England under the Angevin Kings, Volume IINorgate, Kate
History
England under the Angevin Kings, Volume II
Norgate, Kate
Anjou, House of; England -- Civilization -- 1066-1485; Great Britain -- History -- Angevin period, 1154-1216
[235] Gerv. Cant. (Stubbs), vol. i. p. 205. R. Diceto (Stubbs),
vol. i. p. 331. Rob. Torigni, a. 1168. Rog. Howden (Stubbs),
vol. i. pp. 273, 274. This last writer states that the slayer
was Guy of Lusignan, and that Guy fled to Jerusalem (of
which he afterwards became king) to escape the punishment of
this crime. This story has been generally adopted by modern
historians. But its latter half is incompatible with the
appearance of “Guy of Lusignan” among the rebels in Aquitaine
in 1173, five years after the death of Patrick (_Gesta Hen._,
Stubbs, vol. i. p. 46); and the whole of it seems to rest
solely on Roger’s misunderstanding of the passage in the
_Gesta_ which he was copying. In that passage Guy is introduced
as “Guido de Lezinan, frater Gaufridi de Lezinan, qui Patricium
comitem Salesbiriensem tempore hostilitatis ... occiderat.
Erat enim prædictus Guido,” etc.; then comes an account of his
adventures in Palestine (_Gesta Hen._, Stubbs, vol. i. p. 343).
Roger of Howden chose to make _qui_ refer to _Guido_; but it
might just as well, or even better, refer to _Gaufridus_. Guy
comes upon the historical scene for the first time in 1173.
It seems pretty clear that Geoffrey was his elder brother,
and took a leading part in southern politics and warfare long
before Guy was of an age to join in them. If Patrick was slain
by either of the brothers, therefore, it was by Geoffrey and
not by Guy. Admitting this much, however, there is still no
ground for looking upon even Geoffrey as a murderer who had
committed such a crime as to be obliged to fly from justice.
For “Geoffrey of Lusignan” stood by the side of Guy among
the rebels of 1173 (_Gesta Hen._, Stubbs, vol. i. p. 46);
“Geoffrey of Lusignan” and his brothers claimed La Marche
against King Henry between 1178 and 1180 (Geoff. Vigeois, l.
i. c. 70, Labbe, _Nova Biblioth._, vol. ii. p. 324); “Geoffrey
of Lusignan” rose against Richard in 1188 (_Gesta Hen._,
Stubbs, vol. ii. p. 34; Rog. Howden, Stubbs, vol. ii. p. 339;
R. Diceto, Stubbs, vol. ii. pp. 54, 55); and it was not till
after he had in this revolt slain a special friend of Richard,
that he betook himself to Palestine, where he arrived in the
summer of the same year (_Itin. Reg. Ric._, Stubbs, p. 26), and
where, moreover, he and Richard afterwards became firm allies.
Geoffrey may therefore enjoy the benefit of the plea which
Bishop Stubbs (_Itin. Reg. Ric._, introd. p. cxxiv, note) puts
forward for Guy, that “there is nothing to show that Patrick
was not killed in fair fight.” But it seems pretty clear that
for the heroic king of Jerusalem himself no such plea is needed
at all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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