22 May 1306. Event at which Edward I,
king of England,
knighted his son Edward II at Westminster Abbey. The
prince served his vigil, was knighted in private by the
king , and then himself knighted the other 260 men who were accorded the
accolade at the same time. At the feast following, the king had two swans brought in, swearing ‘before God and the swans’ to ‘avenge the death John Comyn of Badenock and to fight the infidels in the
Holy Land . John was slain by Robert Bruce earlier in the year. The event inspired the
Vow of the Heron , at which Robert d’Artois and Edward III make their vows concerning the upcoming war with France. Such vows were common elements of
chivalric custom, a binding agent given a focal point for chivalric
feats of arms .
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