In November of the year 1095 Guy II, Comte de Macon attended church in the recently liberated county of La Marche to give thanks for recent events in his life.

He had fully avenged the corruption of his previous wife Paola by capturing the county of La Marche for himself and sending Paola’s lover Bertrand into exile without a penny to his name. He had gained glory among Christian Lords by leading his army south into Iberia, winning battles almost on the border of Seville, and capturing the county of Calatrava.

Through his half-sister Constance his family had risen to connection with the King of France himself and he had even remarried recently and his third wife, Katharina d’Ardennes already carried a new life inside.

But it was here on holy ground that it appeared his time in the good graces of fate and destiny ran out, as he was assailed by a gang of men, cut through several times and left to die.

That Guy would survive was only the second-most miraculous thing about to happen.

Although Guy was discovered quickly and rushed to his bed and the care of his Doctors, word spread quickly that the Conqueror of Calatrava was at death’s door and the Sultanate of Seville began to raise armies to attempt to reclaim the county. This meant the first order of business was for Guy, through Katharina, to appoint his first son Henri as Comte de Calatrava, to allow Henri to raise an army to resist any invasion.

With administrative matters closed Guy was returned to Macon where he was tended to dutifully by his wife. Despite impending childbirth Katharina refused to leave her husband’s side and it was here that Guy and Katharina fell deeply in love – a love that was blessed by the birth of a son, Guillaume.

As soon as she was able Katharina returned to her husband’s needs and the depth of her care and attention and the depth of their love was evident for all to see… as Guy, barely able to move and still listed as critically wounded announced just eight days later that he and his wife were expecting another child.

That child also turned out to be a boy, Frederic, and within six months of his birth Guy and Katharina were pregnant again, with another boy, Renaud.

It was safe to say that the Count was making a vigorous recovery and having fathered three sons, two from his deathbed, it was now that he strode back into court, apparently a man renewed save for a few scars.

With Guy returned to leadership of the counties of Macon and La Marche Katharina, understandably exhausted, retired to a local monastery for some time on her own. At which point she promptly got pregnant again, this time giving birth to a girl named Arsinde.

Clearly there was little that could keep Guy’s new lust for life at bay, so behind the walls of the monastery Katharina declared she was now embracing a life of celibacy. As a result, she only had three more children in the next five years, all of them boys.

With two sons and a daughter from his previous marriage to Paola, Guy was now up to ten children – two fathered from his deathbed while seriously wounded, one fathered after his wife retreated to a convent and three more after his wife declared herself celibate.

Guy was bringing sexy back. From the dead.