THE SCENE: A difficult siege against a well-fortified position rests in stalemate, until a bald priest intervenes and single-handedly wins the day.
THE TEXT: With the hands of our men broken and their knees buckling, our attack had almost come to a standstill when almighty God willed that this great and just revenge be credited entirely to his powerful, or rather almighty, hand. From the general levies of the land that were present, God awakened the firm and courageous spirit of a bald priest; and contrary to what men could believe, it became possible for him to do what had been impossible for an armed count and his follower. Carrying a flimsy shingle, which left his front exposed, he swiftly climbed all the way up and reached the palisade. Once there, he hid beneath the coverings fitted to it and took them down little by little. Glad to find no hindrance to his labor, he gave a signal for help to the others who had been hanging back and taking a rest in the field. When they saw an unarmed priest bravely tearing down the enclosures, they surged forward with their weapons and began striking the palisade with their axes and whatever iron tools they had. They hacked it down and destroyed it; and, what was an amazing sign of heaven’s judgment, as if the walls of a second Jericho had fallen, the hosts of the king and the count entered at the very same hour through the chopped-down enclosures. A large number of Hugh’s men could find no place to escape the assaults of their enemies, who were rushing in from all sides. They were quickly surrounded and forcefully struck down.
– The Deeds of Louis the Fat, Suger, 12th Century AD
