Marshall, John Othon de Grandson

Edward I’s loyal Knight of Renown

This article examines the remarkable life of Othon de Grandson crusader, diplomat and close confidant of King Edward I. Once upon a time, there were two little boys they met when they were still very young; one was born in what is now Switzerland on Lake Neuchâtel and was called Othon de Grandson, the other was born in London and was called Prince Edward, son of King Henry III. Othon was probably born in 1238, Edward, as we know, in June 1239. The two little boys grew up together and shared many adventures. They took part in the Ninth Crusade together in 1271 and 1272. Othon is said to have sucked the poison out of Edward's wound when he was attacked by an assassin. In 1277 and 1278, they fought in the First Welsh War against the House of Gwynedd, with Othon playing a key role in the negotiations for the Treaty of Aberconwy in 1278, which ended the hostilities. When war broke out again in 1282, they fought together in the Second Welsh War. Othon led Edward's army across the pontoon bridge at Anglesey and was the first to see the future sites of the castles at Caernarfon and Harlech. Edward appointed his friend as the first Justiciar (viceroy) of North Wales. When Edward and Othon travelled to Gascony in 1287, Othon remained in Zaragoza as a hostage for Edward's good intentions between Gascony and Castile. Later, in 1291, when Acre was threatened by the Mamluks, Edward sent Othon there as head of the English knight delegation. When Acre finally fell to the Mamluks, bringing the Crusades to an end, who was the last knight to board the boats? Othon de Grandson, who helped his old friend, the wounded Jean de Grailly, onto the ship. When Othon returned from the East, England was at war with Scotland and France. He spent his last years in Edward's service, building alliances and negotiating peace treaties before retiring to his home in what is now Switzerland after the king's death in 1307. Grandson lived in the time of Marco Polo, Giotto, Dante, Robert the Bruce and the last Templars. He was at the centre of two crusades: war with Wales, Scotland and France, the Sicilian Vespers and the suppression of the Templars; he accompanied a number of kings and popes and was a knight of great renown. This is his story.