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
1st Floor
222 Gray’s Inn Road
London WC1X 8HB
www.simonandschuster.co.uk
Simon & Schuster Australia, Sydney
Simon & Schuster India, New Delhi
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.