Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, was, by his own declaration, a Norman. Possessing, at one time or another, a Dukedom, numerous Earldoms and Viscounties on both sides of the Channel, he owned and controlled about a third of both England and Normandy.Skilled in siegecraft and loyal to a fault, Ranulf spent a lifetime at war alongside the impetuous King Richard the Lionheart and then his reviled brother King John, ably commanding their armies and earning a reputation for his offensive spirit and his tenacity in defence. Loyal to a fault, in 1215 he refused to sign Magna Carta and spent the next two years as England-s main defence against a French-backed rebel army. Offered the regency of all England, he graciously refused. His military might tipped the balance in support of the child king Henry III.Ranulf-s reputation grew further when he went on crusade, covering himself with glory and winning the admiration of Rome. He went on to use his experience of war to build spectacula
