The known history of this man is primarily regarding his notoriety as a Crusader, defector, and butcher on the battlefield. Little to no evidence exists of his wife or wives and children. His nickname was "le Carpentier" (the Carpenter), but his actual name was Guillaume de Melun, so it is somewhat unlikely that all of his descendants would be known by the surname of Carpenter.

Guillaume Ier, dit « le Charpentier », vicomte de Melun, obtained from King Philippe I, en 1084, confirmation of privileges of the Abbaye Saint-Père de Melun, which the kings Hugues Capet, Robert le Pieux, and Henri I had accorded to vicomtes de Melun, his predecessors. He went on Crusade with Hugues I « le Grand », comte de Vermandois, in 1096, and during that expedition, he gained the nickname of "Carpenter" because, according to the chronicles of the time, he was not able to find any fighters who would resist the effort of his blows. Robert, monk of the Abbaye de Saint-Remi de Reims, who had noted this fact in his Histoire de la Terre-Sainte, and who was personally acquainted with vicomte Guillaume de Melun, noted in another passage, while speaking of the siège d'Antioche en 1098, "that [Guillaume] was of royal race and cousin of Hugues "le Grand" of France, Comte de Vermandois, brother of King Philip 1.

Charles Cawley writes: GUILLAUME "Carpentarius" (-after 1102). Vicomte de Melun. Philippe I King of France confirmed the privileges of Melun Saint-Père by charter dated 1094, the dating clause of which records "Willermo tunc Milidunensi vicecomite". Albert of Aix records that "Hugo, Drogo, Willelmus Carpentarius et Clareboldus" joined the army of Godefroi de Bouillon after their release from captivity in Constantinople, dated to end 1096. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines records that "Guilelmus Carpentarius et Petrus heremita" fled from the siege of Antioch in 1098, adding that "Guilelmus iste fuit vicecomes Meleduni consanguineus Hugonis Magni". Albert of Aix records that "Willelmus Carpentarius, Willelmusque alter, quondam familiaris et domesticus imperatoris Constantinopolis, qui et sororem Boemundi principis Siciliæ uxorem duxerat", escaped "out of fear" from Antioch to Alexandretta, believing that the crusading army was doomed after it was besieged by Kerbogha atabeg of Mosul, dated to mid-1098 from the context. "Guilielmus Carpenter…" subscribed a charter dated 1101 under which "Tancredus princeps" granted land "Solini" to "consulibus Januensium". Albert of Aix records "Willelmus Carpentarius" among those who favoured the restoration of Patriarch Dagobert, dated to 1102 from the context.

According to Courcelles, Guillaume I had, among other children:

1. Ursion II;

2. Eudes de Melun, who in 1141 gave to the Abbaye de Honnecourt a right that he had at Villers-Guislain, and that he wished to be buried in that Abbaye, to which he made a gift of several relics of saint Damien and of saint Éloi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Carpenter

William "the Carpenter," Viscount of Melun

Known as Crusader;
Religion: Roman Catholicism

William the Carpenter (fl. 1087–1102), viscount of Melun, was a French nobleman who participated in the Reconquista in Spain and on the First Crusade. He was notorious for defecting from the army both in Spain and on the crusade, but he was also known for his strength in battle, whence he earned his nickname "the Carpenter." He returned to the Holy Land after the crusade, and nothing further is known of his life or death.

Succession

His specific origins are unclear; according to the seventeenth-century genealogist Père Anselme, he was the son of Ursio I, viscount of Melun, a town about 50 kilometres outside Paris in the Brie region of the French Vexin, which was later known as the Île-de-France. Anselme believed William succeeded his father in 1084, and was later succeeded by his own son, Ursio II.[1] However, in the nineteenth century, Adolphe Duchalais showed that Anselme misread the charters he was using; all that is known for certain is that Ursio was viscount in 1085 and William was viscount in 1094. There is no definite record of an Ursio II, and after William there is no viscount known until Adam, who married the daughter of the previous, unnamed viscount in 1138. William was presumably related to Ursio but his specific relationship to him and the other viscounts is unknown.[2]

According to twelfth-century chronicler Robert the Monk, William was "of royal stock" and was related to Hugh I, Count of Vermandois and Hugh's brother King Philip I of France.[3]

Military exploits

According to twelfth-century monk Guibert of Nogent, William was "powerful in words, but less so in action...a man who set out to do things too great for him."[4] William was a member of the French contingent which marched into Spain in 1087 to assist Alfonso VI of Castile with the siege of Tudela against the Almoravids. He may have been one of the leaders, along with Eudes I, Duke of Burgundy, who was the nephew of Alfonso's wife Constance. The French army never made it to Tudela and withdrew with little success.[5][6] Guibert says that William "retreated like a wretch, leaving countless men stranded by his flight."[7] William's actions in Spain may have been the inspiration for the character of Ganelon in the Chanson de Roland, which was possibly written in the early twelfth-century, based on similar events that had occurred during the reign of Charlemagne centuries earlier.[8]

In France, Guibert says he engaged in petty warfare against other nobles and "criminal looting" of the countryside, in contravention of the Peace and Truce of God. In 1096 he joined the First Crusade, and "took from his poor neighbors the little that they had to provide himself shamefully with provisions for the journey."[7] He participated in the attacks on Jews at Mainz, led by Emich of Flonheim.[9] Emich's army later battled against the Hungarians, during which William "beheaded the chief of the Hungarian army, who was a member of the [King Coloman's] counsel, a distinguished man with dazzling snow-white hair."[10] After the dispersal of Emich's army following this battle, William and the other French leaders joined the army of his relative Hugh of Vermandois.[11] Hugh's army marched south into Italy, and at Bari, Hugh sent William across the sea to Dyrrhachium as an ambassador to the Byzantine governor of the city.[12] William then travelled to Constantinople with Hugh, and he was among the men who came to meet Godfrey of Bouillon when Godfrey arrived at the city later in the year.[13]

No further mention of William is made until the Siege of Antioch in 1098. The crusaders had successfully taken the city, but were then besieged themselves by a large Muslim army led by Kerbogha of Mosul. The crusaders suffered from lack of supplies, and there were many desertions; William fled Antioch in January 1098, along with the French monk Peter the Hermit, who had led his own army to Constantinople before the main crusaders arrived there. William was probably a member of Bohemond of Taranto's army at this point, because Bohemond sent his nephew Tancred to find them, and they were brought back to Bohemond's camp.[14] Robert the Monk assumes that William fled because "he had never before experienced such suffering from hunger."[15] William "spent the whole of the night...in Bohemond's tent, lying on the ground like a piece of rubbish." Bohemond rebuked him as a "wretched disgrace to the whole Frankish army", and mentioned his desertion of the French army in Spain in 1087. The other leaders asked Bohemond to spare him and William suffered no further punishment. However, William was so ashamed that he deserted the army again.[16]

Albert of Aachen says William's second desertion occurred in June 1098, along with William of Grand-Mesnil, a relative of Bohemond. On the road away from Antioch, they joined Stephen of Blois, another leader of the crusade who had also fled the siege. They travelled back towards Constantinople, but on the way met Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, who was advancing to Antioch with a relief army. They convinced him of the futility of the crusader siege and the emperor turned back to Constantinople.[17]

William apparently returned to the Holy Land in the Crusade of 1101. The First Crusade had successfully conquered Jerusalem, and those who had returned home before completing the journey were often shamed into going on crusade a second time; some of them, like Stephen of Blois, were killed on their second journey.[18] William, however, survived to participate in the politics of the newfound Kingdom of Jerusalem; he was among the men who petitioned King Baldwin I to restore Daimbert of Pisa as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. He was also present at Baldwin I's siege of Ascalon in 1102.[19] William may have settled in the north, in the crusader Principality of Antioch as a vassal of Bohemond, because he appears as a witness in a charter from Antioch in 1101.[20]

Nickname

William's actions at the Siege of Antioch are known from the Gesta Francorum, an anonymous chronicle written by an Italo-Norman eyewitness. The Gesta was very popular in Europe after the crusade, but was considered crudely written by more refined readers. It was later rewritten and expanded by more educated writers, including the French monks Robert and Guibert, both of whom were eager to add information about French crusaders like William. According to Robert, William "acquired the name of 'Carpenter' because nobody wanted to take him on in battle—-there was no breastplate, helmet or shield which could withstand the shattering impact of his lance or sword."[21] Guibert says that he "was called the Carpenter, not because he was a craftsman in wood, but because he prevailed in battle like a carpenter, by cutting men down", and has Bohemond ask: "what kind of Carpenter did we have, who, like a construction-worker with a pick-axe, hacked away, with lances and swords, at the backs of the Gentiles?"[22] Christopher Tyerman interprets this as William's "skills as a battlefield butcher".[23] Edward Gibbon, apparently misunderstanding Guibert, thought the nickname came "from the weighty strokes of his axe".[24]

References

1. ^ Anselme de Sainte-Marie, Histoire Généalogique et Chronologique de la Maison Royale de France, des Pairs, Grands Officiers de la Couronne et de la Maison du Roy et des anciens Barons du Royaume (Reproduction de l'éd. de Paris: chez Estienne Loyson, 1674: Num. BNF de l'éd. de Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 1987. 1 microfilm Reproduction de l'éd. de Paris: Compagnie des libraires associés, 1730); vol. 5, "Généalogie de la Maison de Melun.", p. 221.
2. ^ Duchalais, Adolphe "Charte inedité de l'an 1138, relative à l'histoire des vicomtes de Melun" (Bibliothèque de l’école des chartes; vol. 6 no. 6, 1845), pp. 253–255.
3. ^ Sweetenham, Carol (tr.) (2005) Robert the Monk's History of the First Crusade = Historia Iherosolimitana. Aldershot: Ashgate; iv.XII, p. 128.
4. ^ Guibert of Nogent; Levine, Robert (tr.) (1997) The Deeds of God Through the Franks. Woodbridge: Boydell Press; bk. iv, p. 79.
5. ^ Reilly, Bernard F. (1988) The Kingdom of León-Castilla under King Alfonso VI, 1065-1109. Princeton University Press; p. 191.
6. ^ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1997) The First Crusaders, 1095-1131. Cambridge University Press; p. 43.
7. ^ Jump up to: a b Guibert of Nogent (1997), p. 79.
8. ^ Defourneaux, Marcelin (1949) Les Français en Espagne aux XIe et XIIe siècles. Paris: Presses universitaires de France; p. 269.
9. ^ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (2005) The Crusades: a history, 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, p. 28.
10. ^ Albert of Aachen; Edgington, Susan B. (ed. & tr.) (2007) Historia Ierosolimitana. Oxford University Press; I.29, p. 55.
11. ^ Riley-Smith, The Crusades, p. 28.
12. ^ Runciman, Steven (1951) A History of the Crusades, vol. I: The First Crusade. London: Folio Society, 1994, p. 120 (originally published: Cambridge U. P., 1951). Runciman's account is derived from Anna Comnena, who calls William "Tzerpentarios", a Greek rendering of his French nickname. Anna Comnena; Sewter, E.R.A (tr.) (1969), Alexiad. Penguin, p. 314.
13. ^ Albert of Aachen (2007), II.9, p. 75.
14. ^ Asbridge, Thomas (2004) The First Crusade: A New History. Oxford University Press; pp. 178–179.
15. ^ Robert the Monk (2005), p. 128.
16. ^ Hill, Rosalind T. (ed. and trans.) (1967) Gesta Francorum: the Deeds of the Franks and the Other Pilgrims to Jerusalem. London: Oxford University Press; pp. 33–34. August C. Krey's translation of the passage in The First Crusade: the accounts of eyewitnesses and participants (Princeton, 1921, pp. 136–139) can be found at the Internet Medieval Sourcebook, "The Sufferings of the Crusaders - 3. The Gesta Version". Guibert was not as forgiving as Robert, but he also gives hunger as the excuse for William's second flight (Guibert of Nogent (1997), pg. 81).
17. ^ Albert of Aachen (2007), iv.39–40, pp. 311–313.
18. ^ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1986) The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press; p. 120.
19. ^ Albert of Aachen, ix.14-15, p. 655.
20. ^ Riley-Smith (1986), p. 72. The charter is in Reinhold Röhricht, Regesta Regni Hierosolimitani; no. 35, p. 5.
21. ^ Robert the Monk, pp. 127–128.
22. ^ Guibert of Nogent, pg. 80.
23. ^ Tyerman, Christopher (2006) God's War: a new history of the Crusades. London: Penguin Books; p. 87.
24. ^ Gibbon, Edward; David Womersley (ed.) (1996) The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 3, Chapter LVIII, p. 598.

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http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/PARIS%20REGION%20NOBILITY.htm#_Toc3...

GUILLAUME "Carpentarius" (-after 1102). Vicomte de Melun. Philippe I King of France confirmed the privileges of Melun Saint-Père by charter dated 1094, the dating clause of which records "Willermo tunc Milidunensi vicecomite"[2235].

Albert of Aix records that "Hugo, Drogo, Willelmus Carpentarius et Clareboldus" joined the army of Godefroi de Bouillon after their release from captivity in Constantinople, dated to end 1096[2236].

The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines records that "Guilelmus Carpentarius et Petrus heremita" fled from the siege of Antioch in 1098, adding that "Guilelmus iste fuit vicecomes Meleduni consanguineus Hugonis Magni"[2237].

Albert of Aix records that "Willelmus Carpentarius, Willelmusque alter, quondam familiaris et domesticus imperatoris Constantinopolis, qui et sororem Boemundi principis Siciliæ uxorem duxerat", escaped "out of fear" from Antioch to Alexandretta, believing that the crusading army was doomed after it was besieged by Kerbogha atabeg of Mosul, dated to mid-1098 from the context[2238].

"Guilielmus Carpenter…" subscribed a charter dated 1101 under which "Tancredus princeps" granted land "Solini" to "consulibus Januensium"[2239].

Albert of Aix records "Willelmus Carpentarius" among those who favoured the restoration of Patriarch Dagobert, dated to 1102 from the context[2240].

Notes:

[2235] Duchalais ´Charte inédite…Melun´, Bibliothèque de l´école des chartes, Tome VI (1845), p. 247, quoting Mabillon De re diplomata, LivreVI, CLXII [not yet consulted].

[2236] Albert of Aix (RHC), Liber II, Cap. IX, p. 305.

[2237] Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium 1098, MGH SS XXIII, p. 807.

[2238] RHC, Historiens occidentaux, Tome IV (Paris, 1879), Alberti Aquensis Historia Hierosolymitana ("Albert of Aix (RHC)"), Liber IV, Cap. XXXVII, p. 414.

[2239] Röhricht (1893), 35, p. 5.

[2240] Albert of Aix (RHC), Liber IX, Cap. XIV, p. 598.

---------------------------------

John R. Carpenter of La Mesa, CA (jrcrin001@cox.net) gathered the following information and posted it on the Medieval Genealogy Forum (http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?william,carpente...)

William "the Carpenter" De Melun or in French Guillaume "le charpentier" De Melun b. abt 1042 d. abt 1104/1109

BOOK: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - by Gibbons vol. 4, page 208: Earl of Melun slaughtered his opponents with a large axe, thus earning himself the nickname of "The Carpenter." SEE: Web page at: http://flying.swpi.edu.cn/books/ewjd/g/gibbon/hor/258.htm

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). Chapter LVIII: The First Crusade:

"... ^97 Among the chiefs, three heroes may be found without fear or reproach: Godfrey of Bouillon was supported by his magnanimous piety; Bohemond by ambition and interest; and Tancred declared, in the true spirit of chivalry, that as long as he was at the head of forty knights, he would never relinquish the enterprise of Palestine. But the count of Tholouse and Provence was suspected of a voluntary indisposition; the duke of Normandy was recalled from the sea-shore by the censures of the church: Hugh the Great, though he led the vanguard of the battle, embraced an ambiguous opportunity of returning to France and Stephen, count of Chartres, basely deserted the standard which he bore, and the council in which he presided. The soldiers were discouraged by the flight of William, viscount of Melun, surnamed the Carpenter, from the weighty strokes of his axe; and the saints were scandalized by the fall ^* of Peter the Hermit, who, after arming Europe against Asia, attempted to escape from the penance of a necessary fast. Of the multitude of recreant warriors, the names (says an historian) are blotted from the book of life; ..."

THE NORMANS by R. Allen Brown 1984. St. Martin's Press, NY. ISBN: 0-312-57776-1 940.17 Brown. Page 130 and 131: At the Seige of Antioch, Syria about Feburary 1098 -

"Nevertheless, as the seige wore interminably on and conditions worsened, and as the expectation of another relieving army under the powerful Kerbogha, 'atabeg' of Mosul, increased, morale began to crack in certain quarters and divisions to appear amongst the Christian leaders. There were desertions, real and suspected, both before and after the battle of the Lake of Antioch.

Amongst them were Peter the Hermit (of all people) and William 'the Carpenter (so called - he was a knight and Lord of Melun) who slipped away in January and were ignominiously caught and brought back by Tancred, Bohemond's nephew.

The "Gesta Francorum" gives us a military scene, timeless across the ages, as the wretched William stood in Bohemond'd tent at first light, to have strip after strip torn off him by his commanding officer - 'You wretched disgrace to the whole Frankish army -- you dishonourable blot on all the people of Gaul! You most loathsome of all men whom the earth has to bear . . .' etc.54".

54 refers to a note on page 185: "54 Gesta Francorum, p. 33. William had evidently deserted once before, on an expedition against the Moors in Spain, an incident of which he was now forcefully reminded by the outraged Bohemond."

Mean Knight age per the the above book for Lords, Barons and Princes = 40. William the Carpenter de Melun probably died during the First Crusade, since there is no further mention of him. More "knights" died of disease than in battle. FURTHER Record is found indicating he was alive on 17 July 1100 when he was granted lands for his "efforts" during the First Crusade. Those lands were contested by Bohemond.

Christians from France helped take Toledo from the Moors in 1084 - 1086. William was there and known as William "the carpenter" at that time because of the "Gesta Francorum." See Book Note above regarding "The Normans."

The ROLL OF BATTLE ABBEY by John Bernard Burke, Esq. reprinted Baltimore 1979, originally printed in London 1848. 942.0 D3br.

The Roll of Battle Abbey, the earliest record of the Normans, has at all times been regarded with deep interest by the principal families of the United Kingdom. Especially those who show descent directly from the chiefs of William the Conqueror's host, as well as by those who indirectly establish a similar lineage.

The Abbey of Battle was erected upon a plain called Heathfield, about seven miles distant from Hastings, in fulfillment of a vow made by the Conqueror prior to the battle which won him the diadem of England. Of the names of the Norman Chieftains who survived the Battle we find "Melun" (page 6).

Grand Dictionaire Universel DU XIX Siecle, Paris 1873 Tome 10: (See also: Herve De Melun's notes) (page 1488)

"Guillaume I. du nom, viscount de Melun, fut surnomme Charpentier, a cause qu'il ne se trouvoit point d'armes qui pussent resister a l'effort de ses coups. "La pesanteur des siennes le faisoit apprehender dans les combats."

Guillaume I., of name, Viscount of Melun, was named Carpenter, because no weapon (opponents weapons that is) could be found that could resist the power his strikes. The heaviness of his (weapons) resulted in him being feared in combats". Carpenters must of, at the time, been among the most "well build" people... " per Jean P.

"This is the report of Pierre, monk of S. Remi of Reims. This historian, who knew Guillaume count of Melun, assures in the fourth book of his history of the conquest of the Holy Land, speaking of the retreat of the Christian army after the taking of Antioch in 1098, that this lord was of royal lineage, and was cousin of Hugues of France, count of Vermandois, brother of King Phillipe I." (long sentence!) In 1084, this King confirmed the privileges accorded by his predecessors to the Abbey of Holy Father of Melun, and to the prayer of the viscount. The name of his wife and the time of his death are not well known. He was the father of Ursion II, who follows (but it wasn't included in the copy)."

Ironically, "MELUN, (GUILLAUME DE) ... was a relative of Hugues de Vermandois, and accompanied Godefroi de Bouillon to Palestine (1096), where he distinguished himself by his bravery." This per the French Record above on page 1399-1400. It is an interesting contrast to the book called "The Normans" who describes his efforts differently.

E-MAIL: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 From: "John F. Chandler" <JCHBN@CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU> John R. Carpenter wrote: I had another translation which translated read, "This is the report of Pierre, monk of S. Remi of Reims. This historian, who knew Guillaume count of Melun, assures in the fourth book of his history of the conquest of the Holy Land, "...

What a coincidence that Pierre also speaks of Melun in the fourth book of a history of the Holy Land. It sounds to me as if there may be only one monk known perhaps by two different names. Better translation...

"Robert, monk of Saint Remy de Reims, in his history of the Holy Land, Book 4, wrote that the house of Melun came from royal origins*. He gathered** "titles and monuments" of that great house, intended for a genealogical history more complete than could be given here. The first of that ancient house, whose memory is preserved to the present day, is..."

• See du Bouchet, History of Courtenay, pp 194ff.
  • Cabinee de M. de Clairembault.

(Yes, the passage ends with a sentence fragment.) John Chandler

De Pairs De France by Joyeuse - Genealgie de la Maison de Melun. (of the House of Melun). Pg 221+. "Robert, moine de S. Remy de Reims, en son histoire de la Terre Sainte liv. IV. a ecrit, que la maison de Melun sortoit d'une source royale, (a) l'on a rassfemble (b) des titres & monumens de cette grande maison destinez pour une histoire genealogique plus complette, qu'on ne la peut donner ici. Le premier de cette ancienne maison, dont la memoire s'est conservee jusqu'a present est." (a) Voyez du Bouchet, hist. de Courtenay, pages 194. & Suivantes. (b) Cabinee de M. de Clairembault. COMPARE TO: Grand Dictionaire Universel above.

MISC: This text (below) is part of the Internet Medieval Source Book. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history. Unless otherwise indicated, the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use. Paul Halsall, December 1997. halsall@murray.fordham.edu SEE: Web page at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html

First Crusade - Listed in related parts ... Soon they departed from their homes in Gaul, and then formed three groups. One party of Franks, namely, Peter, the Hermit Duke Godfrey, Baldwin, his brother, and Baldwin, Count of the Mount, entered the region of Hungary. These most powerful; knights, and many others whom I do not know, went by the way which Charles; the Great, wonderworking king of France, long ago had made,!, even to Constantinople. . . . The second party - to wit, Raymond, Count of St. Gilles, and the Bishop of Puy - entered the region of Slavonia. . . . The third division, however, went by the ancient road to Rome. In this division were Bohemund, Richard of Principati, Robert, Count of Flanders, Robert the Norman, Hugh the Great, Everard of Puiset, Achard of Montmerle, Ysooard of Mousson, and many others. Next, they went to the port of Brindisi, or Bari, or Otranto. Then Hugh the Great, and William, son of Marchisus, took to the sea at the port of Bari and, crossing the strait, came to Durazzo. But the governor of this place, his heart touched with evil design, took these most renowned men captive immediately upon hearing that they had landed there and ordered them to be conducted carefully to the Emperor at Constantinople, where they should pledge loyalty to him.

Source: August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants, (Princeton: 1921), 57. NOTE: William "the carpenter" De Melun was in the third division with Hugh, see next. NEXT SECTION: Meanwhile Hugh reached the seacoast of Longobardy; there he sent envoys to the Governor of Durazzo, twentyfour in number, each decorated with gold and red breastplates. Along with them went COUNT CARPENTER and that Helia who had fled from the Emperor at Thessalonica. These men addressed the following message to the Governor: "Be it known to you, O Governor, that our lord, Hugh, will soon be here, bringing with him from Rome the golden banner of St. Peter; moreover, know that he is the highest leader of all the armies of France. Prepare yourself, therefore, to receive him and the army obeying him according to the dignity of his power; and gird yourself about to meet him."

Source: August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants, (Princeton: 1921), 78-79. NEXT SECTION: ... With his entire band of pilgrims Godfrey withdrew to the city of Constantinople itself. There, after pitching their tents, they lodged, a strong and powerful band, protected by armor and all warlike equipment. And, behold, at the meeting Hugh, Drogo, WILLIAM CARPENTER, and Clarebold, set free by the Emperor, were present, rejoicing because of the arrival of the Duke and of his multitudes, and meeting the embrace of the Duke and of the others with many a kiss.

Source: August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants, (Princeton: 1921), 80-86.

NEXT SECTION: Gesta Francorum Circa 1100-1101, an anonymous writer connected with Bohemund of Antioch wrote the Gesta francorum et aliorum Hierosolymytanorum (The Deeds of the Franks) This text was used by the later writers as a source.

See Also: Rosalind M. Hill, ed. and trans., Gesta francorum et aliorum Hierosolymitanorum: The Deeds of the Franks (London: 1962), [Latin text with English translation.].

The Sufferings of the Crusaders - 3. The Gesta Version. When the Armenians and Syrians, however, saw that our men were returning utterly empty-handed, they counselled together and went away through the mountains and places of which they had previous knowledge, making subtle inquiry and buying grain and other bodily sustenance. This they brought to the camp, in which hunger was great beyond measure, and they sold a single assload for eight perpre, which is worth one hundred and twenty solidi of denarii. There, indeed, many of our men died because they did not have the means wherewith to buy at such a dear price. WILLIAM CARPENTER and Peter the Hermit secretly left because of the great sorrow and misery. Tancred pursued and caught them, and brought them back in disgrace. They gave him a pledge that they would return willingly to camp and render satisfaction to seignors. Then WILLIAM lay all that night, like an evil thing, in the tent of Bohemund. On the next day at early dawn he came shamefacedly and stood in the presence of Bohemund, who, addressing him, said, "O, the misfortune and infamy of all France, the disgrace and villainy of Gaul! O, most evil of all whom the earth endures! Why did you so vilely flee? Was it, perchance, for the reason that you wished to betray these knights and the host of Christ, as you betrayed others in Hispania?" He was entirely silent and no speech proceeded from his mouth, Almost all those of Frankish race gathered together and humbly asked Lord Bohemund not to let anything worse befall him. He nodded, with calm countenance, and said, "To this I willingly consent for love of you, if he will swear to me with his whole heart and mind that be will never withdraw from the march to Jerusalem, whether for good or evil; and if Tancred will agree not to let anything untoward befall him, either through him or his men." When WILLIAM had heard these words, he willingly agreed, and Bohemund forthwith dismissed him. Later, indeed, CARPENTER, caught in the greatest villainy, slipped away by stealth without long delay. This poverty and wretchedness God meted out to us because of our sins. Thus in the whole army no one could find a thousand knights who had horses of the best kind.

Source: August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants, (Princeton: 1921), 136-39. NEXT SECTION: Meanwhile, messengers came to camp, announcing that our ships had arrived at Joppa and that the sailors demanded that a guard be sent to hold the tower of Joppa and to give them protection at the port; for the town of Joppa had been destroyed except the castle, and that was nearly in ruins, with the exception of one tower. However, there is a harbor there, and it is the one nearest to Jerusalem, being about one day's journey distant. All of our people rejoiced when they heard the news of the ships, and they sent out Count Galdemar, surnamed Carpinellus, accompanid by twenty knights and about fifty footmen.

Later, they sent Raymond Piletus with fifty knights and William of Sabran with his followers. (NOTE: Could this be Count Guillaume surnamed Carpintarius - latin for Carpenter?)

Source: August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants, (Princeton: 1921), 250-56. END.

E-MAIL: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 From: "James A. Brundage"

Dear Mr. Carpenter, ...As for William the Carpenter from Melun who participated in the first crusade, very little is known about him because scarcely any evidence survives. For what little there is, see Jonathan Riley-Smith, The First Crusaders, 1095-1131 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), pp. 43 & 226 and Marcus Bull, Knightly Piety and the Lay Response to the First Crusade: The Limousin and Gascony, c. 970-c. 1130_ (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), pp. 84-85.

To the best of my knowledge, Riley-Smith and Bull have exhausted every scrap of evidence about the man that is known to survive. And at that, we know more about him than we do about most of the participants in the first crusade. Sorry I can't give you any more information, but I don't think there's any more information to give.

James A. Brundage - History & Law University of Kansas - Member of the Medieval History Ring.

MORE: Désertions pendant le siège d'Antioche, selon l'Anonyme.

Désertion de Pierre l'Ermite. Guillaume le Charpentier (1) et Pierre l'Ermite, à cause de cette grande calamité et de cette misère, s'évadèrent secrètement. Tancrède les poursuivit, les rattrapa et les ramena avec lui en grande honte. Ils lui donnèrent leur foi et leur serment qu'ils reviendraient volontiers au camp et feraient satisfaction aux seigneurs. [Guillaume fut réprimandé par Bohémond dans sa tente] Mais dans la suite le Charpentier, dévoré d'une grande honte, n'attendit pas longtemps pour fuir en cachette (2).

(1) Guillaume le Charpentier, vicomte de Melun, parent de Hugue le Mainsné. Il avait fait partie de l'armée de Godefroi de Bouillon.

(2) Il s'enfuit pendant le siège d'Antioche par Kerbôga.

Traduction prise dans Anonyme édité et traduit par Louis Bréhier, Histoire anonyme de la première croisade, Paris, Éditions " Les Belles Lettres ", 1964 (1924), p. 77-79.

This from the following web page: http://www.callisto.si.usherb.ca/~croisade/Antioche.htm#antioche2

SEE ALSO: (This is a recap in French of the above material decribing desertions at Antioch) http://www.callisto.si.usherb.ca/~croisade/Crois06.htm

Les chrétiens indigènes apportèrent des vivres, mais les vendaient chèrement. Le patriarche orthodoxe de Jérusalem, se trouvant en exil à Chypre, envoya ce qu'il pût à Antioche. De plus, il ne restait que sept cents chevaux dans le camp. Face à de tels obstacles, plusieurs croisés désertèrent et retournèrent en Europe. Ainsi, vers le 20 janvier 1098, Tancrède arrêta en pleine fuite et ramena Pierre l'Ermite et Guillaume le Charpentier, vicomte de Melun, au camp. Pierre fut pardonné, tandis que Guillaume passa la nuit debout dans la tente de Bohémond. Il dut promettre de rester avec l'armée jusqu'à Jérusalem, mais il brisa plus tard ce serment et déserta.

NOTE: There are duplicative French records of Marne et Daniel of William, Lord William and William the Carpenter. IE William the Carpenter (born about 1042 who fought at Antioch) who had a son named William (born about 1066) and grandsons, William and Godwin. This William was a supporter of the French Crown. However his son, also named William, was an enemy of the French Crown. When looking at records regarding this family, you will see a good and an evil William in relationship to the French Crown. The first is this William and the former is his son named William.

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More references:

http://www.templiers.net/personnages-croisades/index.php?page=perso...

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/a/r/John-R-Carpenter/F...

http://kkeener.com/carpenter.html