Griffe d'Airain
"The war is in our hands!"
Greetings, noble friends and visitors. Allow me to tell you the story of the noble and valiant company ‘The Brass Claw’, under the command of our valiant captain, Alister Mc Braem, known as the Bienveillant.
1402 - The Battle of Homildon Hill
In the year of grace 1402, on the 14th day of September, Alister Mc Braem's destiny took a decisive turn during the Battle of Homildon Hill in Northumberland.
On that day, the Scottish forces, which included Alister's father, under the banner of the eminent Archibald Douglas, faced the English army led by Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, and his son Harry Hotspur. The Scots were severely defeated, and Douglas, along with many captains, were captured by the English.
The King of England, Henry IV, forbade Hotspur from ransoming the Scots, fearing that once freed, these men would form a new invasion army. Angry at the king, Hotspur released Douglas and his men, then rebelled against Henry IV. At the Battle of Shrewsbury on 21 July 1403, Douglas fought for Hotspur, killed Edmund Stafford, but was recaptured by the king.
Meanwhile, Alister Mc Braem, now lord in his father's absence, found himself faced with the need to protect his lands and raise funds to free his father.
1408 - The Battle of Othée
Seeking fortune and fame, Alister followed Alexander Stuart, 1st Earl of Mar, a renowned Scottish nobleman who, in search of adventure and riches, travelled to Flanders to serve as a mercenary. Alister became Alexander Stuart's vassal, sharing his aspirations and desire for glory. Together, they joined forces with William IV, Earl of Hainaut, William II, Count of Namur, and John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, to quell the Liège rebels.
The Battle of Othée took place near the city of Tongeren, on the Othée plain, close to Liège, on the 23rd day of September 1408.
The rebel forces, composed of nobles, bourgeois and workers from Liège, opposed the army commanded by John the Fearless, William IV of Hainaut, and William II of Namur. The historical context was tense, as John III of Bavaria, Prince-Bishop of Liège, had exasperated the population with his authoritarianism. The people of Liège, attached to their franchises and freedoms, rose up against John III in 1395, led by a radical faction known as the hait-droits.
In July 1403, the hait-droits appointed Henri de Hornes, Lord of Perwez, as mambour of the city. Despite a few attempts at appeasement, such as the Peace of Caster in December 1395 and the Peace of Tongeren in August 1403, John III's arbitrary rule plunged the city into insurrection. John III was forced to take refuge in Maastricht in 1406, and a son of the lord of Perwez, Thierry, was appointed prince-bishop in his place. The rebellious people of Liège executed John III's loyalists on 30 June 1407.
In his difficulties, John III of Bavaria sought help from his family and obtained it all the more easily as the main interested party, John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, dreamed of establishing his domination over the region. On 22 September, the armies of Burgundy and Hainaut joined forces at Montenaken, 50 kilometres from Maastricht. The rebels lifted the siege of Maastricht and returned to their respective towns, except for the inhabitants of Huy, who passed through Liège. Henri de Hornes, aware of the weakness of his troops, proposed waging a war of attrition, but the hait-droits refused and forced him to confront the attackers directly.
The Liège forces took up position on a small hill, equipped with makeshift defences. Facing them were the cream of the knighthood of Flanders, Hainaut, Brabant and Burgundy. The battle was brutal. The Burgundian charge, carried out on foot under fire from the Liège artillery, led to a desperate melee. The rebel troops were finally disorganised by the attack of the Burgundian reserve, led by Jean de Croÿ, Lord of Heilly, and Enguerrand de Bournonville. The Liège troops were mercilessly massacred on the orders of John III of Bavaria, hence his nickname John the Merciless.
Alister, alongside Alexander Stuart, distinguished himself through his bravery and strategic sense. This victory brought him not only wealth, but also influential allies in the Holy Roman Empire.
1411 - The Battle of Harlaw
Back in Scotland, still as a vassal of Alexander Stuart, Alister played a crucial role in defending the city of Aberdeen. The Battle of Harlaw, known in Scottish Gaelic as Cath Gairbheach, took place on the 24th day of July 1411, north of Inverurie in the former region of Aberdeenshire. This battle pitted the Scottish clans of the east and west against each other, resulting from bloody rivalries over rights to the county of Ross.
The Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, had taken control of the county for his granddaughter, Euphemia II of Ross, daughter of the previous earl. However, his rights were contested by Domhnall, Lord of the Isles, who was married to Mariota, Euphemia II's aunt. Domhnall assembled an army of 10,000 men, composed of the Maclean, MacLeod, Cameron and MacKintosh clans. After devastating Inverness and defeating the forces of the Mackay and Fraser clans at Dingwall, Domhnall advanced on Aberdeen.
He was stopped about thirty kilometres from the city by an army hastily assembled by the Earl of Mar, accompanied by James Scrymgeor, royal standard-bearer and constable of Dundee, Alexander Ogilvy, chief of the name and hereditary sheriff of Angus, Robert Davidson, provost of Aberdeen, and the urban militias of Aberdeen. The fighting was fierce and bloody, with no decisive outcome. Domhnall and his troops withdrew during the night, thus saving Aberdeen from invasion.
The ferocity of the fighting at Harlaw earned him the nickname ‘Red Harlaw’. After this victory, the Earl of Mar strengthened his control over the region.
Alister and his men fought valiantly to protect Aberdeen from Highland incursions. His bravery and leadership repelled the enemy and saved the city from certain destruction. It was after this victory that, armed with his experience and reputation, Alister founded his own mercenary company, which he named ‘The Iron Claw’.
The Quest to Free His Father
With his newly formed company, Alister returned to France to offer his services as a mercenary. His main motivation was to raise the necessary funds and gain enough favour to negotiate the release of his father, who was still a prisoner of the English.
In the service of the King of France, Alister put his sword and skills to work for the crown. Through the royal advisors, he was tasked with diplomatic manoeuvres aimed at containing the Burgundians, whose allegiances wavered between France and England. The Scots, willing to accept lower pay because of Alister's personal quest, became valuable allies for the King of France. Their loyalty and determination were unwavering, for Alister, each battle won brought him closer to his goal of freeing his father.
1415 - The Battle of Agincourt
Our captain's epic journey culminated in the disastrous Battle of Agincourt on 25 October 1415. On that day, the French and English armies clashed in a merciless melee. Although the French forces were defeated, and the Count of Brabant, Antoine, perished on that fateful day, Alister's influence was felt until the very end.
Antoine de Brabant, despite his brother John the Fearless's advice not to participate in the battle, was inspired by courage and honour. John the Fearless, contrite after being reprimanded by the King of France, Charles VI, who had ordered him to return to Flanders and abandon his Parisian intrigues, did not expect Antoine to intervene. However, Antoine, driven by a spirit of bravery and perhaps influenced by Alister's indomitable spirit, went to Agincourt.
Legend has it that Antoine, arriving late to the battle, wrapped his flag around his body like a Scottish brat before charging the English lines. This gesture, a symbol of defiance and bravery, may have been inspired by Alister's spirit and honour. Although this battle marked a heavy loss for the French forces, it sealed Alister's reputation as an indomitable warrior and respected leader.