I didn't mean to put you through that sorry
Well now I must tell you the story of my Beloved Guilliame de Sonnac
when I read about him I was so in love
Yes he is amazing
the picture you see is the Key of the City of Damietta being given to doofus saint Louis IX
What a story this is and you know part of this so pull up a chair and let me tell this one
Guillaume de Sonnac was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1247 to 1250.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Armoiries_Guillaume_de_Saunhac.svg
His Coat of Arms
He was described by Matthew Paris as "a discreet and circumspect man, who was also skilled and experienced in the affairs of war".
De Sonnac was an established member of the order before his election as Grand Master. He was the Preceptor of Aquitaine in France for the Templars[1] and arrived in the Holy Land around autumn of 1247, finding "the remnants of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in a precarious state.[1] Grand Master Armand de Périgord had been taken prisoner at the Battle of La Forbie in 1244, and after negotiations for his release failed two years later,[1] De Sonnac was proposed as a replacement. Before his first year in the East was out, he was the order's new leader.
King Louis IX of France, who landed at Limassol, Cyprus on 17 September 1248.[1] De Sonnac sailed from Acre to meet him and make preparations. Shortly after, the new Grand Master received an Emir from the Sultan, offering the crusaders a peace deal. De Sonnac related this to the French King, who ordered him to cease any negotiations without gaining Royal permission first.[1] This ensured the new campaign would be concluded with violence, not diplomacy.
Damietta they won even though they had to fight in waist high water
De Sonnac's next engagement was at the Battle of Mansurah, for the city containing the area's defensive force, the last obstacle to central Egypt
De Sonnac, Robert of Artois, the King's brother and William II Longespee, leader of the English troops, launched an assault on the Muslim force without the main Frankish army. Taken by surprise, the Egyptians quickly retreated from the riverbank into the city and the Count foolishly gave chase, outnumbered and with no back-up from the bulk of the French forces.[1]
John of Joinville claimed that the Count meant to follow on his own and that the rest of the raiding party did so as to not look cowardly. The Templars "thought that they would be dishonored if they allowed the Count to go before them".[3] However, another source, Matthew Paris, reported that de Sonnac was forced into the assault by the Count. Robert was "bellowing and swearing disgracefully as is the French custom",[4] and blaming the Templars and other religious orders for causing the real downfall of the Kingdom. Disgusted, de Sonnac returned to his men and prepared to chase down the numerically superior enemy.[1]
Completely surrounded, "like an island in the sea",[4] de Sonnac refused to surrender and his Templars fought to the last man. Earl Longespee was killed in the fighting, and the Count either fell in combat or drowned fleeing to safety.[1] De Sonnac's escape from the city would make him a famous warrior, when many had considered him more suited to diplomacy. With heavy wounds, only one eye and two remaining knights of the original 280,[1] he fought through the Egyptian army and out of the city, where he found the main Frankish army. He refused to rest and after receiving medical attention he returned and helped repulse a Muslim raiding party.[1]
Battle of Fariskur
The Christian forces camped outside the city and were under constant attack. A major assault was launched by the Muslims on 6 April and de Sonnac joined the Frankish charge to meet the enemy. Fighting with an eyepatch he fought along the riverbank until he was finally overwhelmed by the attackers. Blinded fully by a second injury to the head, he was hacked down and killed by Muslim troops.[1]
It was the death of a man who sought peace where possible, but fought ferociously on the battlefield. He was succeeded as Grand Master by Renaud de Vichiers.
De Sonnac was the first Grand Master to formerly record the intricacies of the Templar hierarchy. He added this to existing archives, codified them and stored them in a safe place so that the order would have accurate records in future years. It is certainly ironic that, for a man responsible for creating the order's most in-depth records, there is no indication of when he was born.[1]
What a man ...
Its the eye patch that made me think that this Represents him
and when you see the broken sword you realize this was the Best of Times and the worst of times for the coming end of the Templars
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