Eustace the Monk
Fact and fiction collide in the Black Monk’s tale c.1170 — 24 August 1217
Eustace Busket was born into privilege as the son of a nobleman and initially seemed set for a life in holy orders as a monk of Saint Samer Abbey, where he supposedly studied black magic. However, when his father was murdered, Eustace abandoned his monastic career and demanded justice from Renaud de Danmartin, Count of Boulogne. But Eustace was later accused of fraud and outlawed, losing his rank and territories.
The monk headed for the coast and England, where he was hired as a pirate by King John. He was such a valuable and fierce mercenary that, even when he raided English villages, the king pardoned him. Eventually Eustace switched sides again when his old enemy, Renaud, allied with the English. He may even have captured the Channel Islands but was eventually captured himself during a fearsome naval battle. Though he offered a fortune in return for his freedom, Eustace was beheaded.
Eustace passed into romantic legend thanks to a posthumous biography that painted him as a wizard of sorts, who hid in the forest and toyed with Renaud just as Robin Hood did with the sheriff of Nottingham. There is, however, no truth in the tale.