I am grateful to all those who supported me through the researching and writing of this book. My thanks to Hilary Redmon at Ecco and Mike Jones at Simon & Schuster for their patience and editorial insight, and to Jo Whitford for overseeing the final stages of production. I am also indebted to my agents, Andrew Gordon and George Lucas, for their guidance.
William Voelkle, at the Morgan Library, kindly granted me access to the sole surviving manuscript of the History of William Marshal, and James Ford, at the Palace of Westminster, offered valuable guidance on the positioning of William’s statue in the House of Lords. I am also grateful to Peter Robinson, Amanda Vickery and Andrew Buck for their contributions.
In the midst of writing, I filmed a documentary about William Marshal’s life for the BBC – an experience which proved to be both hugely enjoyable and inspirational (even if it did keep me from my desk). I would like to thank John Farren, Martin Davidson and James Hayes for that rare opportunity, and my production team – Jack MacInnes, Catherine Stefanini, Fred Fabre and Katalina Echeverria–Valda – for their hard work.
I owe a huge debt to my friend and colleague, James Ellison, for the role he played in the genesis of this book – commenting on countless drafts, proffering sage advice and generous encouragement. As always, I am grateful to my family for their forbearance and kindness, and must thank my parents, Camilla and Jamie Smith, Jane Campbell, Margaret Williams and Craig Campbell. I have dedicated this work to Per Asbridge. William Marshal may have been the ‘greatest knight’, but Per has always been the finest brother.
Lastly, and most importantly, I am thankful for the love and patient understanding of my daughters, Ella and Violet, and immeasurably grateful to my wife, Christine – my first reader, without whom no word would be written.
Thomas Asbridge
September 2014
West Sussex