text: william montagu , 1st earl of salisbury william montagu , alias de montacute , 1st earl of salisbury , 3rd baron montagu , king of mann ( 1301 – 30 january 1344 ) was an english nobleman and loyal servant of king edward iii . the son of william montagu , 2nd baron montagu , he entered the royal household at an early age and became a close companion of the young prince edward . the relationship continued after edward was crowned king following the deposition of edward ii in 1327 . in 1330 , montagu was one of edward 's main accomplices in the coup against roger mortimer , who until then had been acting as the king 's protector . in the following years montagu served the king in various capacities , primarily in the scottish wars . he was richly rewarded , and among other things received the lordship of the isle of man . in 1337 , he was created earl of salisbury , and given an annual income of 1000 marks to go with the title . he served on the continent in the early years of the hundred years ' war , but in 1340 he was captured by the french , and in return for his freedom had to promise never to fight in france again . salisbury died of wounds suffered at a tournament early in 1344 . legend has it that montagu 's wife catherine was raped by edward iii , but this story is almost certainly french propaganda . william and catherine had six children , most of whom married into the nobility . modern historians have called william montague edward 's " most intimate personal friend " and " the chief influence behind the throne from mortimer 's downfall in 1330 until his own death in 1344 . " family background william montagu , born at , oxfordshire in 1301 , was the second but eldest surviving son of william montagu , 2nd baron montagu , and elizabeth de montfort , daughter of sir peter montfort of , by matilda / maud de la mare daughter and heiress of henry de la mare of ashtead , surrey , royal justice , seneschal of william ii earl of salisbury . the montagu family , a west country family with roots going back to the conquest , held extensive lands in somerset , dorset and devon . the father , william montagu , distinguished himself in the scottish wars during the reign of edward i , and served as steward of edward ii 's household . some members of the nobility , including thomas of lancaster , viewed montagu with suspicion , as a member of a court party with undue influence on the king . for this reason he was sent to aquitaine , to serve as seneschal . here he died on 18 october 1319 . even though he sat in parliament as a baron , the second lord montagu never rose above a level of purely regional importance . early service the younger william was still a minor at the time of his father 's death , and entered the royal household as a ward of the king in 1320 . on 21 february 1323 he was granted his father 's lands and title . his service to edward ii took him abroad to the continent in both 1320 and 1325 . in 1326 he was knighted . after the deposition of edward ii in 1327 , montagu continued in the service of edward 's son edward iii . he helped the new king in repelling the scottish invasion of 1327 , and was created knight banneret in 1328 . montagu enjoyed a close relationship with edward iii , and accompanied him abroad on a diplomatic mission in 1329 . that same year he was sent on an embassy to negotiate a marriage alliance with king philip vi of france . his most important task , however , came in connection with a mission to the papacy in avignon . the young king — along with his government — was under the dominance of his mother isabella and her lover roger mortimer , who had been responsible for the deposition of the king 's father . montagu explained the king 's situation , and pope john xxii asked for a special signal that assure him that he was dealing with the king in person . after montagu 's return , richard bury , keeper of the privy seal , wrote to inform the pope that only letters containing the words pater sancte ( holy father ) , in edward 's own handwriting , were indeed from the king . only edward , bury and montagu were party to the scheme . coup against mortimer when mortimer discovered the conspiracy against him , montagu was brought in for interrogation – along with the king – but gave nothing away . afterward he supposedly advised edward to move against his protector , because " it was better that they should eat the dog than that the dog should eat them " . on 19 october 1330 , while mortimer and isabella were entrenched in nottingham castle , the constable of the castle showed montagu a secret entrance through an underground tunnel . along with william de bohun , robert ufford , and john neville and others , he entered the castle , where he met up with the king . a short brawl followed before mortimer was captured . the queen stormed into the chamber shouting " good son , have pity on noble mortimer " . edward did not obey his mother 's wishes , and a few weeks later mortimer was executed for treason in london . as a reward for his part in the coup , montagu was given lands worth £ 1000 , including the welsh lordship of denbigh that had belonged to mortimer . his family also benefited ; his brother simon montacute became bishop of worcester and later of ely . another brother , edward montagu , 1st baron montagu , married alice of norfolk , a co - heir of thomas of brotherton , 1st earl of norfolk . service under edward iii in the years to come , montagu acted as edward 's closest companion . in april 1331 , the two went on a secret expedition to france , disguised as merchants so they would not be recognised . in september of the same year , montagu held a tournament at cheapside , where he and the king were costumed as tartars . from 1333 onwards , montagu was deeply engaged in the scottish wars , and distinguished himself at the siege of berwick and the battle of halidon hill . it was after this event that his lordship over the isle of man was recognised , a right he held from his grandfather . the lordship was at the moment of a purely theoretical nature , however , since the island was still under scottish control . in february 1334 montagu was sent on a commission to edinburgh , to demand edward balliol 's homage to edward . in the great summer campaign of 1335 , it was montagu who provided the largest english contingent , with 180 men - at - arms and 136 archers . he was well rewarded for his contributions : after the scots had been forced to cede the lowlands , montagu was granted the county of . he was also allowed to buy the wardship of roger mortimer 's son roger for 1000 marks , a deal that turned out to be very lucrative for montagu . at this point , however , the fortunes were turning for the english in scotland . montagu campaigned in the north again in 1337 , but the siege of dunbar met with failure . following the abortive attempt in scotland , edward iii turned his attention to the continent . the hundred years ' war montagu was created earl of salisbury on 16 march 1337 . this was one of six comital promotions edward iii made that day , in preparation for what was to become the hundred years ' war . to allow montagu to support his new status , the king granted him land and rent of a value of 1000 marks a year . the money was provided from the royal stannaries of cornwall . a contemporary poem tells of a vow made by the earl on the eve of the wars – he would not open one of his eyes while fighting in france . the story is probably a satire ; the truth was that montagu had already lost the use of one of his eyes in a tournament . in april 1337 , montagu was appointed to a diplomatic commission to valenciennes , to establish alliances with flanders and the german princes . in july 1338 , he accompanied the king on another mission to the continent , again providing the greatest number of soldiers , with 123 men - at - arms and 50 archers . in september of that year he was made marshal of england . after the death of thomas of brotherton , earl of norfolk , this office had come into the hands of norfolk 's daughter margaret . the king did not trust the office with her husband , so he decided instead to bestow it on his trusted companion , montagu . edward 's policy of building alliances put him in great debt , and when he left the low countries to return to england late in 1338 , salisbury had to stay behind as surety to the king 's debtors , along with the king 's family and the earl of derby . the earl had earlier voiced concerns about the costly alliances , but he nevertheless remained loyal to the king 's strategy . while edward was away , salisbury was captured by the french at lille in april 1340 , and imprisoned in paris . reportedly , king philip vi of france wanted to execute salisbury and robert ufford , earl of suffolk , who was captured with him . philip was , however , dissuaded by john of bohemia , who argued that the earls could come in handy in an exchange , should any french noblemen be captured . though released on parole in september , it was not until may 1342 that he reached a final settlement with the french . salisbury was freed in a prisoner exchange , but only on the condition that he never fight in france again . final years salisbury had long been frustrated by the failure of the government in england to provide sufficient funds for the war effort . on his return , however , he played little part in the conflict of 1341 between king edward and chancellor john stratford . in may that year he was appointed to a committee to hear the king 's charges against stratford , but little came from this . in 1342 – 43 he fought with robert of artois in the breton war of succession , and in 1343 helped negotiate the truce of . it was probably sometime after this he made good his claim on the isle of man , by conquering the island which was until then held by the scots . his final international commission took place late in 1343 , when he accompanied henry of grosmont , earl of derby , on a diplomatic mission to castile . early in 1344 he was back in england , where he took part in a great tournament at windsor . it was during this tournament , according to the chronicler adam , that he received wounds that would prove fatal . salisbury died on 30 january 1344 . he was buried at bisham priory in berkshire , adjoining his home , bisham manor . he had founded the priory himself in 1337 , on his elevation to the earldom . king edward 's financial obligations were never paid in full during the earl 's lifetime , and at salisbury ' death the king owed him £ 11 , 720 . of this , some £ were written off by his executors in 1346 . family in or before 1327 salisbury married catherine , daughter of william de grandison , 1st baron grandison . two anecdotal stories revolve around catherine montagu ; in one she is identified as the " countess of salisbury " from whose dropped garter edward iii named the order of the garter . in the other , edward iii falls in love with the countess , and arranges to be alone with her so he can rape her . neither story is supported by contemporary evidence , and the latter almost certainly is a product of french propaganda . william and catherine had six children , most of whom made highly fortunate matches with other members of the nobility . the first earl of salisbury made enormous additions to the family fortune ; at the time of his father 's death , the lands had been valued at just over £ 300 . in 1344 , only the annual income of the lands has been estimated to more than £ 2 , 300 , equivalent to about £ 1 . 83 million in present - day terms . edward was also free with granting franchises to salisbury , including the return of writs , which gave the earl authority in his lands normally held by the royally appointed sheriff . salisbury 's oldest son william succeeded his father in july 1349 , while still a minor , as william montagu , 2nd earl of salisbury . the younger william was one of the founding members of the order of the garter , but he never enjoyed the same favour with the king as his father had . the children of william and catherine were as follows : in fiction salisbury is a character in les rois maudits ( the accursed kings ) , a series of french historical novels by maurice druon . he was portrayed by serge in the 1972 french miniseries adaptation of the series .