Edward III’s Faithful Knight: Walter Mauny and His Legacy

Sir Walter Mauny was described as Edward III’s ‘faithful knight’. That accurately summed up his life and career as a loyal servant of the king, distinguishing himself as a soldier, naval commander and diplomat. From the profits of war and royal favour he amassed a fortune, while gaining the respect of his contemporaries in both England and France for his abilities, courage and chivalric conduct. He used some of his wealth to acquire a burial ground in London for the victims of the Black Death, where he later established a Carthusian priory, for the monastic order favoured by kings and princes. Mauny, an orphaned younger son from a frontier area of the Low Countries, forged a spectacularly successful career in the service of the king of England.

With his position, wealth and philanthropy Mauny made an enduring mark on the landscape of what became one of the world’s great cities and his legacy there is still readily identifiable today. Mauny’s abilities as a raconteur when telling the tales of his adventures enlivened the contemporary chronicles, and the popular impression of the Hundred Years War owes much to his narratives. His fascinating life, achievements and legacy stand out, even from the crowded chivalric world of Edward III’s long reign.