TOURNAMENTS AT PARIS AND AT BRUGES.--THE KING GOES TO MEAUX.--THE
PRINCE OF PIEDMONT COMES TO PARIS.--THE LORD DU LAU ESCAPES FROM HIS
CONFINEMENT IN THE CASTLE OF USSON, WHICH CAUSES MANY TO LOSE THEIR
HEADS.--THE BRETONS AND BURGUNDIANS TAKE MERVILLE.--CHARLES DE MELUN
BEHEADED.--THE SUBSTANCE OF WHAT PASSED BETWEEN THE KING AND THE DUKES
OF BERRY AND BRITTANY.--PEACE CONCLUDED WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, IN
THE YEAR MCCCCLXVIII.
On Monday, the 5th day of May, the lady Ambroise de Lore, widow of the
late sir Robert d'Estouteville, provost of Paris, died about an hour
after midnight, and was much lamented; for she was a noble, good, and
modest lady,--and all decent, well behaved persons were honourably
received at her house. This same day, about nine or ten at night, a
mill at Paris, belonging to the prior of St Ladre, took fire, through
the carelessness of a scoundrel-servant, who had stuck his candle
against the wall near his bed, which fell thereon and burnt the
premises; but this servant escaped, and ran away like a fox.
A tournament was held, on the 15th of this month, in front of the
king's hôtel at the Tournelles, by four gentlemen belonging to the
company of the grand seneschal of Normandy, who had ordered the lists,
and prepared the field. They had caused proclamation to be made, that
they would there be ready to break three lances against all comers.
Many Parisians appeared at the lists, on the appointed day: the first
was Jean Raguier, overseer of the salt-magazines at Soissons, treasurer
of the army in Normandy, and son to master Anthony Raguier, counsellor
and treasurer of the king's armies. John Raguier arrived in great
haste from Rouen, to be ready for this tournament, and came late in
the evening of the day to St Ladre, attended by many gentlemen of the
company of Joachim Rohault, marshal of France, and others, to the
number of twenty horse. He remained secretly, and without noise at St
Ladre, until the morrow, when his companions conducted him, with the
sound of trumpets and clarions, to the lists. He was attended by four
footmen, dressed in liveries, who kept close to the side of the courser
he rode, ready to serve him and hold his lance. His companions were all
uniformly dressed in handsome hoods, embroidered with great letters of
gold.
He made several circuits of the lists before the other champions
appeared, and behaved gallantly against them,--for he broke five
lances, and would have done more, had the judges of the field permitted
it. When he had so honourably performed his courses, he paraded round
the lists, thanking the ladies and damsels for their presence, and
taking his leave of the judges,--from all of whom he acquired much
praise.
He was succeeded by an assessor of Paris, called Marc Senamy, and two
sons of sir John Sanguin, who all acquitted themselves with courage and
address, but did not gain equal praises with their predecessor. Then
came Charles de Louviers, cup-bearer to the king, who carried himself
with such gallantry and vigour that he broke several lances, and the
prize of the day was adjudged to him. The four champions remained much
bruised: two of them carried their arms in scarfs, and another had his
hand badly wounded below his gauntlet,--so that the honour of the day
belonged to the Parisians.
On the preceding Sunday, the 8th of May, another tournament was
performed at Bruges before the duke of Burgundy with great triumph;
and there another Parisian, called Jerom of Cambray, attached to the
service of the duke, tilted, and carried away the prize[21].
When the tiltings were over at Paris the king left Amboise for that
city, bringing with him the lords of Bourbon, of Lyon, of Beaujeu,
and other great barons. He made some stay at Lagny sur Marne, Meaux,
and other places in that neighbourhood. On the day of Ascension
was an earthquake felt at Tours, Amboise, and in divers parts of
Touraine. During the king's stay at Lagny and Meaux, he had his summons
proclaimed in Paris, for all nobles and others to be prepared on the
eighth day, in arms, to march whithersoever they should be ordered,
under the severest penalties.
While he remained at Meaux, a man from the Bourbonnois was there
beheaded, on the 27th day of June, for having revealed the king's
secrets to his ancient enemies the English. Prior to this, the king
had sent the prince of Piedmont, son to the duke of Savoy to Paris,
to kindle a bonfire at the Greve, and to set at liberty all who were
confined in the prisons of the parliament, the Châtelet, and elsewhere.
About this time, Charles de Melun, a man at arms in the company of
the lord admiral, having been made governor of the castle of Usson in
Auvergne, had the guard of the person of the lord du Lau intrusted
to him on pain of his life. But this lord made his escape, to the
great vexation of the king, who, in consequence, had Charles de Melun
confined in the castle of Loches, and afterwards beheaded there for
his negligence. A youth called Remmonet, the son of Melun's wife, was
also beheaded at Tours for this escape,--and the king's attorney at
Usson suffered a similar fate at Meaux for the same cause. The king, on
leaving Meaux, went to Senlis, and thence to Creil.
The Burgundians and Bretons still kept possession of Normandy, and
one day took prisoner the lord de Merville--which town of Merville
is situated between St Sauveur sur Dive and Caen--and forced him to
surrender the place, in which was a body of franc-archers. The instant
they entered the town, they murdered all they found, hung the lord de
Merville, and, having completely pillaged the houses and castle, set
the whole on fire.
The king went from Creil to Compiégne, where he made some stay, and
then returned to Senlis. The duke of Burgundy came from Senlis to
Paris on the feast of the Assumption of our Lady but the king, before
his departure, had sent the lord of Lyon and the lord constable to the
duke of Burgundy, to negotiate terms of peace between them.
The king, however, did not fail to order his army into Normandy, under
the command of the lord admiral. He was so diligent that in less than a
month he drove away the Bretons who had possessed themselves of Bayeux.
On Saturday the 20th of August, sir Charles de Melun lord of
Normanville, and lately grand master of the household, who had been
imprisoned at the castle of Gaillard[22], under the guard of the count
de Dammartin, was tried before the provost of the marshals, for the
crimes he was accused of, and was this day taken out of prison, carried
to the market-place of Andeli[23], and there publicly beheaded.
The king remained at Noyon, Compiègne, Chauny, and other places
thereabout, until the 15th of September, when news was brought him
that the lord Charles his brother and the duke of Brittany were become
good friends and well-wishers to his person; that the lord Charles
was willing to accept of the annual pension of sixty thousand francs,
and such an appanage as those lords whom he would fix upon as his
arbitrators should agree to. His arbitrators were the duke of Calabria
and the constable of France.
The duke of Brittany offered to restore to the king the towns his men
held in Normandy, if those the king had possession of in Brittany
were given in exchange, which was agreed to by the king. Information
of this was sent to the duke of Burgundy then with his army near to
Peronne, between Eclusiers and Cappy on the river Somme; but he was
unwilling to believe it, until it was confirmed by the lord Charles and
the duke of Brittany. And although this reconciliation was afterward
certified to him by the herald of the duke of Brittany, he would not
disband his army, but marched it to a strong position on the Somme
between Eclusiers and Cappy le Doz, which he made stronger by outworks.
During this time, different embassies were sent by the king to the
duke of Burgundy by the lord constable, the cardinal of Angers, master
Pierre d'Oriole, and others, to negotiate a pacification, which
the king was greatly desirous of,--although his captains were of a
different opinion, and required of the king to allow them to act, and
they would deliver the duke and his whole army into his hands; but this
he would never permit,--and even forbade any hostile acts, on pain
of death. On the 12th of October, it was publicly known that a truce
until the ensuing month of April had been concluded between them,
and that the king, in consequence, had determined to go to Creil and
Pontoise, whither he had sent his harbingers; but he afterwards changed
his mind, and returned in haste from Compiègne to Noyon, which he had
just left.
In this interval, Philip de Savoye, Poncet de Riviere, lord Dulsé, the
lord du Lau, with others who had joined them, did very great mischiefs
to the country they had overrun. In consequence, a proclamation was
made in Paris on the 8th day of October, for all the nobles and other
vassals within the provostship and viscounty of Paris, to muster
in arms at Gonesse on the Monday following, and be ready to march
where-ever they should be ordered. This proclamation greatly alarmed
the Parisians, for fear the reports of a truce should prove unfounded.
The king hearing that the duke of Burgundy was gone to Peronne, left
Noyon in a hurry to meet him there. He was accompanied by few persons,
having with him only the cardinal of Angers, some few of his household,
the duke of Bourbon, and others. Thus privately did he go to Peronne,
to the duke of Burgundy, who received him, as he was bound to do, with
much respect. They were long in private conversation, and seemed so
perfectly satisfied with each other, notwithstanding what had passed
before, that a peace was agreed on between them. The duke of Burgundy
swore that henceforward he would never do any thing contrary to the
king's will, and that he would remain his faithful servant and subject
until death.
In concluding this peace, the king confirmed the treaty of Arras,--and
other private articles were agreed on, as the king afterwards
advertised his nobles, churchmen, court of parliament at Paris,
and populace, for which great rejoicings were made, with general
processions, and singing of 'Te Deum laudamus,' and other praises to
God. Bonfires were made and tables laid out in all the streets for
whoever chose to eat or drink.
While this was passing, news came that the Liegeois had made prisoner
and put to death their bishop, with all his officers,--which much
angered the king, the dukes of Burgundy and Bourbon, and others of
his brothers. This was followed by the intelligence that the duke
of Burgundy was preparing to march against them in person to punish
them. Immediately different news was brought, namely, that the bishop
was neither put to death nor a prisoner, but that the Liegeois had
constrained him to chaunt at mass; that ever since they had been well
pleased with him, and acknowledged him for their true lord, promising
him all obedience in hopes by this conduct to efface from his mind
their former behaviour to him.