THE TREASON OF THE CARDINAL OF ANGERS, WHO, IN CONSEQUENCE, IS
IMPRISONED.--THE KING OF SICILY AND HIS QUEEN WAIT ON THE KING.--PEACE
MADE BETWEEN THE KING AND HIS BROTHER, NOW DUKE OF GUIENNE, WHO COMES
TO MONTILS-LES-TOURS.--AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN.--THE DUKE
OF BRITTANY REFUSES TO WEAR THE KING'S ORDER.--THE BAN AND REAR BAN
SUMMONED TO OPPOSE KING EDWARD OF ENGLAND.--OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED
IN THE YEAR MCCCCLXIX.
The cardinal of Angers, John Balue, who had within a short time
received so much wealth and so many honours from the king, by whose
recommendation the pope had created him a cardinal, and for whom the
king had done more than for any prince of his blood, having unbounded
confidence in him,--this cardinal, forgetful of his God, and unmindful
of the honour and profit of the king and kingdom, induced the king to
go to Peronne, where he was, through intelligence from the cardinal,
joined by the duke of Burgundy; and he there established some sort
of a peace, which they mutually swore in his hands to observe. He
then prevailed on the king to accompany the duke in his attack on
Liege, although that city had risen in arms against the duke through
the instigations and promises of the king. The consequence was, the
slaughter and destruction of the Liegeois, as has been told. But the
worst was, that the king, the duke of Bourbon, and his three brothers,
with many of the great lords of France, were in the utmost danger of
being slain, which would have been the greatest disgrace France could
suffer since its becoming a monarchy.
When the king was returning to Tours, the cardinal prevented him from
entering his good city of Paris, and made him take a circuit of two
miles, thinking to make the king believe that Paris was ill inclined
towards him, and thereby to excite the king's anger against it.
During the king's residence at Tours and Angers, he satisfied his
brother in respect to his appanage, by giving him the duchy of Guienne,
and other things, which greatly pleased him. But the cardinal,
observing the good understanding that now subsisted between the
brothers, attempted again to throw the kingdom into the same confusion
he had done before, and to excite a quarrel between the king and the
princes of the blood. For this purpose, he sent an especial messenger
to the duke of Burgundy with full accounts of all that had passed
between the king and the new duke of Guienne, giving him to understand
that their present union was grounded solely on his ruin,--and that, so
soon as they could collect a sufficient force, they would invade his
territories on all sides. He advised, that in order to be beforehand
with them, he should assemble the greatest army he possibly could,
and lose no time in declaring war against France. He added a number of
other treasonable plans, which he had written and sent by one of his
servants to the duke of Burgundy; but his messenger was arrested on the
road with all these papers, which were instantly laid before the king.
The moment their contents had been read, the cardinal was arrested and
carried prisoner to Montbason[27], where he was left under the guard
of monsieur de Torcy and others. All his effects and plate were next
seized on for the king, after an inventory had been made of them,--and
commissioners were appointed to examine him on the crimes laid to his
charge. These were sir Tanneguy du Châtel, governor of Roussillon,
sir William Cousinot, the lord de Torcy, and master Pierre d'Oriole,
superintendant of the finances, who immediately began to interrogate
him on the different charges.
The king made a distribution of the cardinal's effects according to
his good pleasure. His plate was sold, and the amount sent to the
treasurers of the army for the king's use. His tapestry was given to
the governor of Roussillon: his library to master Pierre d'Oriole; and
a fine entire piece of cloth of gold, twenty four ells and a quarter
in length, well worth twelve hundred crowns, a quantity of sable furs,
with a piece of scarlet cloth from Florence, were given to monsieur
de Crussol,--and his wardrobe with some of his furniture were sold to
defray the expenses of the commission, and of those who had made the
inventory.
About this time, the king and queen of Sicily visited the king at Tours
and Amboise, where they were very honourably received by him; after
which, the king, accompanied by the duke of Bourbon and other lords,
went toward Niort, La Rochelle, and divers parts thereabout, where they
met the duke of Guienne,--and, through the blessing of God, and the
holy Virgin, the two brothers were completely reconciled, to the great
joy of the whole realm. Te Deum was sung for this event, in all the
churches; bonfires were made in the streets, and tables laid out for
passengers in all the great towns.
The king returned to the queen at Amboise, who, like a good and
noble lady, had exerted herself much in bringing about this happy
reconciliation,--and may the Lord, out of his grace, long preserve
it! It was now deliberated and determined on by the king in council,
to make a conquest of the county of Armagnac, and to give it to the
duke of Guienne. To accomplish this, a large train of artillery men at
arms and franc-archers, were ordered to march thither; and the king
left Amboise for Orleans, where he remained five or six days, and
then returned to Amboise. A short time after, these measures had been
resolved on, monsieur de Châtillon, grand master, and inspector general
of woods and forests, came to Paris, to muster and review the banners,
officers and men, that had been enrolled within that city.
On Saturday, the 4th of November in this year, the peace that had
been concluded between the kings of France and Spain was proclaimed
in Paris,--and the treaty was publicly read by master John le Cornu,
clerk to the provostship of Paris, in the presence of the civil and
criminal lieutenants of the said provostship, and the officers of
justice attached to the court of the Châtelet. The king after this,
resided at Amboise, and other places near, having with him the lord
de Bourbon and his usual courtiers, until the 24th of December, when
the duke of Guienne arrived at Montils-les-Tours, to wait on the king,
attended by a grand company of the nobles of his duchy. The king,
queen, and the whole court, were much rejoiced at his arrival, and
set off instantly from Amboise, to welcome and entertain the duke at
Montils-les-Tours. During this interval, the county of Armagnac was
reduced to the king's obedience without any effusion of blood,--and
the whole surrendered into the hands of the lord admiral and the count
de Dammartin, the commanders in chief of the royal army. The court of
France remained with the duke de Guienne at the castle of Montils-les
Tours until Christmas, when many feasts and entertainments were given
by the king.
The duke of Guienne, having taken leave of the king and court departed
for La Rochelle and St Jean d'Angeli to hold his estates, to appoint
officers for his duchy, and to regulate the government thereof.
When the king was returned again to Amboise, he sent ambassadors to
the duke of Brittany with the collar of an order[28] which he had
lately instituted, that he might wear it, and swear to the observance
of its laws as a knight-companion, as other princes and barons of the
realm had done. But although the king did him this honour, at first
he refused to accept or wear it,--owing, as was said, to his having
accepted the order of the Golden Fleece, and thus becoming the brother
and ally to the duke of Burgundy, which much offended the king, and not
without reason[29].
Shortly after, the king issued orders for an army of men at arms,
archers and artillery, to be ready to march and make war on the duke
of Brittany; but ten days were first allowed the duke, to declare his
future intentions, as to his conduct toward the king,--and the 15th of
February was the day on which he was to give his positive answer.
On the 14th of that month, a summons from the king, signed 'William
de Cerisay,' was published in Paris, by which the king informed the
provost, that from certain intelligence he had learnt how king Edward
of England had established a peace with all the lords and others who
had opposed his government,--and that it had been unanimously resolved
in parliament to invade different parts of the French coast, to destroy
and conquer the country as they had formerly done: that the king, in
consequence, was determined to oppose them by every means in his power,
and had ordered his ban and rear ban to be assembled.
He commanded the provost, by these presents, to constrain vigorously,
without admittance of excuse, all nobles and others, vassals of
the crown, privileged or not, to appear in arms, and sufficiently
equipped, on the first day of March next, on pain of corporal
punishment and confiscation of effects. He likewise forbade the provost
and all others to receive any excuses, under penalty of losing their
offices, with confiscation of effects, any appeals to the contrary
notwithstanding. He also declared all such as should fail to make their
appearance in arms on the appointed day enemies to his crown, and that
their effects should be confiscated, without hopes of pardon.
News was this day brought to Paris, that the duke of Burgundy had been
seen, at Ghent, wearing the blue garter[30] on one of his legs, and
the red cross on his mantle, the badge of king Edward, which plainly
demonstrated his friendship to the English, and that he was a capital
enemy to the king of France. The duke, however, sent ambassadors to
the king at Tours, who waited there a long time before they were
dismissed.--At this time, the viscount of Villars[31], in Poitou,
departed this life: he had, while living, left his fortune to the king
of France, to be enjoyed by him immediately on his decease. The king,
therefore, went into Poitou, to receive possession of Villars and the
other property, and on this account remained there the whole month of
April.
In this month master Pierre Durand, nephew to the cardinal Balue, who
had been long confined in the castle of Mailly, escaped from prison,
and went to Paris, where he was discovered by an apothecary called
Chambatin. He was again arrested, and confined in the prison of the
Conciergerie of the palais-royal, wherein he remained until the 20th
day of April, in the ensuing year, and was then delivered into the
hands of the sergeants of the provost of the marshals, to be carried
whither they had been ordered.