00 - Templar's Acre Read online

  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

  The Malice of Unnatural Death

  Dispensation of Death

  The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover

  The Prophecy of Death

  The King of Thieves

  The Bishop Must Die

  The Oath

  King’s Gold

  City of Fiends

  First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2013

  A CBS COMPANY

  Copyright © Michael Jecks 2013

  This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.

  No reproduction without permission.

  ® and © 1997 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

  The right of Michael Jecks to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

  Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

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  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  HB ISBN: 978-0-85720-517-9

  TPB ISBN: 978-0-85720-518-6

  EBOOK ISBN: 978-0-85720-520-9

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Typeset by Hewer Text UK Ltd, Edinburgh

  Printed and bound by CPI (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY

  Neil, Lois, Emily and Izzy

  (the wonderful Rowlipops)

  With thanks for supporting their medievally-challenged local writer with wine and beer.

  GLOSSARY

  Beaucéant

  the famous banner of the Templars: white below to show the Order’s kindness to friends and pilgrims, black above to symbolise their ferocity when fighting the enemies of Christ.

  Bolt

  short stout arrow fired from a crossbow. Also called a quarrel.

  Bullet

  small, round stone fired from a sling.

  Buss

  cargo vessel.

  Catapult

  large weapon used to hurl missiles at walls and buildings.

  Deofol

  devil, fool, term of opprobrium.

  Falchion

  heavy-bladed, single-edged sword.

  Foumart

  literally ‘polecat’, an expression of contempt.

  Greek Fire

  the original flame-thrower used a mixture of chemicals to create a devastating effect, like napalm.

  Hoardings

  wooden structures built at the top of walls, with trapdoors so defenders could attack the enemy from above.

  Mameluk

  the slave warriors of Egypt.

  Mangonel

  a form of catapult.

  Mantelet

  defensive shields on wheels, used to protect attacking forces.

  Moors

  a term for those who lived in Mauretania i.e. Morocco and Algeria.

  Outremer

  the whole of the original Crusader kingdom; included the Kingdom of Jerusalem and all the city states. Literally, ‘Over the Sea’.

  Quarrel

  another term for bolt.

  Saracen

  ancient term for the nomadic peoples of Syria; it later came to mean Muslims.

  Sequin also zecchino

  a gold coin minted by the Venetian Republic that remained currency for 500 years.

  Trebuchet

  a more massive form of catapult for larger missiles.

  Turcopoles

  light cavalry used for reconnaissance and scouting by the Templars.

  Turcopolier

  head of the Turcopoles, who led the Templar sergeants into battle.

  Wale

  the top-most strake in a ship, the top of the hull.

  Vintenary

  in the military, the captain of a troop of twenty – a vintaine.

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Abu al-Fida

  a Muslim merchant in Acre.

  Amalric

  Brother to the King of Jerusalem.

  Baldwin de Furnshill

  a noble-born pilgrim to the Holy Land.

  Bernat

  Roger de Flor’s second-in-command.

  Buscarel

  master of a Genoese ship.

  Edgar Bakere

  a pilgrim seeking riches in the Holy Land.

  Geoffrey de Vendac

  Marshal of the Templars.

  Guillaume de Beaujeu

  Grand Master of the Templars.

  Henry II of Jerusalem

  the King of Jerusalem.

  Ivo de Pynho

  horse-dealer and supplier to the Templars.

  Jacques d’Ivry

  a Knight of the Order of St Lazarus.

  Lucia

  slave to Maria of Lydda.

  Maria of Lydda

  widow of the Count of Lydda.

  Sir Otto de Grandison

  commander of the English forces at Acre.

  Philip Mainboeuf

  a noted merchant in Acre.

  Pietro

  Ivo de Pynho’s servant.

  Roger de Flor

  shipmaster of a Templar galley.

  Sultan Qalawun

  Mameluk ruler of Egypt.

  Usmar

  son to Abu al-Fida.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Writing Templar’s Acre has been a wonderful adventure for me – but I’ve mixed feelings now that it’s done because sadly, it is going to be the last of the Templar series for a while.

  There are many good reasons for this. The most important is that I need a change. I am absolutely convinced that for an author to interest the reading public, he must first be interested in, and intrigued and fascinated by his subject. As a result, I think I have become one of the worst fourteenth-century anoraks in existence.

  Since embarking on the Templar series with Baldwin and Simon, I’ve grown exceptionally comfortable in their company. I know how they will respond to any number of influences, and I like their families and friends. More, I know their period. I am happier with their politics and politicians than I really should be. And while I do not look at those days through rose-tinted spectacles, I am equally sure that their time was better than has often been depicted.

  But every author comes to a realisation that he needs to change direction once in a while, to focus on new challenges. For me, with two books written every year, and concentrating so heavily on my specific period, it has been very difficult to come up for air into the twenty-first century.

  Just moving, with Templar’s Acre, into the late thirteenth century, made writing feel more like a holiday again. Finding new, different
characters to write about, a different location, and looking more to the clash of cultures than a straight crime novel, was wonderful.

  I have wanted to write about Acre and this final battle for the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Crusader States ever since my very first fan letter.

  In it, so I am told (I wasn’t allowed to see it), the writer listed over twenty factual inaccuracies in my book. The first was that I had mentioned that Baldwin had been at the Siege of Acre in 1291. This, the writer stated, was wrong. The siege took place in 1191, and rather than the Christians being attacked in the city, it was Saracens inside the city who were attacked by Richard the Lionheart’s men.

  My editor, who had only recently commissioned a complete unknown (me), was a little concerned by this list. She called me to ask if I would like to comment on a few of the points raised. The subtext, I think, was: ‘Are you a complete moron who got all this detail wrong?’ It wouldn’t be surprising. No editor likes to think that they could have commissioned a complete turkey.

  Fortunately I was able to reassure her. I vaguely recall making a throw-away comment along the lines of, ‘If this fool can’t even be bothered to check to see that Acre was attacked a hundred years after Richard took it, I don’t see why I should waste more time on his questions.’

  It did niggle.

  So for the last seventeen years or so, I’ve wanted to get heavily involved in a good battle book. And this is the result.

  Templar’s Acre is a fictional prequel, but the main action and most of the characters were real.

  Roger Flor was as I depicted him in the book. The only possible difference between the real man and the one I have invented, is that I have been far kinder to him than he really deserves. In later life he became a noted mercenary, until his death at the hand of an unappreciative employer in 1305.

  The scenes of the end of Acre are as accurately portrayed as I can manage.

  It was one of the first protracted sieges to be documented extensively. I suppose the fact that so many educated men were able to flee the city helped. Usually, when the Mameluks attacked a stronghold, it was in a place like Safed or Krak des Chevaliers, from which there could be no safe escape. Hemmed in upon all sides, the miserable victims must surrender, in which case death or slavery would inevitably result. Many, of course, chose to fight to the last, refusing to submit even when all hope was gone.

  But for me, it was the glorious courage of Guillaume de Beaujeu, of the Masters of the other Orders, and of the English and other pilgrims under great leaders like Sir Otto de Grandison that tells the story.

  This was a battle against overwhelming odds; nevertheless, the Christians sought to fight and defend their city. Acre was the last stronghold in Christ’s Own land, and they were determined to do everything in their power to protect it. Many died under the onslaught of that terrible machine under Abu al-Fida’s command, al-Mansour, the siege-engine of death.

  The aftermath was appalling. The whole of Christianity bemoaned the fate of that city, and predictions of famine, war and disease became common. And then, in an equally shocking event for most of Europe, it was claimed that a Pope had killed his predecessor to gain the throne.

  Without these cataclysmic events, it is likely that the French King Philippe would have found it a great deal more difficult to capture the Templars and break them. If they were still in Acre and the Holy Land, he would not have dared to try to rob them, as he did on Friday, 13 October 1307. With their power base in Palestine, and much of their wealth too, he would have needed a much stronger case.

  For me, Acre was a critical siege. It not only evicted the Christians from their lands, it led to a fundamental rethink of the Christian faith. For, if God was so displeased by His people that He would take His lands and give them to Mameluks, that spoke volumes about His feelings for His followers.

  It was a terrible time. But for a writer, the worst times are always the best!

  I had great fun writing this book. I hope you get as much pleasure in reading it. However, I often receive questions about where a specific detail came from, or how I imagined a scene. Well, usually, I didn’t have to. So much has been written about the end of Acre that it was quite easy to research. Whether I was looking into Philip Mainboeuf’s journey to the Sultan, or into the organisation of the Templars in battle, there was always a good reference for me.

  For those who are keen to read further, I would recommend:

  Thomas Asbridge The Crusades (Simon & Schuster, 2012)

  Alain Demurger The Last Templar (Profile Books, 2002)

  David Marcombe, Leper Knights (Boydell Press, 2003)

  John J. Robinson Dungeon, Fire and Sword (Michael O’Mara Books, 1991)

  Steven Runciman A History of the Crusades (Cambridge University Press, 1954)

  J. M. Upton-Ward The Rule of the Templars (Boydell Press, 1992)

  William Urban The Teutonic Knights (Greenhill Books, 2003)

  This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but within each of these books are extensive references for the interested researcher to delve deeper.

  As usual, any mistakes are my own. Unless they are my editor’s, copy editor’s, proof reader’s . . .

  Michael Jecks

  North Dartmoor

  July 2012

  CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  BOOK ONE: PILGRIM, MAY 1290

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  BOOK TWO: CRUSADER, JUNE–JULY 1290

  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

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  BOOK THREE: WARRIOR, AUGUST 1290–APRIL 1291

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

  CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

  CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

  BOOK FOUR: BESIEGED, APRIL–MAY 1291

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

  CHAPTER SEVENTY

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE


  CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER EIGHTY

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE

  CHAPTER NINETY

  CHAPTER NINETY-ONE

  CHAPTER NINETY-TWO

  CHAPTER NINETY-THREE

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  29 May 1291

  The creaking of the ship was familiar.

  As he began to come to, the sound brought back memories of his first voyage, and for one glorious moment he dreamed he was on his way there again – en route to Acre – a year ago, before the catastrophe.

  Still only semi-conscious, he listened with half an ear to the thunderous crash of waves against the hull, the wind singing in the sheets, the flapping of flags, the moaning of the timbers. And then he heard the whimpers and weeping all around him, one man sobbing uncontrollably, and he remembered where he was, and his eyes snapped open at the terrible memories that flooded back. He would never sleep again in case he dreamed of them.

  The broken bone in his leg hurt like hell. Each movement of the ship made it shift, and he felt the jagged edges grating. The scar at his cheek pulled, and the burns on his limbs shrieked for butter or grease, but Baldwin paid them no heed.

  In his mind’s eye he saw it all again: the flames, the shattering of buildings and bodies, the dread assaults, the devastation. He saw the corpses lining the roads, he saw his little dog, Uther, and he saw the men of whom he had grown so fond: Ivo and old Pietro, Jacques, brave Guillaume, Geoffrey of the sad eyes. All those who had endured the last hellish weeks with him – and then died. And he sobbed unaffectedly as he recalled the disaster that had overwhelmed them all. No tears would come, but he felt the grief must throttle him.