(_Concluded from page_ 149.)
The queen of Edward III., after the battle of Durham, demanded of John
Copland, David of Scotland; on his remonstrance that no one but the king
had a right to his prisoner, Edward sent for him to Calais, and bestowed
on him in return for his captive, £500, in land. The Scottish monarch
paid, after an imprisonment of eleven years, 100,000 marks, and was
dismissed. Charles de Blois, at the same period paid 700,000 crowns, and
left his two sons as hostages. Michael de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, paid
£20,000. sterling, when only a simple knight. Duc d'Alençon gave for his
freedom 200,000 crowns, and actually sold part of his estate to the Duc
de Bretagne to pay it. Caprice often caused the detention of men in
captivity, from their inability to comply with the absurd demands of
their captors. Louis XI. refused to part with Wolfang Poulain, a
Burgundian officer, unless he would purchase his redemption with some
favourite hounds belonging to the Seigneur de Bossu. As Bossu did not
feel sufficiently interested in his friend's welfare to comply with the
king's wishes, and part with his dogs, some time elapsed before any
treaty could be entered into, to restore Poulain to his country.
This practice, though it undoubtedly contributed to soften the horrors
of war, often caused hostilities to be undertaken on the most absurd and
frivolous pretences. The English are represented by Comines as rejoicing
in a war with France, from a recollection of the prices they obtained
from the lords and princes they captured. Another bad effect may be
traced to it, in the violations of safe conduct, the seizure of
individuals during times of peace, which the middle ages so constantly
exhibit. Oliver de Clisson, the Constable of France, on entering into a
castle to examine its strength, at the request of the Duc de Bretagne,
in 1387, was seized, and at first commanded to be thrown into the sea.
The savage Breton afterwards being troubled in conscience, expressed his
joy that his order had not been complied with, and released Clisson on
the payment of 100,000 livres.
During the wars of Edward III. and Philip, many a soldier of fortune
amassed considerable opulence by the ransoming of his prisoners.
Croquart, a famous leader of these companies, is related to have become
extremely rich by the money he received from the ransoms of castles and
towns. In the fourteenth century several Knights of Suabia having
associated themselves together for chivalrous engagements, endeavoured
to seize a rich Count of Wirtenburg, as a _means of procuring a noble
sum of money for the ransom of himself and his family_. For this
purpose they attacked him in his castle at Wildbad, but were repulsed.
At Poictiers, the King of France was nearly torn to pieces by the
soldiers in disputing for their prize. At the Bridge of Luissac,
Carlonnet, the French commander, fell into the hands of the enemy, who
were about to end the quarrel respecting his possession by putting him
to death, when the timely arrival of an English knight rescued him from
their power. At Agincourt, eighteen French gentlemen entered into an
agreement to direct all their attacks against King Henry, most probably
with a view of acquiring a fortune by his capture; hence the contest was
the hottest about his person. After the battle of Nanci, and the death
of the Duke of Burgundy, by the sword of Charles de Beaumont, the latter
is said to have died of regret, when he became aware whom it was he had
slain, and the loss he had sustained of a ducal ransom.
Before quitting this subject, it may be observed that the value of a
prisoner's liberty was a regularly transferable property. Coeur de Lion
was sold to the emperor Henry; Philip Augustus bargained for him; and
his ransom reduced England, from sea to sea, to the utmost distress.
Louis XI. bought the bastard of Burgundy from Renè, Duc de Lorrain,
for 10,000 crowns, and also William of Chalons, Prince of Orange, for
20,000, from Sieur de Grosté. Joan of Arc was sold to the English for
10,000 livres, and a pension of 300. In the case of the Earl of
Pembroke, who became the property of Du Guescelin, as part of the
purchase-money for some estates in Spain, he had sold to Henry, King of
Castile, the constable lost his expected 120,000 livres by the death of
his prisoner; as this nobleman was in a bad state of health, his bankers
at Bruges wisely declined paying the money until he became _sound and
in good condition_. (_Quand il serait sain, et en bon point._)
The earl dying before he left France, Du Guescelin lost both his estates
and money. One of the family of the Blois was presented to his
favourite, the Duke of Ireland, by Richard II., who disposed of his
master's bounty to Oliver de Clisson for 120,000 livres. Zizim, the
brother of Bajazet, Emperor of the Turks, after being defeated by his
brother in an attempt to seize the throne, fled to the Knights of Rhodes
for succour. They, fearing the vengeance of the Sultan, transferred him
to Louis XI. who fulfilled his trust faithfully, and kept him for the
knights, though offered all the relics that the east abounded with, and
even the kingdom of Jerusalem, by Bajazet, for his prisoner. After being
given into the custody of the Pope by Louis, and a six years' residence
at Rome, he was sent back to France, as the king had found out that he
might be of service in his engagements with Constantinople; he was,
however, not restored to his brother in the condition which the Flemings
had stipulated the Earl of Pembroke to be restored; for before his
redelivery to the French, he is supposed to have been poisoned.