Eustace the Monk (c. 1170 – August 24, 1217) was a mercenary and pirate, in the great tradition of medieval outlaws. Eustace was even reputed to be a magician; he was one of the most feared men of his day. August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... Events April 9 - Peter of Courtenay crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III May 20 - First Barons War, royalist victory at Lincoln. ... A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ... Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Eustace the Monk was a younger son of a noble family in Boulogne. His moniker came from his youth in a Benedictine monastery. According to his legend, he served the count of Boulogne as a seneschal and bailiff but was accused of mishandling his stewardship. Eustace fled and was declared an outlaw. When the count confiscated his lands and fields, he burned two mills in retaliation. He became a mercenary pirate in the English Channel and the Straits of Dover. Boulogne-sur-Mer is a city and commune in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais département of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... A Benedictine is a person who follows the Rule of St Benedict. ... Boulogne-sur-Mer became the centre of the County of Boulogne in the 9th century. ... A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. ... A Bailiff in a United States courtroom Bailiff (from Late Latin bajulivus, adjectival form of bajulus) is a governor or custodian; cf. ... Butch Cassidy, a famous Western American outlaw An outlaw, a person living the lifestyle of outlawry, meaning literally outside of the law. ... The term mill, depending on context, can refer to: Mill (factory) – a place of business for making articles of manufacture; e. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche, IPA: , the sleeve), also for some time known in England as the British Sea, is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the... The Strait of Dover (Fr. ...

Eustace the Monk sold the services of his fleet to the highest bidder. From 1202 to 1212 he served King John of England in his war against Philip II of France, raided the Normandy coast and founded his bases in the Channel Islands, with John's acquiescence. He and his men held Castle Cornet in Guernsey for a considerable period. When he raided English coastal villages too, John briefly outlawed him but then pardoned him because he needed Eustace's services. John (French: Jean) (December 24, c. ... Philip II (French: Philippe II), called Philip Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste) (August 21, 1165 – July 14, 1223), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. ... The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Normandy, France, in the English Channel. ... Castle Cornet is a large castle on Guernsey, and former tidal island, which is now part of one of the breakwaters of St Peter Ports harbour, the main one on the island. ...

Eustace switched sides in 1212 and raided Folkestone when English troops seized his Channel Island bases. When civil war broke out in England in 1215, he helped the rebel barons and the French invasion which they invited. Map sources for Folkestone at grid reference TR2236 Folkestone is a coastal resort town in the Shepway district of Kent, England. ... The First Barons War (1215–1217) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of rebellious barons and King John. ...

In 1217 when Eustace the Monk and his fleet were transporting French troops to England, they met an English fleet. In the ensuing Battle of Sandwich, August 24, 1217, Eustace operated as Louis' admiral and wrought havoc among his former friends, the English, until the English blinded the French with powdered lime. English troops boarded his ships and defeated his men in melee. Eustace the Monk was beheaded on the spot.

A 13th century vernacular romance that relates his deeds, Li Romans de Witasse le Moine has recently been translated into modern English by Dr. Glyn Burgess. The contemporary historian Matthew Paris gives more detail of Eustace's career, in his Chronica Maiora (The Main Chronicle). Self portrait of Matthew Paris from a manuscript of his chronicle (London, British Library, MS Royal 14. ...

Eustace the Monk is not to be confused with Saint Eustace, the monk (died 625 CE), a favorite disciple and monk of Saint Columbanus, whom he succeeded as second abbot of Luxeuil in 611. Saint Columbanus (543 - 21 November 615; also Saint Columban), was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries. ... Luxeuil-les-Bains is a town and commune of eastern France, in the Haute-Saône département. ...

See also

• Fulk FitzWarin

Fulk FitzWarin (also called Fulke or Fouke FitzWaryn or FitzWarren) was a medieval outlaw. ...

External link

• An article from the English Historical Review, vol 27 (1912) gives biographical details.

Reference

• Glyn Burgess, Two Medieval Outlaws: Eustace the Monk and Fouke Fitz Waryn, 1997. Translation of the north French vernacular Li Romans de Witasse le Moine into modern English, with historical discussion of Eustace's career, analyzed from three kinds of souces: historically verifiable facts, unsubstantiated information that rings true, and a wide range of material which is manifestly imaginary, containing stock motifs also found in other romances of the period.