and the duke of Orleans how the duke of Burgundy had made the dauphin
and his attendants return against their will to Paris. This intelligence
alarmed and astonished them,—for they knew not what the duke of
Burgundy’s intentions were,—insomuch that the duke of Orleans left his
dinner, which was quite ready, and went in haste to Melun, followed by
the queen and their households.
The duke of Burgundy, as I have said, conducted the dauphin to Paris;
and the king of Navarre, the dukes of Berry and of Bourbon, the count de
la Marche, with many more great lords, and an immense crowd of the
citizens of Paris, came out to meet him, and escorted him most
honourably into the town. The duke of Burgundy, however, and his two
brothers, as well as the lords above mentioned, kept very close all this
time by the sides of the litter.
They rode on in this state, at a foot’s pace, until they came to the
castle of the Louvre, when the dauphin was helped out of his litter by
his uncle, Louis of Bavaria, and there lodged. All the lords then
retired to their houses except the duke of Burgundy, who likewise lodged
there. He shortly after sent many messengers to his different countries,
to order men at arms instantly to attend him at Paris. The duke kept his
state at the Louvre, in the apartments of St Louis, and in those
underneath, which formed part of them. The dauphin and his household
were lodged in the chambers above them.
On the morrow, the rector and the soundest[89] part of the university
came to pay their respects to the duke of Burgundy, and to thank him
publicly, with all humility, for his great love and affection towards
the king, his family and the whole realm, of which they formed a part,
being well assured of his good intentions, which were meant for its
reformation and amendment, beseeching him to persevere in these his
endeavours, notwithstanding any obstacles he might meet with.
On the Sunday following, the duke and all his people removed from the
Louvre; and he established himself at his hôtel of Artois,—and in the
adjacent streets he had strong fortifications made of palisades and
barriers, to prevent any annoyance from his adversaries. He also
prevailed on the king and the great council, that the chains in the
Louvre, which had formerly been taken away, should be restored, and
affixed to the streets as they before had been. The duke of Burgundy
gained much popularity with all the Parisians for having obtained this
for them.
The castle of the Louvre remained under the guard of sir Regnault
d’Angiennes, to whom it had formerly been intrusted by the king. The
bastille of St Anthony was committed to the care of Montagu, grand
master of the king’s household, on his making oath that he would not
suffer any man to enter it, but when the king’s council was there
assembled. The dauphin, by orders of the king and council, was placed
under the care of the duke of Berry.
The duke of Burgundy and his two brothers now presented a petition to
the king and council, of which the contents were as follows:
‘John duke of Burgundy, Anthony duke of Limbourg, and Philip count of
Nevers, brothers, your very humble subjects, relations, and obedient
servants, fully sensible, by reason and justice, that every knight of
your realm is bound, after God, to love, serve and obey you. We feel
ourselves not only obliged to do you no harm, but held to notify to you
personally whatever may be proposed against your honour or advantage. In
like manner are bound all those your relations who hold great lordships
under your favour. We are, as we shall make appear, very sensible of
this obligation,—for we are subjects of your realm, as well as
cousins-german to your blood.
‘And I John, by the grace of God and your favour, am duke of Burgundy,
peer of the kingdom of France and dean of the peerage, count of Flanders
and Artois,—and I Anthony, count of Rethel[90],—and I Philip, count of
Nevers and baron de Doussy,—and withal by the consent of you, our very
redoubted lord, and with that of our much redoubted lady the queen, and
of all the royal family, has the marriage been confirmed between the
duke of Acquitaine, dauphin of Vienne, your son, and the daughter of me,
duke of Burgundy,—and also that between the lady de Charolois, your
daughter, and Philip, count de Charolois, my son. We have also been
commanded by our late redoubted lord and father, at the time of his
decease, who then made us promise that we would inviolably preserve our
fidelity toward you and your kingdom, which we shall wish ever to do
during our lives.
‘In order, therefore, to prevent any of our actions from being
suspected, which may bring down on us the divine indignation, it seems
necessary that we declare what is frequently done contrary to your
honour and advantage, and principally, according to our judgment, in
four points.
‘The first respects your person. Before you recovered from this last
illness, by which you are not the only one who suffered, but all those
who had a real affection for you, and whom you loved, suffered great
affliction on your behalf, seeing matters were transacted in your
council against your honour, though coloured over with a pretence of
being advantageous. Many unreasonable requests were made, to which,
though you had given a denial, some of the members of your council have
taken on themselves to grant them, so that the requests, however
unreasonable, have been complied with.
‘You have, besides, neither robes, jewels, nor plate, becoming your
royal state; and when any small quantity is bought for use, it is very
shortly after pawned. Your servants have not audiences from you, nor
have they any profit. They are afraid of mentioning to you such things
as we now state, and which so much affect your honour, although very
desirous of so doing.
‘The second point regards the administration of justice throughout this
realm, which was wont to excel all other kingdoms in the ministring
strict justice, which is the foundation-stone of your government.
‘In former times, your officers of justice were chosen, after mature
deliberation, from among the wisest of your subjects, who defended your
rights, and did equal justice to the lowest as well as to those of the
highest rank; but now your rights are greatly infringed upon, and daily
diminished, by which the people are very much oppressed.
‘The third point respects your domains, which are exceedingly ill
managed, insomuch that many houses, castles and edifices, are falling to
ruin. In like manner are your woods destroyed, your mills out of repair,
your rivers and ponds robbed, and in general all the revenue of your
domains are become, from their great diminution, of scarcely any value.
‘The fourth point concerns churchmen, the nobility and the people; and,
first, it is a well known fact, that the clergy are grievously vexed,
and suffer great losses, as well from the judges of the realm as from
men at arms, and several other descriptions of persons, who take by
force their provisions, ransack their houses, nay, make them ransom
themselves from further injuries, by which means they have scarcely a
sufficiency left to perform the divine service.
‘The nobility are frequently summoned, under pretext of aiding you in
your wars, and never receive one penny for their attendance or service;
and to purchase armour, horses, and other necessaries for war, they are
often forced to sell their properties.
‘In respect to your people, it is very certain that they must speedily
be ruined, from the vexations they suffer under your bailiffs, provosts,
and especially from the farmers of your domains, and under your
soldiers. These grievances have been so long winked at that it may be
feared that the indignation of God will be roused against you, unless
you shall provide remedies for them.
‘It is notorious that your enemies, during the reigns of Philip and
John, both kings of France, your noble predecessors, did infinite
mischief to your realm; and that they long detained, against the will of
king Richard, your ally and son-in-law, as well as against your own, his
wife and your daughter. They drowned several nobles and others, who had
an affection for her, broke the truces, and have wasted and set fire to
several places in your kingdom, in Picardy, Flanders, Normandy, Brittany
and Acquitaine, where they have done irreparable damages.
‘We do not, noble sir, advise that you should neglect the war you have
undertaken against your enemies,—for that would reflect disgrace on your
honour and great council, and put an end to the dissensions that now
remain among them, and the war they have on their hands against the
Welsh and Scots. Should peace be made between them, greater evils might
befal your kingdom than before.
‘It seems to us, as a certain truth, that you will find it very
difficult to raise the necessary supplies for this war from your
domains, or other sources. Two heavy taxes have been lately imposed,
under pretence of supporting the wars; notwithstanding which, not one
penny of their receipt has been expended on them, which may cause many
evils,—for there are great discontents among the clergy, the nobility
and the people; and should they rise together (which I hope will never
happen), more real dangers may be the consequence than have ever yet
befallen the realm. Every person in your kingdom who is loyally attached
to you must feel much grief in seeing the money of your realm thus
wasted.
‘We have thought ourselves, noble lord, thus bounden by our obligations
to you, to lay the complaints of the nation before you; and, that we may
avoid incurring your royal indignation, or that of our lady the queen,
or of the princes of the blood, or others of your faithful subjects, we
do not wish to make personal charges, nor to seek for any part in your
government, but most humbly supplicate you to apply a remedy to the
vexations we have stated, and request that you call into your presence
those who may assure you of the truths we have told you, that you may
seek wholesome counsel, and briefly put an end to such peculations.
‘To aid so good a work, we offer you our persons, our fortunes and our
friends; and as in truth we cannot patiently see or suffer such things
to be done against your honour, and that of your royal majesty, it is
our intention never to cease supplicating your majesty until some
efficient steps be taken to remedy them.’
Such was the petition of John duke of Burgundy and his brothers.
Another day, when the king was in a tolerably good state of health, the
three before mentioned petitioners, accompanied by their uncle the duke
of Berry, and many princes and knights of France, with master Regnault
de Corbie, first president of the parliament, and a number of officers
of state, went to the hôtel de St Pol, where they found the king, who
had quitted his apartment and was in the garden. After having reverently
saluted him, the three brothers did their homages for the lordships they
held under him, namely, duke John for his duchy of Burgundy, and his
counties of Flanders and Artois,—Anthony duke of Limbourg, for his
county of Rethel,—and Philip the younger, for his county of Nevers.
There were also a very great number of noblemen, knights and esquires,
who did their homages to the king for the estates they held from him in
different parts of the kingdom. When the three brothers had requested
certificates from the king of the duties they had performed, they took
leave of him, and departed for their hôtels.
These same days there arrived at Paris, and in the adjacent villages,
full six thousand fighting men, in obedience to the summons of the duke
of Burgundy and his brothers, under the command of Jean sans pitié[91],
bishop of Liege, and the count de Cleves. This force was collected to
oppose the duke of Orleans, should he attempt any insult against them;
for they were well informed of his not being well pleased that they had
forced his nephew, the dauphin, to return to Paris, nor with the
petition they had made to the king. What raised his indignation the
more, and especially against the duke of Burgundy, was his knowledge
that the charges in this petition attached more to him than to any other
of the princes of the realm.
The duke of Orleans, not knowing what turn these matters might take, nor
what measures might be pursued against his person, ordered men at arms
from all quarters to his assistance. In the number, sir John Harpedanne
came with his men from the frontiers of the Boulonois. From other parts
came the duke of Lorraine and the count d’Alençon[92] with a large body
of men, who were quartered at Melun, and in that neighbourhood, to the
amount of fourteen hundred armed with helmets, besides a great multitude
of other sorts.
The whole country round Paris, the Isle of France and Brie, were sorely
oppressed by the men at arms of both parties.
The partisans of the duke of Orleans bore on their pennons the motto,
‘Je l’envie;’ and the duke sent messengers to the queen and to king
Louis[93], who was preparing to set out for his kingdom of Naples with a
powerful body of men at arms, to come to him at Melun. The king, leaving
his own business, went thither, and had a conference with the queen and
the duke,—after which he returned to Paris, with the intention of
negotiating between the two parties.
He held many consultations with the dukes of Berry and Bourbon, and the
king’s council, to attempt a reconciliation between the dukes of Orleans
and Burgundy. Whilst this was passing, the duke of Orleans wrote letters
to many of the principal towns in the kingdom, complaining that many
defamatory and injurious reports against his person and honour had been
very industriously spread through Paris, which ought not to obtain any
credit until he should make answer to them. In like manner, he wrote to
the university of Paris, sending ambassadors to require that the matters
in dispute between him and the duke of Burgundy should be argued before
them, and that they should decide which of the two was to blame.
The university, on the receipt of this letter, sent some of their
principal members as ambassadors to the duke at Melun, who stated three
points which they were ordered to lay before him. In the first place,
they thanked him for the honour he had done them by sending them his
ambassadors: secondly, they declared that they should be very happy to
witness the commencement of a reformation in the kingdom; and thirdly,
that they should greatly rejoice to see him and the duke of Burgundy
reconciled.
The duke of Orleans, having listened to them, instantly made answer,
that they had not acted wisely in supporting and advising the duke of
Burgundy in his measures, which had been principally directed against
himself, as they could not have been ignorant that he was son and
brother to a king; that the regency of the kingdom had been given to him
as the most proper person, and was in fact his right, considering the
state of the king’s health, and the youth of his nephew the duke of
Acquitaine. He added, secondly, that those members of the university who
were strangers, and from different countries, ought not to interfere in
the government or reformation of the kingdom, but should leave it to him
and those of the blood royal, and the king’s ministers.
In reply to their third point, he said, that there was no need of
pacification between him and the duke of Burgundy, because there was not
any warfare, nor had any challenges passed between them.
When the ambassadors had heard these answers, they withdrew, very much
confused, and returned to Paris. On the ensuing Saturday, while the duke
of Burgundy was in his hôtel d’Artois, he was informed, and it was a
fact, that the queen and the duke of Orleans, with all their force, had
marched from Melun, and were on their road to Paris.
The duke, on hearing this, mounted his horse, and rode to the hôtel
d’Angiers, where he found the king of Sicily, the dukes of Berry and of
Bourbon, with other lords of the king’s council, who, when they knew of
the arrival of the said duke of Orleans, were all greatly astonished;
for this was in direct contradiction to their intent, and to the treaty
which they were meditating between the parties.
The duke of Burgundy had a great number of men at arms, as well within
Paris as without, who bore for motto on the pennons of their lances, in
Flemish, _Hie Houd!_ that is to say, ‘I have possession!’ in opposition
to the device of the Orleans-party, _Je l’envie!_[94] The greater part
of the duke of Burgundy’s forces drew up in battle-array on the summit
of Montfaulcon, to wait the arrival of their adversaries.
In the mean while, the populace of Paris rose; and multitudes armed
themselves to oppose the entrance of the duke of Orleans, suspecting his
intentions were to give the town up to pillage and murder. They pulled
down many sheds, that no obstructions might be found in the streets to
the full use of the lance, and that shelter might not be afforded
against the stones thrown down from the roofs of the houses.
Many scholars armed themselves for the defence of the bridges; and true
it was, that the Parisians were far more favourable to the party of
Burgundy than to that of Orleans, and were willing, should there be
occasion, to assist that party to the utmost of their power.
The duke of Burgundy was fully prepared to resist and combat the duke of
Orleans, had he advanced as far as Paris. But the chancellor and
presidents of the parliament, with other prudent men, observing the
great ferment in Paris, made many visits to the hôtel d’Angiers, with a
view to reconcile these princes, and avert the great mischiefs that
might otherwise ensue. They likewise sent messengers to the duke of
Orleans, to inform him of the state of Paris, and how very unpopular he
was there. The duke and the queen, on hearing this intelligence, after a
short consultation with their most confidential advisers, separated: the
queen went to the Bois de Vincennes, and the duke returned with his army
to Corbeil.
On the morrow, he came to Beauté; and his army was quartered near the
bridge of Charenton, and in the adjacent country. During this time, the
before-named princes, with many great lords and members of the council
assembled, and met for several days, to consider of a reconciliation
between the two parties. After some time, they at length made known to
each their determination, which was, that within two days the dukes of
Orleans and Burgundy should submit the whole of their disputes to the
decision of the kings of Sicily and Navarre, and the dukes of Berry and
Bourbon; and for the accomplishment of the decision, they were each to
bind themselves by their corporal oath, and afterward to dismiss their
forces. The duke of Orleans came to lodge at his hôtel at St Anthony,
near the bastille.
A few days afterward, the princes before named managed the affair so
well that the two dukes made up their quarrel, and apparently showed in
public that they were good friends; but He who knows the inward secrets
of the heart saw what little dependance was to be placed on such outward
appearances.
The duke of Lorraine and the count d’Alençon, after this, returned home
with their men, without entering Paris; and not long afterward, the duke
of Burgundy departed, with his brothers and men at arms, for Artois, and
thence to his county of Flanders, where he had a conference with his
brother-in-law duke William, the bishop of Liege, the count Waleran de
St Pol, the count de Namur[95], and several others. When this was ended,
he returned to his town of Arras.
[A. D. 1406.]
CHAP. XXVI.
DUKE JOHN OF BURGUNDY OBTAINS FROM THE KING OF FRANCE THE
GOVERNMENT OF PICARDY.—AN EMBASSY FROM ENGLAND TO
FRANCE.—AN ACCOUNT OF CLUGNET DE BRABANT, KNIGHT.
At the commencement of this year, the duke of Burgundy, by a grant from
the king, the dukes of Orleans and Berry, and the whole council,
obtained the government of Picardy. In consequence, sir William de
Vienne, lord of St George, was ordered by him to the frontiers of the
Boulonois, with six hundred men armed with helmets, and a large body of
genoese cross-bows. They were encamped on these frontiers, whence they
made a sharp war against the English: nevertheless, the country was not
so well guarded against the inroads of the latter but that it was in
several parts laid waste by them.
About this period, the ambassadors returned from England to the king and
his council at Paris, namely, the earl of Pembroke and the bishop of St
David’s, with some others[96], who came to request that a truce might be
established between the two crowns, so that commerce might have a free
course in both countries.
They also demanded, that the king of France should grant his eldest
daughter, Isabella, formerly married to king Richard, in marriage to the
eldest son of the king of England, who, in consideration of this match,
would, instantly after its consummation, lay down his crown, and invest
his son with the government of the kingdom.
These requests, having been made to the royal council, were referred a
few days for consideration; but at length, they having been fully
discussed, and the frauds of the English duly considered, not one of
them was granted. The duke of Orleans contended, that this eldest
princess of France should be given in marriage to his eldest son
Charles, which afterward took place.
The english ambassadors returned home, much dissatisfied at their ill
success, and the war was shortly after carried on with greater
bitterness between the two nations.
Even sir Clugnet de Brabant[97], knight of the household to the duke of
Orleans, went to Harfleur with six hundred men at arms at the king’s
expense. He had lately obtained the office of great admiral of France,
with the approbation of sir Regnault de Trie, who had resigned it, in
consideration of a very large sum of money which he had received,
through the intrigues of the duke of Orleans. But as he was on the point
of entering Harfleur, where there were twelve gallies ready for sea, on
board of which he meant to embark to make war on the English, and take
possession of his new office, he was ordered, in the king’s name, not to
proceed further, but to return to Paris.
Shortly after, by means of the duke of Orleans, he married the dowager
countess of Blois[98], widow of count Guy de Blois, sister to the count
de Namur, who was much irritated thereat;—and because an illegitimate
brother of his had consented to the conclusion of this marriage, he had
him seized by his men, on the first favourable opportunity, and
beheaded, thus making his blood pay for the acts of his will.
The duke of Berry was at this time governor of Paris, and prevailed on
the king and council to permit the Parisians to wear arms, to defend
themselves, should there be occasion; and the greater part of the armour
that had been kept at the palace and Louvre, since the time of the
mallet insurrection, were given back to them.
CHAP. XXVII.
THE WAR IS RENEWED BETWEEN THE DUKES OF BAR AND
LORRAINE.—MARRIAGES CONCLUDED AT COMPIÈGNE.—AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN THE DUKES OF ORLEANS AND BURGUNDY.
This year, the quarrels were renewed between the dukes of Bar and
Lorraine, because the duke of Lorraine had straitly besieged, with a
considerable force, a castle belonging to the duke of Bar, which was
partly in France, and had on this account been surrendered by the
marquis du Pont, son to the duke of Bar, to the king of France. However,
in spite of this, the duke of Lorraine took it; and as this conduct was
highly displeasing to the king, a large army was assembled in that part
of France.
Sir Clugnet de Brabant, admiral of France, was ordered to march this
army into Lorraine against the duke; but negotiations were entered into,
so that the army was dismissed, and all those preparations ended in
nothing.