The Templar's Penance: (Knights Templar 15) Read online

  THE TEMPLAR’S PENANCE

  Michael Jecks

  Copyright © 2003 Michael Jecks

  The right of Michael Jecks to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

  First published as an Ebook by

  Headline Publishing Group in 2014

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

  eISBN: 978 1 4722 1976 3

  HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

  An Hachette UK Company

  338 Euston Road

  London NW1 3BH

  www.headline.co.uk

  www.hachette.co.uk

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  About the Author

  Also by Michael Jecks

  Praise

  About the Book

  Dedication

  Glossary

  Cast of Characters

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  About the Author

  Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry to concentrate on his writing. He is the founder of Medieval Murderers, has been Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, and helped create the Historical Writers’ Association. Keen to help new writers, for some years he organised the Debut Dagger competition, and is now organising the AsparaWriting festival for new writers at Evesham. He has judged many prizes, including the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. Michael is an international speaker on writing and for business. He lives with his wife, children and dogs in northern Dartmoor.

  Michael can be contacted through his website: www.michaeljecks.co.uk.

  He can be followed on twitter (@MichaelJecks) or on Facebook.com/Michael.Jecks.author.

  His photos of Devon and locations for his books can be found at: Flickr.com/photos/Michael_Jecks.

  Also by Michael Jecks

  The Last Templar

  The Merchant’s Partner

  A Moorland Hanging

  The Crediton Killings

  The Abbot’s Gibbet

  The Leper’s Return

  Squire Throwleigh’s Heir

  Belladonna at Belstone

  The Traitor of St Giles

  The Boy-Bishop’s Glovemaker

  The Tournament of Blood

  The Sticklepath Strangler

  The Devil’s Acolyte

  The Mad Monk of Gidleigh

  The Templar’s Penance

  The Outlaws of Ennor

  The Tolls of Death

  The Chapel of Bones

  The Butcher of St Peter’s

  A Friar’s Bloodfeud

  The Death Ship of Dartmouth

  Malice of Unnatural Death

  Dispensation of Death

  The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover

  The Prophecy of Death

  The King of Thieves

  No Law in the Land

  The Bishop Must Die

  The Oath

  King’s Gold

  City of Fiends

  Templar’s Acre

  Praise

  ‘Michael Jecks is the master of the medieval whodunnit’ Robert Low

  ‘Captivating … If you care for a well-researched visit to medieval England, don’t pass this series’ Historical Novels Review

  ‘Michael Jecks has a way of dipping into the past and giving it that immediacy of a present-day newspaper article … He writes … with such convincing charm that you expect to walk round a corner in Tavistock and meet some of the characters’ Oxford Times

  ‘Great characterisation, a detailed sense of place, and a finely honed plot make this a superb medieval historical’ Library Journal

  ‘Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades’ Publishers Weekly

  ‘A tortuous and exciting plot … The construction of the story and the sense of period are excellent’ Shots

  ‘This fascinating portrayal of medieval life and the corruption of the Church will not disappoint. With convincing characters whose treacherous acts perfectly combine with a devilishly masterful plot, Jecks transports readers back to this wicked world with ease’ Good Book Guide

  About the book

  The fifteenth novel in Michael Jecks’s medieval Knights Templar series.

  It is the summer of 1323, and Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock have been granted leave to go on pilgrimage. Together they travel across Europe to Santiago de Compostela. But danger is never far away, and when a beautiful girl is found murdered on a hillside, the friends are among the first on the scene.

  Baldwin and Simon lend their investigative skills to the enquiry, headed by the local pesquisidore. But the unexpected appearance of a face from Baldwin’s past could threaten the investigation, as well as the future of Baldwin himself …

  To paraphrase P.G. Wodehouse …

  This book is for the builder and his wife, without whose wine, food and conversation this book would have been finished in a third of the time.

  Thanks, Bob and Heather.

  Glossary

  Claveiro Key-holder or castellan of a castle (in Portugal).

  Espada The symbol of the Knights of Santiago. The upper part was a cross, but the lower part was shaped like a sword’s blade.

  Frey, Freiles ‘Brother’, ‘Brothers’: the term given to knight warriors.

  Furtum sacrum The theft of a set of relics by a rival church was a recognised crime, but it was condoned as being a pious act. Our forefathers took the view that if the Saint in question objected, he or she had it in their power to prevent it.

  Hidalgo A low class of noble, a hidalgo was on a par with a reeve, probably, but was born to his position rather than elected. Hidalgos would often work in the fields with other townsfolk, which meant that they were looked down upon by other, higher nobles.

  Malfechor During the troubled early years of the 1300s, a raider or thief who preyed on travellers, villagers and anyone else they could rob or kill.

  Maestre Master – in Castile.

  Mestre Master – in Portugal.

  Mudéjar A Moslem living under Christian rule after the reconquest.

  Pesquisidores The title given to certain ‘enquirers’ in Castile from the early thirteenth century. I
ts literal meaning is: well-informed men who fear God.

  Cast of Characters

  Sir Baldwin de Furnshill A former Knight Templar who is well-known as a resolute investigator of crimes in Devon. It is a new experience for him to be investigating a murder in a different land, Galicia, without the support of his wife, Lady Jeanne, and his servant, Edgar.

  Bailiff Simon Puttock Baldwin’s friend for many years, the Stannary Bailiff from Dartmoor is less used to travelling and finds Galicia more intimidating than Baldwin does.

  IN COMPOSTELA

  Dom Afonso The son of a religious man, Afonso is burning with the determination to avenge his father’s death.

  Caterina The widowed sister of Domingo, and cousin of Joana, Caterina was rejected by her Christian father when she married her Moorish husband against his will. Now she is forced to beg in the streets.

  Sir Charles Once a proud supporter of Earl Thomas of Lancaster, Sir Charles now has no protector and must find a living as best he can.

  Domingo Leader of a small group of thieves, Domingo is distraught to witness the death of his son Sancho at the hand of Sir Charles; he is determined to exact revenge.

  Gregory of Coventry The ex-husband of Doña Stefanía, he has become a sad, disillusioned man. Now a cleric, he is appalled to see his ex-wife in Compostela.

  Guillem The clerk to Munio, who keeps notes and records all the Pesquisidor’s enquiries.

  Joana A lowly-born woman, she has been maid and confidante to Doña Stefanía for some years.

  Margarita Although she has the dark beauty of a Castilian lady, Margarita is in fact an Englishwoman from Oxford, who married Munio while he studied there.

  María de Venialbo A beggarwoman seen in the streets of Compostela. Like other mendicants, she is unpopular, for even pilgrims object to paying out good money to beggars!

  Matthew Baldwin made many friends when he was a Knight Templar, but most have faded from his memory over the last fifteen years. Matthew’s is one face he recognises. When the Order was destroyed, Matthew was left with nothing, and now he must beg his daily allowance from pilgrims.

  Munio In the city of Compostela, there are elected official investigators, the pesquisidores, of whom Munio is one. He studied in his youth at Oxford, and speaks fluent English.

  Parceval Annesen Forced to go on pilgrimage to atone for the murder of a fellow merchant in Ypres, Parceval is anxious lest he be seen to be wealthy, and thereby robbed or captured and held hostage. To avoid this, he conceals his wealth.

  Paul Squire and general man-at-arms to Sir Charles, he also sees to Dom Afonso’s needs.

  Frey Ramón One of the famous Knights of Santiago, Frey – or Brother – Ramón is apparently a devoted Soldier of Christ.

  Don Ruy de Benavente A knight forced to go into exile, unjustly accused of crimes against a young woman.

  Doña Stefanía de Villamor The Lady Prioress of the convent at Vigo is fearful that her money might be stolen, but still more worried about the contents of her purse. They are not hers, and she shouldn’t have kept them.

  Author’s Note

  It is impossible, I find, to hope to fire a reader’s interest in a subject without already being intrigued by it myself.

  I know that is not an astute observation, yet it’s something many of my friends don’t appreciate, because I have often been asked to write on subjects which are well outside my sphere of interests. As a crime writer concentrating on medieval England, I was bemused to be advised that I should write a novel about Formula One and Indie motor racing. ‘Millions watch racing, Mike, you’d make a fortune!’

  Thanks, Ramsey, but there are some things I do not want to write about!

  The converse of this is also annoying. Sometimes I really do want to cover a subject in more detail, but can’t.

  When you have spent months of your life researching a subject until you really live and breathe it, it’s very hard to discard the bulk of what you’ve learned in order that your editor won’t tell you off for trying to preach about your era. Sadly, though, she’s usually right. All the fascinating little details which get culled would have slowed the story down.

  For example, there are two strands which led me to write this book. First is the difference (or lack of one) between English justice and law and the European model. The second is the theme of the ‘warrior monk’.

  Although the British have prided themselves on their system of justice over centuries, with the jury trial as the cornerstone of commonsense justice, in reality England was not unique in the 1300s. Our legal system was founded upon the same principles as other European states because we all came from pretty much the same roots: the Roman system. The real difference was that at this time, both the English and European systems were in a state of flux. Trial by ordeal had petered out, which meant that new means of testing people must be invented. This led to more investigations in which the judge and lawyers were actively questioning witnesses to get to the truth.

  In the 1460s an exiled former Chief Justice called Sir John Fortescue wrote ‘In praise of the Laws of England’. It was a piece which attempted to demonstrate the superiority of the English system over the French model. According to Trevor Dean in his excellent book Crime in Medieval Europe, Fortescue presented ‘the English system of trial by jury as a guarantee of impartiality and truth’. Logically, Sir John said, a juror is safer than a mere witness called before a judge. A juror has money, land and status. A Frenchman need only acquire a companion who would invent a plausible story with him and, if they perjured themselves, an innocent man could be arrested and thrown into gaol. This, Sir John thought, was ‘wicked’. The idea that a judge could also use torture, he said, was ‘a pathway to hell’.

  It goes to reinforce the view that in England ‘everyone is innocent until proven guilty’. Sadly, all too often this is not true, especially now, with rafts of new laws being brought into being with little debate. In many cases, British subjects can be assumed to be guilty unless or until they can prove their innocence. Even the ancient right to silence has been removed. Senior politicians have said that it is as bad to let one guilty person walk free as it is to wrongly imprison an innocent one. They advocate more emphasis on the feelings of the victims of crimes rather than on the ‘criminal’s’ protection.

  But if you take away safeguards for some, it erodes the protection of all. There are too many cases of innocent men held in prison without parole because they refused to confess to their crimes and show suitable penitence. If they had admitted their guilt, they would have been eligible for parole, so if they had actually committed the crime of which they were accused, they would have been released much earlier! This is a clear injustice.

  The concept that ‘it is better to let one guilty man go unpunished than to condemn an innocent man’ was not a smart, liberal Victorian invention; it was not even Fortescue’s. It is an ancient principle from Roman law, and was an argument recycled often enough by Roman lawyers. If anything, Fortescue took it from continental legal systems.

  Now we come to my second theme, the different forms of warrior monk who existed during the fourteenth century.

  In the early 1300s, the Templars were destroyed, of course, but that wasn’t the end of the various Orders. All through the age of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Orders had sprung up in imitation of the Templars and the Hospitallers, with their own Rules and slightly pick’n’mix attitude to the more difficult commands. For example, the Knights of Santiago, who feature in this novel, were part of a very liberal Rule. Not only was consorting with women not frowned upon, but many freiles (Brothers) were married. On certain religious occasions they slept away from their women, but most of the year they lived happily as man and wife.

  Warrior Knights – men prepared to fight for their beliefs – were essential in the religious Orders during the whole of the Reconquista – that period of reinvasion during which the Christians pushed the Moslem invaders of Spain and Portugal southwards until the Iberian peninsula becam
e wholly Christian once more.

  It was in 711 that Moslem troops crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and quickly spread throughout the whole of Spain and Portugal, apart from a few mountainsides in the north. It was only two years later that the Umaiyad caliph Abd al-Rahman appeared on the scene and forged this huge territory into ‘al-Andalus’. Yet although he and his successors ruled this land, five Christian kingdoms also sprang up: Aragon, Castile, Galicia, León and Navarre. In 1031 the caliphate broke up into smaller city-states, and now the reconquest began in earnest.

  This is the main thing that a modern person must appreciate: the Orders were not a strange, foreign group of men. Yes, they were intensely religious, giving up their lives in battle for, as they saw it, the greater glory of God; but they were still ordinary human beings, with the same beliefs as the average man in the street at that time. The difference was, they were utterly dedicated to God.

  The wars in which they fought were long and bloody, causing suffering over centuries to people living in Portugal and Spain.

  The Moslems launched raids over the Tagus, stealing cattle, food, and of course people: the slave markets needed regular supplies of fresh blood. For hundreds of years families lost their sons, and women, their food stores and money. The fighting was unremitting and the raids characterised by religious fervour on both sides. When the thirteenth century faded into the fourteenth, the Portuguese had only recovered the Algarve fifty years before. Yes, the Moslems had been forced back, so that their sole remaining toehold was in Granada, but over the seas were hordes more waiting to be called. This was no theoretical war, it was a ferocious series of see-sawing battles.

  In this climate the military Orders flourished – apart from during the inevitable reverses. It is astonishing how often religious rashness could overwhelm good strategic minds. For example, in 1280 Frey Gonzalo Rodgriguez Girón, the Maestre of Santiago, met a huge force of Moors. Most men, being outnumbered, would sensibly refuse to join battle, instead scouting around for reinforcements, but not a good Knight of Santiago. Like so many other religious warriors, Frey Gonzalo believed that if his faith was strong enough, pure enough, God would protect him and his men.