Gaston the unreliable

Apart from recruitment in England, the Lord Edward was also keen to enlist Gascons for his crusade. He also wanted to ensure the security of the duchy while he was away: since his appanage in Wales had been wiped out, Gascony was at this point his most prized possession. Perhaps it always was, even though England had to come first.

Thanks to the help of King Louis, Edward managed to persuade Gaston, viscomte of Béarn, to join the expedition in August for the fee of 25,000 livres tournois. Gaston, lord of Béarn on the Pyrenean frontier, was a pain in the butt: he had torn up Gascony while Simon de Montfort was seneschal of the duchy, and never ceased raiding, plundering and complaining. Having him along on the crusade was a way of ensuring he didn’t set fire to Gascony while Edward was in the Holy Land. Edward attempted to strengthen Gaston’s future allegiance by arranging a marriage for the viscomte’s daughter, Constance, and Edward’s cousin Henry of Almaine. Henry was the heir of Richard of Cornwall, Henry III’s brother and King of the Romans as well as Earl of Cornwall. This was quite a match for Gaston, who was a big noise in Gascony but a mere squeak outside it.

Gaston was happy to profit from a political marriage, but thought better of risking his neck in Outremer. Despite French influence and financial incentives, in the end he decided to stay at home and make himself useful by arguing with Edward’s officers. This meant he lost his share of the 75,000 livres granted by Louis to Edward and Gaston, so the English prince kept the cash and carried on alone to the Holy Land.

Above are the arms of Gaston IV, Gaston’s ancestor, who did go to the Holy Land in 1096 and made a great name for himself killing some people in the desert he had never met.