Albéric Clément

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

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...

(''Marescallus Franciae''), a position created for him by

Philip Augustus Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...

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 Robert III Clément (c. 1120/1130 – c. 1182) was a French nobleman and courtier who served as tutor and senior Minister of State to Philip II of France. Two of his sons, Albéric and Henry I Clément, were appointed the first and third Marsh ...

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 by three European monarchs of Western Christianity ( Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

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 land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

. 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