier’s, Rheims, Rouen, St.
Denis, Chenonceau , Paris and, of course, St. Malo.
Today it is a major tourist attraction not too far from
another - the famous island monastery of Mon St. Michel. Much of the city was
destroyed by American bombs in World War II. Why? Because the Nazis converted
the beautiful harbor into a major submarine base to challenge allied shipping
in the English Channel. It has been lovingly restored. I would also be remiss
not to mention in some detail the world class French cuisine. Crepes! Crepes!
Crepes! But that's a story for another time.
St. Malo! St. Malo!
Next Post - A review of Sharon Kay Penman's Devil's Brood
Next Post - A review of Sharon Kay Penman's Devil's Brood
My Dad was the only one in my immediate family that has been to France. He was there in WWII.
ReplyDeleteWe sailed to St Malo from the Channel Islands... just for the day. But what a day it was, so much to remember of our tour round the battlements, the markets, and the weird experience of mixed toilets!
ReplyDeleteI would like to get back to that area. I make a good crepe.
ReplyDeleteBeen fishing for 3 days, waiting for the sun to rise today. Getting some nice rainbows, but it is cold.
I went to France for a short while when we had a conference there. Never made it to St. Malo, but next time. If there is a next time! It was sweet of you to make good on that promise to take your wife to France. :-)
ReplyDeleteHow neat it must have been to read the historical account of the very area you had visited.
ReplyDeleteI've heard quite a bit about France from friends. It sounds like a lovely place, especially southern France. When are you going back? --- barbara
ReplyDeleteI would like to visit France someday.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the trip of a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteAnd Calvados? Sounds like a lovely trip. Our trips, back in our European days, were usually determined by lack of money and the needs of the husband's geology study. Hence the times in Spain, where otherwise I would have prefered Greece or Italy. France was brutally expensive and we could only afford to travel through.
ReplyDelete