Note 1913 — Chapter VIII · THE LATER YEARS OF RICHARD. 1194–1199.

On this man’s history see an article by H. Géraud—“Mercadier; les Routiers au xiiiᵉ siècle”—in Bibl. de l’Ecole des Chartes, ser. i. vol. iii. pp. 417 et seq. The writers of his own time call him “Marcadeus,” “Mercaderius,” in every possible variety of spelling; in a charter of his own, printed by Géraud (as above, p. 444), his style is “ego Merchaderius”; it seems best therefore to adopt the form “Mercadier,” which Géraud uses. He was a Provençal by birth (Mat. Paris, Chron. Maj., Luard, vol. ii. p. 421). He makes his first historical appearance in 1183, in Richard’s service, amid the disorders in Aquitaine after the death of the young king (Geoff. Vigeois, l. ii. c. 25, Labbe, Nova Biblioth., vol. ii. p. 340). He reappears by Richard’s side at Vendôme in 1194 (Rog. Howden, Stubbs, vol. iii. p. 256); about this time Richard endowed him with the lands of Bainac in Périgord (see his own charter, a. 1195, as referred to above, and Géraud’s comments, ib. pp. 423–427). He played a considerable part in Richard’s wars with Philip (see authorities collected by Géraud, as above, pp. 428–431), remained, as we shall see, with Richard till his death, and afterwards helped Eleanor to regain Anjou for John. He was slain at Bordeaux in April 1200 (Rog. Howden, Stubbs, vol. iv. p. 114).