force into Languedoc, and laid siege to the town of the Pont du St
Esprit, on the Rhône, which was garrisoned by the prince of Orange's
men for the duke of Burgundy. He pointed against it many engines that
had been sent him from Avignon and Provence, and pressed the place so
much that it surrendered.
In like manner, he subdued the greater part of the towns and castles
in Languedoc that were attached to the burgundian party through the
influence of the prince of Orange; and having placed therein sufficient
garrisons and expert commanders, he returned to Bourges in Berry, where
he assembled a very large army to enable him to oppose the king of
England and the duke of Burgundy, who he knew were preparing to conquer
all towns and castles that were attached to him.
At this time also, the holy father the pope ordered a croisade to be
undertaken against Bohemia; the leaders of which were the archbishop
of Cologne, the bishop of Liege, the archbishop of Treves, the bishop
of Mentz, count Louis du Rhin, and many other great lords of upper
Germany, and from the adjoining parts. They entered the country near
Prague, where they committed great devastations, and took a strong
castle, called Nansonne[6], and the well fortified town of Culhue[6],
as well as some others. However, great numbers of this army quitted it
and returned home, because it seemed to them that their leaders were
too avaricious.
The cardinal duke of Bar, with his nephew Réné d'Anjou, son of his
sister and the late king Louis of Sicily, whom he had declared his
heir to the duchy of Bar, having already given him the marquisate du
Pont, besieged with a powerful force the town and castle of Ligny en
Barrois, the principal town of that country, because John of Luxembourg
had not performed his duty as guardian to the young count de St Pol, by
doing homage, neither had it been done by duke John of Brabant, brother
to the count. Those within the town were partisans of the Burgundy
faction, while the cardinal and his country were of the opposite party.
When the siege had been continued some time, the place submitted to the
obedience of the cardinal, who placed therein his own garrison and
officers.
Nevertheless, by some negotiations between the parties, the town,
castle and country, were afterward restored to the young count de St
Pol, who again garrisoned it with his own people.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 6: I have looked into L'Enfant's 'Guerre des Hussites,' but
cannot find mention made of these places, or any of similar sound.]
CHAP. XLII.
THE TOWN OF MELUN IS CLOSELY BESIEGED.--THE CAPTURE OF THE COUNT DE
CONVERSAN.--THE DEPARTURE OF THE YOUNG KING OF SICILY FOR ROME.
We must now return to the kings of France and England, and the duke
of Burgundy, who having conquered Montereau advanced to Melun, to lay
siege thereto, as it held out for the dauphin. They surrounded it on
all sides with their army; and the king of France, accompanied by the
two queens, went to fix his residence at Corbeil.
King Henry, with his brothers, the duke of Bavaria, surnamed le Rouge,
his brother in law, and his other princes were encamped toward
the Gâtinois: duke Philip of Burgundy, with all his men, the earl
of Huntingdon and some other english captains were encamped on the
opposite side toward Brie.
The besiegers exerted themselves to the utmost to annoy the enemy,
and pointed various engines of war, cannons, bombards and such like,
to batter down the walls of the town, which was commanded by the
lord de Barbasan, a noble vassal, subtle, expert, and renowned in
arms. He had with him sir Pierre de Bourbon, lord de Prèaulx, and
another of the name of Bourgeois, with a garrison of from six to seven
hundred combatants. They shewed every appearance of making a vigorous
defence against all the attacks of the besiegers; but notwithstanding
their exertions, the town was approached by the enemy to the very
walls, by means of mines and other subtleties of war, so that their
fortifications were much damaged.
On the other side of the town, the duke of Burgundy, by an unexpected
and well-concerted attack, gained a strong bulwark which the besieged
had erected without the ditches, and which sorely annoyed the
Burgundians: the duke, after the capture, fortified it against the
town, and posted guards in it night and day. A bridge of boats was
also thrown over the Seine, by which a free communication was opened
between the two armies; and the king of England had his camp strongly
surrounded with pallisades and ditches, that he might not be surprised
by the enemy, leaving sufficient openings, fortified with barriers,
which he had carefully guarded by day and by night. In like manner did
the duke of Burgundy and the English that were encamped with him.
In this state did the siege continue for eighteen weeks, during which
some few sallies, but in no very considerable force, were made by the
besieged. However, a valiant english captain called sir Philip Lis a
notable gentleman from Burgundy, sir Everard de Vienne, and several
more, lost their lives. As the besiegers continued their attacks
incessantly, great damage was done to the walls, which those in the
town repaired as well as they could with casks filled with earth, and
other sufficient materials.
The king of England had a mine carried on with such success that it
was very nearly under the walls, when the besieged, having suspicions
of what was intended, formed a countermine, so that great part of
the enemy's works fell in, and a warm engagement with lances took
place. The English erected a strong barrier on their side of the
mine, at which the king and the duke of Burgundy engaged two of the
Dauphinois with push of pike, which was afterward continued by several
knights and esquires of each party. Then the following persons of the
duke's household were created knights, Jean de Hornes, the lord de
Baussigines, Robert de Mannes, and some others.
While this siege lasted, the king of England paid frequent visits to
his queen at Corbeil, with whom was the duchess of Clarence, and other
noble ladies from England. When the town had been thus blockaded on
all sides, king Charles was brought thither to afford the besieged an
opportunity of surrendering it to the king of France their natural
lord; but to the summons made them they replied, that they would
cheerfully throw open their gates to him alone, but that they would
never pay obedience to the king of England, the ancient deadly enemy of
France.
Nevertheless, king Charles remained some time in the camp, under the
care and management of his son-in-law the king of England; not indeed
with his former state and pomp, for in comparison of past times it
was a poor sight now to see him. He was accompanied by the queen of
France, grandly attended by ladies and damsels; and they resided about
a month in a house which king Henry had erected for them near to his
tents, and at a distance from the town, that the cannon might not annoy
them. Every day, at sun-rise and night-fall, eight or ten clarions, and
divers other instruments, played most melodiously for an hour before
the king of France's tent.
In truth, the king of England was more magnificently attended during
this siege than at any other during his reign, and was personally very
active to accomplish his enterprise. While these things were passing,
Pierre de Luxembourg count de Conversan and de Brienne, returning
from this siege to his county of Brienne, and escorted by about sixty
men at arms, was met by a party of Dauphinois from Meaux in Brie,
namely Pierron de Lupel and others; and they being superior in numbers,
carried him and his men prisoners to Meaux, where he remained until the
king of England besieged that town, as you shall hear.
At this period, the queen of Sicily, widow to king Louis of happy
memory, granted permission, but not without heavy sighs, to her eldest
son Louis to go to Rome to be crowned king of Sicily by the hands of
the pope. She gave him into the charge of the Florentines and Genoese,
who had entered the port of Marseilles with fifteen gallies, trusting
not entirely to their loyalty, but demanding as hostages for her son
eight of the most noble barons of Naples, who had come to fetch him
by orders from the cities, chief towns, and principal noblemen of the
realm. This they had done from hatred to their queen, wife to sir James
de Bourbon count de la Marche. She had detained her husband in prison
in consequence of her quarrels with him and his ministers.
The young king Louis having embarked at Marseilles, which was a
dependance of his mother's, sailed to Rome, and there solemnly received
his kingdom from the hands of the pope, although he was not then
crowned. He was thenceforward styled king Louis, as his late father had
been.
CHAP. XLIII.
SEVERAL CASTLES AND FORTS ARE DELIVERED UP TO KING HENRY OF ENGLAND,
IN WHICH HE PLACES HIS OWN CAPTAINS.--THE ROYAL EDICTS ISSUED AT HIS
REQUEST.
During the siege of Melun, the castles hereafter mentioned, namely, the
bastille of St Anthony, the Louvre, the palace of Neele and the castle
of Vincennes, were, by orders from the king of France, with the consent
of the duke of Burgundy and the Parisians, put into the hands of king
Henry, who sent his brother the duke of Clarence to take the command
of them, and constituted him governor of Paris. He dismissed all the
French garrisons, who had hitherto guarded them, and placed therein
none but English. The government of Paris was taken from the count de
St Pol, who was, soon after, sent with master Pierre de Marigny, and
others, as commissioners from the king of France to Picardy, to receive
the oaths from the three estates and principal towns in that country,
in order that the peace lately concluded between the two kings might
be strictly observed, and that they might in future faithfully obey
the king of France, and the king of England as regent of the realm.
These commissioners received the following instructions from the king
of France; and they were to bring back the oaths signed by the three
estates and magistrates of the chief towns.
'Charles by the grace of God king of France, to our very dear and
well-beloved cousins the count de St Pol, the bishop of Terouenne
and John de Luxembourg, and to our very dear and well-beloved the
bishop of Arras, the vidame of Amiens, the lord de la Viefville, the
governors of Arras and of Lille, master Pierre de Marigny our advocate
in parliament, and master George d'Ostende, our secretary, health and
greeting.
'We having lately, after due deliberation, and by the advice of our
consort the queen, and of our very dear and well-beloved son Philip
duke of Burgundy, the prelates, the nobles and commonalties of our
said kingdom, concluded a peace, to the great advantage of ourself
and of our realm, with our very dear son Henry king of England, heir
and regent of France for ourself and for the kingdoms of France and
of England; which peace has been solemnly sworn to by us, our consort
the queen, our son of Burgundy, and by the nobles, barons, prelates,
churchmen and commonalties of the realm.
'We therefore order that all persons within our kingdom who have not as
yet taken the oaths for the due observance of this peace do swear to
the same without delay; and, confiding in your great loyalty, prudence
and diligence, we command, by these presents, that you, and each
of you, do instantly visit all the cities, large towns, castles and
other notable places within the bailiwicks of Amiens, Tournay, Lille,
Douay, Arras, and in the county of Ponthieu, and within their different
dependances and jurisdictions; and that you do summon before you all
whom you shall think proper, of prelates and other dignitaries of the
church, nobles and common people, and that you do publicly cause to be
read to them the whole of the articles of the said peace; which done,
you will strictly enjoin them in our name to swear, in your presence,
on the holy evangelists, to the due observance of the peace, the
following oaths, under pain of being reputed rebels, and disobedient to
us.
'First, you shall swear obedience and loyalty to the high and mighty
prince Henry, king of England, as governor and regent of France,--and
that you will faithfully obey all his orders in whatever shall tend to
the preservation of the public welfare and of the realm, subject at the
present to the very high and potent prince, Charles king of France, our
sovereign lord.
'Secondly, that after the decease of our said sovereign lord king
Charles, you will, conformably to the articles of the peace, become
liege men and loyal subjects to the very high and mighty prince Henry
king of England, and to his heirs; that you will honour and acknowledge
him as king of France, without opposition, as your true king, and obey
him as such,--promising henceforward to obey none other as king of
France, excepting king Charles, at present on the throne.
'Thirdly, you will not afford assistance or advice to any conspiracies
that may tend to the death of the said king Henry, to the loss of his
limbs, or to the diminution of his estate or dignity; but should you
know of any such conspiracies, you will prevent them from taking effect
as much as shall in you lie, and you shall inform the said king of
England thereof by messages or letters. And you will swear generally to
observe punctually all the different articles of this treaty of peace
between our said lord king Charles and Henry king of England, without
any fraud, deception, or mental reservation whatever, and that you
will resist and oppose any one who may any way attempt to infringe
them.
'These oaths we will and command all our vassals of every rank and
condition to take, and swear to the maintaining the peace without
infringing it in the smallest degree. You and your clerks will
punctually transmit to us certificates of the above oaths having been
solemnly taken in your presence. And we ordain, that any number of
you, from nine to three persons, be a sufficient court to receive such
oaths, for which these presents shall be your authority.
'We order and command all our bailiffs, and others our officers of
justice, to obey your directions, and to afford you every aid and
advice that you may require. And because it may be necessary to make
public these our commands in different parts, we will that as much
faith be placed in the copies under our royal seal as in the original.
'Given at our siege of Melun the 23d day of July, in the year of Grace
1420, and of our reign the 40th.' Countersigned, 'Marc. Marc.'
The count de St Pol and the other commissioners, in consequence of
these orders left Paris, and were some days in journeying to Amiens,
that they might avoid the ambushes of the Dauphinois. They were kindly
received in Amiens, and having shown their powers the inhabitants took
the oaths. They thence went to Abbeville, St Ricquier, Montrieul,
Bologne, St Omer, and other places, where they duly obeyed, and
punctually executed the orders they had received.
CHAP. XLIV.
PHILIP COUNT DE ST POL GOES TO BRUSSELS, AND ARRESTS THE MINISTERS OF
THE DUKE OF BRABANT.--OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN THESE TIMES.
The count de St Pol, soon after his return from Picardy, was sent for
in haste by the greater part of the nobility and principal towns in
Brabant, and also by the countess of Hainault, wife to the duke of
Brabant. Laying aside all other matters, he instantly complied; and on
his arrival in that country, he was immediately declared governor of
the whole duchy by those who had sent for him, instead of his brother,
whose conduct had been so disagreeable that they would not longer obey
him as their duke.
The count kept his state in Brussels, and began to make many new
regulations to the great displeasure of those who governed the duke
of Brabant, who was at that time absent from Brussels. His ministers,
however, brought him back with a large force of men at arms; but the
inhabitants would not open their gates to him until he had promised his
brother the count de St Pol, that he would maintain peace with them. He
was scarcely entered when those who managed him would not permit his
brother, or the principal nobles, to approach him but with difficulty
and with suspicion. This conduct irritated them so much that they, in
conjunction with the count de St Pol, resolved to provide a remedy;
and, assembling in numbers, they arrested all the duke's ministers, the
principal of whom was the damoiseau de Hainsbercq.
The most part of these prisoners were beheaded, namely, sir John de
Condemberch, John Scoccard, Everard le Duc, Henry le Duc, sir Henry
Hutun, master William Hutun, sir John Hutun, sir William Pipepoye, sir
William Moieux, the youth William Asche, John du Vert, sir Everard
Sherchos, John Clautin Grolier, and some others. The duke was put under
the government of the nobles of Brabant, with the approbation of his
brother the count de St Pol, and the three estates of the country; and
ever after unanimity and peace reigned among them.
In these days the Dauphinois, quartered at Guise in Tierrache, and the
adjoining parts, assembled a body of about five hundred combatants,
and suddenly marched to the town of Beaurevoir, belonging to sir John
de Luxembourg, wherein he resided, and to the villages near, whence
they carried off many of the peasants, and some booty, with which they
speedily returned to their own quarters.
Sir John was very indignant at this conduct, and having collected a
large body of men at arms and archers from various parts, he conducted
them to the county of Guise, and overran the whole of it, seizing or
destroying all they found in the open country, in revenge for the
insult of the Dauphinois. They made a rich plunder of peasants, cattle,
sheep, pigs, horses, and of all that had not been secured in castles,
which they brought off, and then separated to their different homes.
During these tribulations, Philip count de Vertus, brother to the duke
of Orleans, a prisoner in England, and also to the count d'Angoulême,
died at Blois: he had the government of all the estates of his brother
in France: and the dauphin was much weakened in aid and advice by
his death. His two brothers bitterly lamented his loss, as well from
fraternal affection as because he faithfully managed their concerns in
France during their imprisonment.
CHAP. XLV.
THE LORD DE L'ISLE-ADAM, MARSHAL OF FRANCE, IS SENT TO GARRISON
JOIGNY.--THE SURRENDER OF THE TOWN AND CASTLE OF MELUN.
We will now return to the siege of Melun, at which were present, as
you have heard, the kings of France and of England, and the duke of
Burgundy. The lord de l'Isle-Adam, though marshal of France, was sent
by king Charles with a large force to garrison Joigny, and make head
against the Dauphinois, who were committing great depredations in those
parts.
When he had remained there some time, and had properly posted his men,
he returned to the siege of Melun. He had caused to be made a surcoat
of light grey, in which he waited on the king of England relative
to some affairs touching his office. When he had made the proper
salutations, and had said a few words respecting his business, king
Henry, by way of joke, said, 'What, l'Isle-Adam, is this a dress for a
marshal of France?' to which he replied, looking the king in the face,
'Sire, I have had it thus made to cross the Seine in the boats.' The
king added, 'How dare you thus look a prince full in the face, when you
are speaking to him?' 'Sire,' answered l'Isle-Adam, 'such is the custom
of us Frenchmen; and if any one addresses another, whatever may be his
rank, and looks on the ground, he is thought to have evil designs, and
cannot be an honest man, since he dare not look in the face of him to
whom he is speaking.' The king replied, 'Such is not our custom.'
After these, and some few more words, the lord de l'Isle-Adam took
leave of the king, and departed from his presence,--but he plainly
perceived that he was not in his good graces. He was, shortly after,
deprived of his office of marshal of France, and another worse event
befel him, for he was also detained prisoner by king Henry, as you will
see hereafter.
During this siege of Melun, a severe epidemical distemper afflicted the
english army, and caused a very great mortality. On the other hand,
the prince of Orange, and many others, quitted the army of the duke
of Burgundy, which weakened him so much, that he sent in haste orders
to sir John de Luxembourg, who commanded for the king in Picardy, to
assemble as many men at arms, and archers, as he could, and bring them
to the siege of Melun.
Sir John instantly obeyed this order, and, marching his men through
Peronne, and over the bridge of St Maixence, advanced toward Melun.
The besieged, seeing this body marching in battle array, concluded it
was succour coming to their aid, and began to ring all the bells in
the town, and to cry from their walls to the besiegers, that they must
now hasten to saddle their horses, for they would speedily be forced
to decamp. They were soon undeceived, and, with grief, descended from
the ramparts, having no longer hopes of assistance from the dauphin,
or from any other quarter. Sir John de Luxembourg and his men were
quartered at the town of Brie Comte Robert, where they remained until
after the surrender of Melun.
In the mean time, the king of France dispatched letters to many of the
principal towns of the kingdom, commanding them to send commissioners
to meet him at Paris on the fourth of January, to confer with the
nobility and clergy on the state of affairs.
The garrison in Melun were aware how dangerously they were now
situated, without hope of succour; for they had frequently made the
dauphin acquainted with their situation, and how they had for a long
time, from famine, been forced to live on dogs, cats, horses, and other
food unbecoming Christians, requiring him, at the same time, to perform
his promises of sending them assistance, and to relieve them from the
danger they had incurred in his support. At length, the ministers of
the dauphin sent them word, that they had not sufficient forces to
oppose the king of England and the duke of Burgundy, and advised them
to conclude the best treaty they could with them.
On receiving this answer, they opened a parley with the king of
England, who sent as his commissioners the earl of Warwick and sir John
Cornwall; and, after eighteen weeks siege, they concluded a treaty on
these terms:
First, the besieged were faithfully to surrender to the kings of France
and of England the town and castle of Melun; and all the men at arms
and inhabitants within the said town were to submit themselves to the
will of the two kings.
Secondly, the two kings accepted the terms, on condition that should
there be any persons who had committed or been accomplices in the
murder of the late duke of Burgundy, they should be given up to the
punishment due to their crimes. All others, of whatever rank they may
be, not implicated in the aforesaid murder, shall have their lives
spared, but remain prisoners until they shall have given sufficient
securities never to join in arms with the enemies of the said kings.
Thirdly, should those accused of having been concerned in the murder of
the late duke John of Burgundy be found guiltless, they shall remain
in the same state as those not implicated therein. Such as are native
subjects of France shall be restored to their possessions on giving the
security as before mentioned.
All the burghers and inhabitants shall remain at the disposal of the
two kings.
The aforesaid burghers, and also the men at arms shall place, or cause
to be placed within the castle of Melun, their armour and warlike
habiliments in such wise that they may be seen, without damaging or
destroying any parts of them. In like manner, they will carry thither
all their moveables.
Item, the garrison shall surrender all prisoners they may have taken in
war, and acquit them of their engagements, and also such prisoners as
they may have made before the commencement of the siege.
Item, for the due performance of these articles, twelve of the most
noble men in the place after the governor, and six of the principal
inhabitants, shall be given up as hostages.
Item, the lord Fordun, an english or scots knight, and all the English
and Scots shall be at the disposal of the king of England.