Albéric Clément (c. 1165 – 3 July 1191) was the first

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

(''Marescallus Franciae''), a position created for him by Philip Augustus in 1185. He also inherited the ''seigneurie'' of Mez (later Mez-le-Maréchal) in Gâtinais after his father's death in 1182. 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. He accompanied Philip on the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

as Marshal, and distinguished himself at the Siege of Acre in particular, frequently leading the advanced guard into battle. 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 The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

. 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 upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

defenders and isolated from his men by rocks thrown onto the climbing assault party. Other accounts describe the ladder breaking under the weight of the Marshal's followers, leaving him alone on the wall. 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 Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

shot the man down. Albéric had two siblings, one of whom- Henry I Clément- would go on to become Marshal of France himself.

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. 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.

Gallery

Image:Blason fam fr Clément du Mez.svg, Image:Acre1291 made by samsam.JPG, Image:Siège de Ptolémaïs (1191).jpg,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Alberic 1160s births 1191 deaths 12th-century French nobility Marshals of France Christians of the Third Crusade