THE REVOLT OF WILLIAM OF ARQUES; AND HOW
HE AND THE KING OF FRANCE WERE
FOILED BY DUKE WILLIAM.
William of Arches was a brave and gallant knight[1], brother to the
archbishop Maugier, who loved him well. He was also brother on one side
to duke Robert, being the son of Richard and Papie, and uncle of William
the bastard. He was versed in many a trick and subtlety, and plotted
mischief against the duke, claiming a right of inheritance, inasmuch as
he was born in wedlock. On account of his relationship, and to secure
his fealty, the duke had given him, as a fief, Arches and Taillou[2];
and he received them and became the duke's man; promising fealty, though
he observed it but for a very brief space of time. To enable him the
better to work mischief to his lord, he built a tower above Arches,
setting it on the top of the hill[3], with a deep trench around on
every side. Then confiding in the strength of his castle, and in his
birth in wedlock, and knowing that the king of France had promised to
succour him in case of need, he told William he should hold his castle
free from all service to him; that he was in wrongful possession of
Normandy, being a bastard and without any title of right.
But the duke had now great power; for he was very prudent, and no man is
weak who possesses wisdom. He sent for William of Arches, and summoned
him to attend, and do his service: but he altogether refused, and defied
the bastard, relying on aid from the king of France. He plundered the
country round of provisions and stores of every sort, heeding little
whence it came, and thus supplied his castle and tower.
The duke bore with this behaviour but a very little while, and without
further 'parlement' sent for his people from all sides. Then with
ditches and stakes and palisades he quickly formed a fort[4], at the
foot of the hill in the valley, so as to command all the country round,
and prevent those in the castle from obtaining either ox, or cow, or
calf: and the fort was so strong, and was garrisoned by so many knights,
the best of the chivalry of all Normandy, that no effort of either king
or earl to take it, was likely to be of any avail. So the duke, having
thus completed his work, went his way to attend to his affairs
elsewhere.
The king of France soon knew that the duke had fortified his post, and
blockaded the tower, so that no provisions could enter therein. Then he
assembled a great chivalry, and got together much store of provisions
and arms, intending to relieve the tower of Arches, where the supply of
corn began to fail. Having reached Saint-Albin[5], with an ample store
both of corn and wine, the king made a halt, ordering sumpter horses to
be made ready to carry the stores onward, and providing a troop of
knights to form the convoy.
Those in the besiegers' fort soon heard of the great preparations
waiting at Saint-Albin to provision and relieve Arches. Then they
selected their strongest and best fighting men, and privily formed an
ambuscade in the direction of Saint-Albin. Having done this, they sent
out another party with orders to charge the king's force, and then to
turn back, making as if they would flee. But when they had passed the
spot where the ambuscade lay, they turned quickly round on those who
were pursuing, and fiercely attacked the French; those also who were
lying in ambuscade riding forth, and joining in the assault.
The Frenchmen were thus grievously taken in; and being separated from
the rest of their army, the Normans charged them boldly, and took and
killed many. Hue Bardous[6] was taken early in the affray; Engerrens
count of Abevile[7], was killed, and all suffered greatly. The king of
France was in great grief; he mourned heavily, and was sorely vexed for
the knights that had been thus surprised, and for his brave barons who
had fallen. He made ready the baggage horses, and carried the stores to
the town of Arches; and when he had so done, he returned back to
Saint-Denis with no small shame and disgrace, as it seems to me.
The duke was sojourning at Valognes, for the sake of the woods and
rivers which abound there, and on other affairs and business of his own,
when a messenger came spurring on with pressing speed, and hastening
unto him, cried out and said, "Better would it be for thee to be
elsewhere! they who guard the frontiers have need of thy aid; for thy
uncle William of Arches hath linked himself by oath and affiance to king
Henry of France. The king hasteth to relieve and store Arches, and
William will do him service for it in return."
Then the duke tarried not till the varlet should speak further, nor
indeed till he had well said his say; but called for his good horse.
"Now I shall see," said he, "who of you is ready, now I shall see who
will follow me." And he made no other preparation, but forthwith crossed
the fords[8], passed Baieues and then Caen, and feigned as though he
would go to Rouen. But when he came to Punt-Audumer, he crossed over to
Chaudebec, and from Chaudebec rode on to Bans-le-Cunte. What need of
many words? He hasted and galloped on till he joined his people before
Arches; but none of those who took horse at the same time at Valognes
kept up with him; and all wondered how he had come so soon from such a
distance, when no one else had been able to do as much[9].
Then he rejoiced greatly to learn what had happened; how the French had
been discomfited, and their people routed and taken prisoners. William
of Arches however kept close, defending his castle bravely and long; and
he would have held it longer still, had not provisions failed him. So at
length he abandoned land, and castle, and tower; and surrendering all up
to duke William, fled to the king of France.
[Illustration]
[Footnote 1: The adventure of William of Arques is out of chronological
order in _Wace_, who, however, follows _William of Jumieges._]
[Footnote 2: Arques is the capital of the district around, formerly
called Tallou, Tellau, or Tallogium.]
[Footnote 3: The MSS. differ; we follow Duchesne's. M. Pluquet's text
reads 'La tur rut fete el _pié_ del munt.']
[Footnote 4: 'Chasteillun,' afterwards 'Chastelet.']
[Footnote 5: St. Aubin-le-Cauf, on the other side of the valley. There
is another St. Aubin, south of Arques.]
[Footnote 6: Hugh Bardolf, a distinguished name in Norman and English
history. In the roll of Norman fees in the red book of the Exchequer, we
find Doon Bardulf returned as one of those, 'qui non venerunt nec
miserunt nec aliquid dixerunt.']
[Footnote 7: Enguerran, count of Ponthieu, the second of the name,
nephew of Guy the bishop, who afterwards wrote the latin poem on the
battle of Hastings, which is now in the press at Rouen. He succeeded his
father, Hugh II. in 1052; and was himself succeeded by his brother Guy,
afterwards taken prisoner at the battle of Mortemer, their brother
Valeran being killed there. Mr. Stapleton has, in the _Archæologia_,
vol. 26, shown that this Enguerran married Adelidis, sister of the
_whole_ blood to the Conqueror; and that Adelidis, wife of Odo, Count of
Champagne, was one of her daughters; the other being Judith, wife of
Waltheof.]
[Footnote 8: The fords of St. Clement, which have been before noticed.
The places next mentioned are Bayeux, Pont-Audemer, Caudebec, and Bans
or Baons-le-Comte, near Ivetot.]
[Footnote 9: _William of Poitiers_ varies somewhat from Wace's account;
he gives William six attendants on this occasion.]