and her children, the king annulled all his letters of pardon which
he had formerly granted to the duke of Burgundy, and declared them
of no weight, in the presence of the queen, the duke of Acquitaine,
the princes of the blood, and the whole of the council. The duchess
demanded and obtained letters, confirming this renunciation of the
pardon; after which, she and her daughter-in-law, wife to the young
duke of Orleans, left Paris, and returned to Blois.
Not long after this, news came to Paris of the great victory which
the duke of Burgundy had gained over the Liegeois. This was confirmed
by the return of the king’s ambassadors, sir Guichard Daulphin and
sir William de Tignonville, who, as has been related, were present at
the battle, and gave to the king and the lords then in Paris a most
circumstantial account of it. On hearing this, several who had been
most violent against the duke of Burgundy, now hung their heads, and
began to be of a contrary opinion to what they had before held, fearing
the steadiness, boldness and power of the duke, who was said to have a
mind equal to the support of any misfortunes that should happen to him,
and which would encourage him to oppose and conquer all attempts of his
adversaries. In short, all the measures that had been adopted against
him were dropped, and the men at arms were ordered to return to the
places whence they had come.
Ambassadors had arrived from England to treat of a peace, or a truce
for one year, between the kings of England and of France, which having
obtained, they set out on their return, through Amiens and Boulogne,
to Calais. On the road, they heard of the grand victory of the duke
of Burgundy, which surprised them very much,--and they gave him the
surname of ‘Jean sans peur.’
The duke of Burgundy was very active in attaching to his party noblemen
and warriors from all countries, to strengthen himself against his
enemies, of whom he was given to understand that he had many. He
held on this subject several consultations with his two brothers and
brothers-in-law, namely, duke William of Holland and John of Bavaria,
to which were admitted his most trusty friends; and they deliberated
long on the manner in which he should now carry himself. It was at
length finally concluded, that he should openly oppose all, excepting
the king of France and the duke of Acquitaine; and those present
promised him aid and support with all the power of their vassals, on
these terms.
CHAP. V.
THE KING OF FRANCE IS CARRIED, BY THE PRINCES OF THE BLOOD,
TO TOURS IN TOURAINE.----PEACE IS MADE IN THE TOWN OF
CHARTRES.--THE DEATH OF THE DOWAGER DUCHESS OF ORLEANS.
The king of France left Paris, accompanied by the kings of Sicily and
Navarre, the queen, the duke of Acquitaine, the dukes of Berry and
Bourbon, who, with others of the blood-royal, conducted him, under
the escort of a large body of men at arms, to Tours in Touraine, as
his place of residence,--to the great displeasure of the inhabitants
of Paris, who were so much troubled thereat that they barricadoed the
streets with chains. They hastily sent to inform the duke of Burgundy,
at Lille, of the king’s departure, giving him to understand that the
greater part of those who had carried him away from Paris were not well
inclined towards him.
This intelligence was not very agreeable to the duke, for he suspected
that the king had only been conducted to Tours that his enemies might
carry their measures against him more securely; for the lords who had
the government knew well that the Parisians loved the duke of Burgundy,
and would not that any other should have the government of the kingdom,
believing, from the hints he had thrown out, that when in power he
would abolish all gabelles and other taxes which oppressed the people.
The duke of Burgundy first consulted the dukes of Brabant and of
Holland, and other steady friends, and then remanded his men at arms
from Burgundy, who were on their march to their own country from Liege,
and assembled another body from various parts. He advanced to Roye, in
the Vermandois, where he mustered his men, and then marched them toward
Paris. He quartered himself, on the 23d day of November, in the town of
St Denis, and his forces in the adjacent country. On the morrow, as he
was advancing with his men at arms in array toward Paris, two thousand
or more combatants sallied out thence, and conducted him, with every
mark of honour, to his hôtel of Artois.
Many of the Parisians sung carols in the squares, although all
rejoicings had been strictly forbidden on his arrival, to avoid
increasing the envy of the princes of the blood. Some of the king’s
servants said to those who were singing carols, ‘You may otherwise
show your joy for his arrival, but you ought not thus to sing.’
Notwithstanding this, all the principal citizens, and those in
authority, showed him as much honour and respect as if he had been king
himself.
A few days afterward, duke William, count of Hainault, arrived at
Paris, well accompanied by unarmed men, and, at the request of the
duke of Burgundy, set out for Tours, attended by the lords de Croy,
de St George, de la Viefville, d’Olhaz, and others of the council of
the duke, to negotiate his peace with the king, and the lords who had
carried him from Paris. The count of Hainault was most honourably
received at Tours by the king, the queen, and the other great lords;
for the marriage had taken place between John duke of Touraine, second
son to the king, and the daughter of the duke of Burgundy: he was also
nearly related to the queen.
On the conclusion of the feasts made on his arrival, the count of
Hainault and those who had accompanied him opened, in full council,
the business of their mission, namely, to make peace for the duke
of Burgundy. After many discussions, it was resolved, that the king
should send certain persons, selected by him, to hold a conference with
the duke of Burgundy at Paris, and point out to him the means of his
regaining the good graces of the king.
Duke Louis of Bavaria, brother to the queen, Montagu grand master of
the king’s household, and other experienced counsellors, were nominated
for this purpose; and they returned with the count de Hainault to
Paris, when what had passed was told to the duke of Burgundy.
As all the circumstances of this treaty were not agreeable to the duke,
and as he had many suspicions respecting Montagu, he was not disposed
to receive the negotiators in the way they were sent to him. He even
personally made many reproaches to Montagu, who bore them patiently,
excusing himself for any thing that had passed. The treaty, however,
having been altered and corrected, was sent back to the king at Tours,
and in the end agreed to in the manner you shall hear.
While these negotiations were going forward, and before their
conclusion, the duchess-dowager of Orleans, daughter to Galeazzo duke
of Milan, died in the town of Blois, broken-hearted at not having been
able to obtain justice from the king and council against the duke of
Burgundy for the murder of her late lord and husband, Louis duke of
Orleans. The duke of Burgundy was much rejoiced at this event, for the
duchess had bitterly carried on her prosecution against him.
Her heart was buried at Paris, near that of her husband, and her body
in the church of the canons at Blois. After her death, Charles, her
eldest son, was duke of Orleans and of Valois, count of Blois and of
Beaumont, lord of Coni and of Ast, with many other lordships:--Philip,
the second son, was count of Vertus,--and John, the youngest, was named
count of Angoulême. These three brothers, and one sister, thus became
orphans, but they had been very well educated; yet, by the deaths of
the duke and duchess of Orleans, they were much weakened in support
and advice,--and several of the king’s ministers were not so zealous
to prosecute the duke of Burgundy as they had been. This was very
apparent in the negotiations which took place some little time after
the death of the duchess, between the duke of Burgundy and the children
of Orleans; for although the treaty sent by the king was not wholly to
the liking of the duke, as has been said, yet it was so corrected that
the parties accepted of it, in the following terms:
First, it was ordered by the king and his great council, that the duke
of Burgundy should depart from Paris with his men at arms, and return
to his own country, where he was to remain until a certain day, namely,
the first Wednesday in February, when he was to meet the king at the
town of Chartres, accompanied only by one hundred gentlemen at arms,
and the children of Orleans with fifty. It was also ordered, that duke
William, count of Hainault, should have under his command four hundred
of the king’s men at arms, to preserve the peace. It was also ordered,
that the duke of Burgundy, when he appeared before the king, should be
attended by one of his council, who should repeat the words he was to
say; and the duke, in confirmation of them, was to add, ‘We will and
agree that it should be thus.’
Afterward, according to the tenor of the treaty, the king was to say to
the duke of Burgundy, ‘We will, that the count de Vertus, our nephew,
have one of your daughters in marriage.’ The duke was by this treaty to
assign over to his daughter three thousand livres parisis yearly, and
give her one hundred and fifty thousand golden francs.
When this treaty had been concluded, duke William set out from Paris
for Hainault; and shortly after, the duke of Burgundy disbanded his men
at arms, and left Paris to go to Lille, whither he had summoned the
duke of Brabant his brother, duke William and the bishop of Liege, his
brothers-in-law, and many other great lords.
At this period, there was a great quarrel between the duke of Brabant
and duke William. It was caused by the father of duke William having
borrowed in former times from the late duchess of Brabant one hundred
and fifty thousand florins to carry on a war against some of his
rebellious subjects in Holland, which sum the duke of Brabant had
claimed as belonging to him. He had in consequence, by the advice
of his Brabanters, taken possession of a castle called Heusden[16],
situated between Brabant and Holland.
The duke of Burgundy took great pains to make up the quarrel between
these two princes, that they might the more effectually assist him in
his plans, which were very extensive. After this business had been
settled, and the parties had separated, duke William assembled in
Hainault, according to the king of France’s orders, four hundred men
at arms and as many archers. The principal lords among them were, the
counts de Namur, de Conversant and de Salmes. The duke of Burgundy,
conformably to the treaty, set out, the day after Ash-Wednesday,
attended by his son-in-law the count de Penthievre[17], and lay at
Bapaume. Thence he went to Paris, with duke William, the above-named
lords, the count de St Pol, the count de Vaudemont[18], and several
others of the nobility.
On Saturday, the 2d day of March, they arrived all together at the
town of Gallardon, four leagues distant from Chartres. The Wednesday
following, duke William of Holland advanced with his body of forces to
Chartres, where the king then was. On the ensuing Saturday, the duke
of Burgundy set out from Gallardon, to wait on the king, escorted by
six hundred men at arms; but when he approached Chartres, he dismissed
them all, excepting one hundred light horsemen, in compliance with the
treaty, and thus entered Chartres about ten o’clock in the morning,
riding strait to the church as far as the cloisters of the canons,
where he was lodged.
At this same time, the duke of Orleans, in company with his brother the
count de Vertus, and, according to the treaty, attended by only fifty
men at arms, entered the church of our Lady at Chartres, with the king
their uncle, the queen, the duke of Acquitaine, and several princes of
the blood.
That the king and lords might not be pressed upon by the spectators,
and that all might plainly see the ceremony, a scaffolding was erected
in the church, on which the king was seated near the crucifix. Round
him were placed the queen, the dauphin and dauphiness, daughter to the
duke of Burgundy, the kings of Sicily and Navarre, the dukes of Berry
and Bourbon; the cardinal de Bar, the marquis du Pont his brother, the
archbishop of Sens, and the bishop of Chartres, with other counts,
prelates, and the family of Orleans were behind the king. At the
entrance of the church, by the king’s orders, were a body of men at
arms drawn up in battle-array.
It was not long before the duke of Burgundy entered the church, and on
his advancing toward the king, all the lords, excepting the king, queen
and dauphin, rose up from their seats. The duke, on his approach to the
king, kneeled down with his advocate the lord d’Ollehaing, who repeated
to the king the following words:
‘Sire, behold here my lord of Burgundy, your subject and cousin, who
is thus come before you, because he has heard you are angry with him,
for the action he has committed against the person of the late duke of
Orleans your brother, for the good of yourself and your kingdom,--the
truth of which he is ready to declare and prove to you, whenever you
shall please. My lord, therefore, entreats of you, in the most humble
manner possible, that you would be pleased to withdraw from him your
anger, and restore him to your good graces.’ When the lord d’Ollehaing
had said this, the duke of Burgundy himself addressed the king, saying,
‘Sire, I entreat this of you:’--when instantly the duke of Berry,
seeing the king made no reply, bade the duke of Burgundy retire some
paces behind,--which being done, the duke of Berry, kneeling before
the king, said something to him in a low voice,--and immediately the
dauphin, the kings of Sicily and Navarre, with the duke of Berry, knelt
down to the king, and said, ‘Sire, we supplicate that you would be
pleased to listen to the prayer of your cousin the duke of Burgundy.’
The king answered them, ‘We will that it be so,--and we grant it from
our love to you.’
The duke of Burgundy then approached the king, who said to him,--‘Fair
cousin, we grant your request, and pardon you fully for what you have
done.’ After this, he advanced, with the lord d’Ollehaing, toward the
children of Orleans, who, as I have said, were behind the king weeping
much.
The lord d’Ollehaing addressed them, saying, ‘My lords, behold the
duke of Burgundy, who entreats of you to withdraw from your hearts
whatever hatred or revenge you may harbour within them, for the act
perpetrated against the person of my lord of Orleans, your father, and
that henceforward ye may remain good friends.’ The duke of Burgundy
then added, ‘And I beg this of you.’ No answer being made, the king
commanded them to accede to the request of his fair cousin the duke
of Burgundy. Upon which they replied, ‘Sire, since you are pleased to
command us, we grant him his request, and shall extinguish all the
hatred we bore him; for we should be sorry to disobey you in any thing
that may give you pleasure.’
The cardinal de Bar then, by the king’s orders, brought an open Bible,
on which the two parties, namely, the two sons of the late duke of
Orleans and the duke of Burgundy swore on the holy evangelists,
touching them with their hands, that they would mutually preserve a
firm peace towards each other, without any open or secret attempts
contrary to the full meaning of their oaths. When this was done, the
king said, ‘We will that henceforth ye be good friends; and I most
strictly enjoin, that neither of you attempt any thing to the loss or
hurt of the other, nor against any persons who are attached to you,
or who may have given you advice or assistance; and that you show
no hatred against any one on this occasion, under pain of offending
against our royal authority,--excepting, however, those who actually
committed this murder, who shall be for ever banished from our kingdom.’
After this speech of the king, these princes again swore they would
faithfully abide by their treaty. The duke of Burgundy then advanced
to salute the wife of the dauphin, the duke of Acquitaine; and about
an hour after this ceremony had taken place the duke took his leave
of the king, queen, and the lords present, and set out from Chartres
for Gallardon, where he dined. Many who were there were very much
rejoiced that matters had gone off so well; but others were displeased,
and murmured, saying, that henceforward it would be no great offence
to murder a prince of the blood, since those who had done so were so
easily acquitted, without making any reparation, or even begging pardon.
The duke of Orleans and his brother shortly after took leave of the
king, queen, dauphin, and the lords of the court, and returned, with
their attendants, to Blois, whence they had come, not well satisfied,
any more than their council, with the peace that had been made.
The marquis du Pont, son to the duke of Bar, and cousin to the duke of
Burgundy, who before this day was not beloved by him, on account of
the murder of the duke of Orleans, followed him to Gallardon, where
they dined publicly together in great friendship and concord. About two
o’clock in the afternoon duke William, the count de St Pol, and other
great lords, visited the duke of Burgundy at his lodgings in Gallardon,
and then returned together toward Paris.
The king, the queen, the dauphin, and the other kings, princes and
cardinals, arrived at Paris on Mid-Lent Sunday; and the dukes of
Burgundy and of Holland, with the cardinal de Bordeaux, who was at that
time in Paris, on his way to the council of Pisa, went out to meet
them, followed by upwards of two hundred thousand Parisians of both
sexes, eager to receive the king, singing carols, as he entered the
gates, and conducting him with great rejoicings to his palace.
They were very happy that the king was returned to Paris, and also that
a peace had been concluded respecting the death of the late duke of
Orleans. They attributed the whole to the great mercy of God, who had
permitted that such strong symptoms of a civil war should be so readily
extinguished; but they did not foresee or consider the consequences
that ensued.
The greater part of the Parisians were obstinately attached to the
duke of Burgundy, through the hope that by his means all the most
oppressive taxes would be abolished; but they did not see clearly all
the mischiefs that afterward befel the kingdom and themselves,--for in
a very short time, as you shall hear, a most cruel contention broke out
between the families of Orleans and Burgundy.
CHAP. VI.
THE QUEEN OF SPAIN DIES DURING THE SITTING OF THE COUNCIL AT
PISA.--THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING OF DENMARK, NORWAY AND SWEDEN.
In this year died the queen of Spain[19], sister to Henry king of
England, and mother to the young king of Spain and queen of Portugal.
The Spaniards after her death sent home all the english servants, male
and female, belonging to the late queen, who returned to England in
much grief and sorrow at heart.
At this same season, great numbers of prelates, archbishops, bishops
and abbots, set out from various countries of Christendom to attend the
council at Pisa which was assembling to restore union to the church,
which had for a long time suffered a schism, to the great displeasure
of many princes and well-inclined persons.
About this same period, Henry[20] king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden,
took to wife the daughter of Henry king of England. These kingdoms were
put into the hands of the king of Denmark by their queen, who divested
herself of all power and profit over them in favour of king Henry.
[A. D. 1409.]
CHAP. VII.
THE KING OF FRANCE HAS A SEVERE RETURN OF HIS DISORDER.--THE
MARRIAGE OF THE COUNT DE NEVERS WITH THE DAMSEL OF COUCY.--THE
WAR OF AMÉ DE VIRY, A SAVOYARD, WITH THE DUKE OF BOURBON.
At the beginning of this year, Charles king of France was much
oppressed with his usual disorder. On this account, when the kings of
Navarre and Sicily, and the duke of Berry, had properly provided, in
conjunction with the duke of Burgundy, for the state of the king, and
the government of the realm, they went to visit their own territories.
In like manner, the duke of Burgundy, went to the marriage of his
brother Philip count of Nevers, who took to wife the damsel of Coucy,
daughter to sir Enguerrand de Coucy[21], formerly lord and count of
Soissons, and niece by the mother’s side to the duke of Lorraine and to
the count de Vaudemont; which marriage was celebrated in the town of
Soissons.
This ceremony was performed on Saint George’s day, and the feasts and
entertainments lasted for three days afterward. There were present the
duchess of Lorraine[22] and the countess of Vaudemont[23], who had come
expressly thither to do honour to the lady of Coucy and her daughter.
When these feasts were over, the duke of Burgundy, attended by his
son-in-law the count de Penthievre, set out for Burgundy; and shortly
after, the count de Nevers conducted his wife, and the duchess of
Lorraine and the countess of Vaudemont, to his county of Rethel, where
she was received with every token of joy.
During this time, the duke of Bourbon was challenged by Amé de Viry,
a Savoyard, and a poor blade in comparison with the duke of Bourbon;
nevertheless, he committed much damage by fire and sword in the
countries of Bresse and Beaujolois. The duke was very indignant at
this, and assembled a large body of men at arms and archers to punish
and conquer him. He ordered his son, the count de Clermont, to lead on
the van, and he speedily followed in person.
In his company were the counts de la Marche and de Vendôme, the lord
d’Albret, constable of France, Louis de Baviere, brother to the queen,
Montagu, grand master of the king’s household, the lord de la Heuse and
many more great lords, who advanced with a numerous body of men to the
county of Beaujolois.
Amé de Viry was informed of the great force which the duke of Bourbon
was marching against him, and dared not wait his arrival; for he had
not strength enough to garrison the forts he had taken. On his retreat,
he marched to a town called Bourg-en-Bresse, which belonged to the earl
of Savoy, his lord. The earl, however, would not support him against
his great uncle, the duke of Bourbon, but gave him up, on condition
that Amé should make every amends in his power for the mischiefs he had
done, and should surrender himself to one of the prisons of the duke,
until he should have completely made him satisfaction, but that no harm
of any sort should be done to his person.
The duke of Bourbon gladly received him, and thanked his nephew for his
friendship.--This caused a quarrel of some standing to be made up; for
the earl of Savoy had declared his great uncle owed him homage for his
lands of Beaujolois, which he would not pay,--but now the dispute was
mutually referred by them to the duke of Berry.
When these matters were concluded, the duke of Bourbon returned to
France, and disbanded his forces. Some time after, by means which Viry
made use of with the duke, he obtained his liberty. Waleran count de
St Pol intended being of this expedition with the duke of Bourbon, and
raised a large force; but on marching near Paris, he was ordered not to
proceed further, and to return to the frontiers of the Boulonois, where
he had been specially commissioned by the king.
CHAP. VIII.
TWO COMBATS TAKE PLACE AT PARIS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE
KING.----THE DEATH OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF RHEIMS.----THE COUNCIL
AT PISA.
About Ascension-day, the king of France, who had been grievously ill,
was restored to health,--and in consequence, the dukes of Berry,
Burgundy, and Bourbon, with many other lords, instantly returned to
Paris. Two combats were ordained to be fought in the square behind St
Martin des Champs, in the presence of the king and the aforesaid lords.
One was between a breton knight, called sir William Batailler, and an
Englishman, named sir John Carmien, for a breach of faith.