With the siege of Calais, and its surrender to Edward III. in 1347, is
associated the name of Eustache de St. Pierre, whose loyalty and
devotedness have been immortalised by the historian, and commemorated by
the artist's pencil. The subject of Queen Philippa's intercessions on
behalf of Eustache and his brave companions is, no doubt, familiar to most
of your readers: the stern demeanour of the king; the tears and
supplicating attitude of the Queen Philippa; and the humiliating position
of the burgesses of Calais, &c. But what if Eustache de St. Pierre had been
bought over by King Edward? For without going the length of pronouncing the
scenes of the worthy citizens, with halters round their necks, to have been
a "got up" affair, there is, however, some reason to doubt whether the
boasted loyalty of Eustache de St. Pierre was such as is represented, as
will appear from the following notes. And however much the statements
therein contained may detract from the cherished popular notions regarding
Eustache de St. Pierre, yet the seeker after truth is inexorable, or, to
use the words of Sir Francis Palgrave (_Hist. of Norm. and Eng._, i. 354.),
he is expected "to uncramp or shatter the pedestals supporting the idols
which have won the false worship of the multitude; so that they may nod in
their niches, or topple down."
In one of the volumes forming part of that valuable collection published by
the French {11} government,and commenced, I believe, under the auspices of
M. Guizot, namely, the _Documens inédits sur l'Histoire de France_, the
following passage attracted my notice:
"Il (M. de Bréquigny) a prouvé par des titres authentiques et inconnus
jusqu'à présent, qu'Eustache de St. Pierre, dont on a si fort vanté le
dévouement pour les habitans de Calais, fut séduit par Edouard, et
qu'il reçut de ce prince des pensions et des possessions fort peu de
temps après la prise de cette place, aux conditions d'y maintenir le
bon ordre, et de la conserver à l'Angleterre."--See _Lettres de Rois,
&c._, vol. i. Preface, p. cix.
The above statement is founded on a memoir read before the Académie des
Belles-Lettres by M. de Bréquigny, respecting the researches made by him in
London (see _Mém. de l'Acad. des Belles-Lettres_, tom. xxxvii.).
Lingard throws a doubt over the matter. He says:
"Froissart has dramatised this incident with considerable effect; but,
I fear, with little attention to truth.... Even in Froissart there is
nothing to prove that Edward designed to put these men to death. On the
contrary, he takes notice that the King's refusal of mercy was
accompanied with a wink to his attendants, which, if it meant anything,
must have meant that he was not acting seriously."--_Lingard_, 3rd
edit. 1825, vol. iv. p. 79., note 85.
Again, in Hume:
"The story of the six burgesses of Calais, like all extraordinary
stories, is somewhat to be suspected; and so much the more, as
Avesbury, who is particular in his narrative of the surrender of
Calais, says nothing of it, and, on the contrary, extols in general the
King's generosity and lenity to the inhabitants."--_Hume_, 8vo. 1807,
vol. ii., note H.
Both Hume and Lingard mention that Edward expelled the natives of Calais,
and repeopled the place with Englishmen; but they say nothing as to
Eustache de St. Pierre becoming a pensioner of the King's "aux conditions
d'y maintenir le bon ordre, et de la conserver à l'Angleterre."
Châteaubriand (_Etudes Hist._, 1831, 8vo., tome iv. p. 104.) gives
Froissart's narrative, by which he abides, at the same time complaining of
the "esprit de dénigrement" which he says prevailed towards the end of the
last century in regard to heroic actions.
Regarding Queen Philippa's share in the transaction above referred to, M.
de Bréquigny says:
"La reine, qu'on suppose avoir été si touchée du malheur des six
bourgeois dont elle venait de sauver la vie, ne laissa pas d'obtenir,
peu de jours après, la confiscation des maisons que Jean d'Acre, l'un
d'eux, avait possédées dans Calais."
Miss Strickland (_Lives of Queens_, 1st edit., vol. ii. p. 336.) likewise
gives the story as related by Froissart, but mentions the fact of Queen
Philippa taking possession of Jean d'Acre's property, and the doubt cast
upon Eustache's loyalty; but she would appear to justify him by reason of
King Philip's abandoning the brave Calaisiens to their fate. However this
may be, documents exist proving that the inhabitants of Calais were
indemnified for their losses: and whether or not the family of Eustache de
St. Pierre approved his conduct, so much is certain, that, on the death of
the latter, the property which had been granted to him by King Edward was
confiscated, because they would not acknowledge their allegiance to the
English.
I wish to ask whether this new light thrown on the subject, through M. de
Bréquigny's labours, has been hitherto noticed, for it would appear the
story should be re-written.