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Thus, Winchester had been trapped into the attempt to break by force the will of those nobles who opposed absolute power for the king. It had not been the path he would have chosen, but he did not fear it in the beginning. He had believed that it was only necessary to remove or to destroy Richard, Earl of Pembroke; the rest, seeing the mightiest fallen, would bow down willingly. Winchester had therefore encouraged Henry in just those acts that would most offend and infuriate Richard Marshal, first hoping to catch and imprison him and, thus, leave the rebellion headless. |
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When that had failed, he had still been confident, certain once Pembroke was brought to cry defiance that the army of foreign mercenaries the king had gathered would take Pembroke's keeps one after another. But the war had not followed any normal pattern. Welsh raiders had ravaged the baggage trains, and Pembroke had burnt over his own land so that his enemies could not find sustenance on it. The defeats would not have been important, except for Henry's attitude. While success supported him, the king could be firm; but he would not hold steady in the face of defeat. |
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Winchester had already moved to rid England of the Earl of Pembroke in another way. He had written to the nobles of Irelandto Maurice Fitz-Gerald, who was the king's justiciar there, to Walter and Hugo de Lacey, and to Geoffrey de Marisco, some of whom were supposed to be allies of Pembroke'sthat the earl was now an outlaw: |
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We therefore order you on your oath, as faithful subjects of our lord the king, to seize [Pembroke] if he should happen to come to Ireland, and bring him, dead or alive, before the king; and if you do this all his inheritance and possessions in the kingdom of Ireland, which are now at the disposal of our lord and king, will be granted to you to be divided amongst you and to be held by you by hereditary right. And for the faithful fulfillment of this promise to you by our lord and king, all of us, by whose advice the business of the king and kingdom is managed, will become securities if you bring the above design to effect. |
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Lazy and indifferent, Henry had signed and sealed that letter without knowing what was in itWinchester had not |
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