Albéric Clément

Albéric Clément (c. 1165 – 3 July 1191) was the first Marshal of France (Marescallus Franciae), a position created for him by Philip Augustus in 1185.[1] He also inherited the seigneurie of Mez (later Mez-le-Maréchal) in Gâtinais after his father's death in 1182.

Albéric Clément
Albéric Clément, Marshal of France by Henri Decaisne, 1844
Born	c. 1165
Died	July 3, 1191 (aged 25–26) Acre
Allegiance	Kingdom of France
Rank	Marshal of France
Battles/wars	Siege of Acre (1189–1191)
Relations	Robert III Clément (father) Hersende de Mez (mother) Henry I Clément (brother) Hugh Clément (brother)

Albéric was born sometime in the mid-1160s to Robert III Clément and Hersende de Mez, and thus came from a knightly family- the Cléments of Mez.[2][3][4] He accompanied Philip on the Third Crusade as Marshal, and distinguished himself at the Siege of Acre in particular, frequently leading the advanced guard into battle.[3][5][6]

Albéric is said to have died on 3 July 1191, during an attempted breach of the city's walls, with accounts by those such as contemporary poet Ambroise suggesting the Marshal led the charge himself and died on- or close to the Accursed Tower, after swearing that he would either die that day or enter Acre.[5][6][7] Some accounts describe Albéric charging the walls with Philip's standard in hand and a number of men with him, attempting to scale the walls with a ladder, being pulled up with a grappling hook by the Saracen defenders and isolated from his men by rocks thrown onto the climbing assault party.[7] Other accounts describe the ladder breaking under the weight of the Marshal's followers, leaving him alone on the wall.[6] Accounts also go on to describe a defending soldier parading the walls wearing Albéric's armour after his death, stopping only when Richard I of England shot the man down.[6]

Albéric had two siblings, one of whom- Henry I Clément- would go on to become Marshal of France himself.[2]

Duties as Marshal of France

The title of Marshal of France as awarded to Albéric Clément and his successors did not involve command responsibilities of large armies- Albéric held no official command even at Acre. While military in nature, the position was more concerned with management of the king's horses and stables.[5] It was not until the 15th century that the position would move away from managing stables to one with battlefield authority second only to the French sovereign.[5]

Gallery

• 
  Coat of arms of the Cléments of Mez. The coat of arms represented on the work of Decaisne seem to be incorrect, the bend being given to cadet branches only
• 
  A map of Acre in 1291 (a century after Albéric's death), showing the position of the Accursed Tower
• 
  Death of Albéric Clément, by Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard

References

1. Beck, Shari (2011). A Portrait In Black And White: Diane De Poitiers In Her Own Words. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse. p. 89. ISBN 978-1462029815.
2. Baldwin, John (1986). The Government of Philip Augustus: Foundations of French Royal Power in the Middle Ages. Oxford: University of California Press. pp. 33–34, 113. ISBN 0-520-07391-6.
3. de Sainte-Marie, Anselme (1712). Histoire Genealogique et Chronologique de la Maison Royale de France, des Grands Officiers de la Couronne et de la Maison du Roy: Avec les Qualitez, l'origine, et le Progrés de leurs Familles. Ensemble les Statuts & le Catalogue des Chevaliers, Commandeurs, & Officiers de l'Ordre du Saint Esprit. le Tout Dressé sur les Titres Originaux, Registres des Chartes du Roy, du Parlement, de la Chambre des Comptes, & du Châtelet de Paris, Cartulaires d'Eglises, Manuscrits & Memoires de la Bibliotheque du Roy, & autres. Paris. pp. 490–491. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
4. "Albéric alias Aubri CLÉMENT". Geneanet. gw.geneanet.org. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
5. Fleming, George (1869). Horse-Shoes and Horse-Shoeing: their origin, history, uses and abuses. London: Chapman and Hall. pp. 375-376. Retrieved 31 December 2017. Albéric Clément.
6. Ailes, Marianne; Barber, Malcolm (2003). The History of the Holy War: Ambroise's Estoire de la Guerre Sainte. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer. p. 100. ISBN 9781843830016.
7. Payne, Robert (2000). The Dream and the Tomb: A History of the Crusades. New York: Cooper Square Press. pp. 234–235. ISBN 9780812829457.