Hey /his/
I was wondering if there is any stories surrounding famous bodyguards of royalty in medieval europe? Ive always been interested in people who protect royalty rather than royalty themselves.
Id appreciate any info you can give, thanks in advance.
>>1116433
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dafydd_Gam
He protected Henry so does that make him a bodyguard?
>>1116473
ah yeah man thanks, sorry i should have made it clearer, basically im looking for people who protect royalty, so people who saved their lives or people who stood out
>>1116433
>be bodyguard of Phillip II of Macedon
>get assraped by Macedonian men
>ask Phillip for justice
>phillip denies me justice because my rapists are influential men
>kill phillip out of spite
and because of this phillip is never called the great while his son gets all the credit for the macedonian empire.
>>1116560
The French king was saved at Bouvines. You can find the primary source on de re(i) militari.
Essentially the guy got unhorsed and a bunch of guys with spears and polearms went in to kill the king but a Knight threw himself in front of the mortal blows to protect him which cost him his life. The French then won the battle and proceeded to demolish the Angevin Kingdom and the English king was forced to sign the Magna Carta.
Bodyguards as in a sort of dedicated secret service type thing wasn't really around until the late Middle Ages IIRC.
>>1116844
cont.
For a long time the English kings were only allowed to bring like 20 retainer knights with them and I believe these weren't even allowed to go everywhere. That said the risk of assassination on the streets wasn't THAT big.
>>1116844
was this knight not recognised after the battle? like with a memorial or anything?
yeah im sorry, i didnt mean bodyguard as sort of the secret service type of thing, i guess the sort im looking for are people who protected the king and were recognised for it, thank you
>>1116831
pic related
>>1116877
>While they were fighting Otto and the Germans, the Teuton foot soldiers who had gone on ahead suddenly reached the King and, with lances and iron hooks, brought him to the ground. If the outstanding virtue of the special armor with which his body was enclosed had not protected him, they would have killed him on the spot. But a few of the knights who had remained with him, along with Galore of Montigny who repeatedly twirled the standard to call for help and Peter Tristan who of his own accord got off his steed and put himself in front of the blows so as to protect the King, destroyed and killed all those sergeants on foot. The King jumped up and mounted his horse more nimbly than anyone would have thought possible. After the King had remounted and the rabble who had brought him down had all been destroyed and killed, the King's battalion engaged Otto's echelon.
Apparently I was mistaken and he wasn't killed.
>>1116904
still interesting information, thank you
Sir John Cheyne is an interesting character, although it's hard to find information on him outside him being unhorsed by Richard III at Bosworth.
William the Lion's bodyguard were all killed or captured defending him at the battle of Alnwick.
>>1116918
ah thank you, i just read up about him, there really is a scarcity of information regarding him
It's not Europe but Dian Wei should be considered the patron saint of bodyguards.
