Mercadier
Mercadier († 1200 in Bordeaux ) was a French mercenary leader in the service of Richard the Lionheart .
One of the drawbridges at Château Gaillard was named after him.
biography
Mercadier probably came from the south of France , where he first appeared in 1183 as the leader of the Brabant mercenaries . Shortly afterwards he entered the service of Richard the Lionheart, who was still Duke of Aquitaine at the time. He supported this in the extensive feuds in the Limousin and Toulouse . In 1188 he was subordinate to seventeen castles of the Count of Toulouse.
In 1189, Mercadier accompanied Richard on the Third Crusade , but was then sent back by him after the French King Philip II had turned back to protect the southern French possessions of the Plantegenets . Upon Richard's return in 1194, Mercadier was his right-hand man, traveling and fighting by his side. In the various wars of Richard and Philip II, he fought successfully in Berry , Normandy , Flanders and Brittany and became Richard's most important pillar on the continent. Richard repeatedly praised him in letters. Mercadier received the former possessions in Limousin from Adhémar de Beynac, who died around 1190 without leaving an heir.
When Richard was fatally wounded in the siege of the castle of Châlus in March 1199 , it was Mercadier's personal physician who treated him. Mercadier cruelly avenged Richard's death on the crew by storming the castle, hanging the defenders and skinning the crossbowman Pierre Basile , who inflicted the fatal wound on Richard, although Richard begged pardon for him.
He then served King John Ohneland and devastated Gascony and Angers on his behalf . On April 10, 1200, he was murdered during a visit to Bordeaux when he wanted to pay tribute to Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine , who brought her granddaughter Blanka of Castile from Spain with her. His murderer was a man-at-arms from Brandin, a rival mercenary captain in the service of King John.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mercadier |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French mercenary leader |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 12th Century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1200 |
| Place of death | Bordeaux |