carried by him straight to the little Châtelet. The bishop of Chartres
was arrested with him, as he had been president of one of the financial
departments. Montagu was several times put to the torture, insomuch
that, suspecting his end was approaching, he asked his confessor what
he had best do: the confessor replied, ‘I see no other remedy than your
appealing from the jurisdiction of the provost of Paris.’ This he did;
and the provost waited on the lords who had commanded him to arrest
Montagu, to inform them, that he had appealed against his jurisdiction.
The parliament was consequently convoked to examine into the matter;
and the members of it declared the appeal of no effect. The lords,
therefore, seeing the cause had been judged, said to the provost, ‘Go,
without delay, accompanied by some of the populace well armed, take thy
prisoner, and finish the matter by cutting off his head with an axe,
and fix it on a lance in the market-place.’
After these words, the populace armed themselves, and, on the 17th
of October, assembled in bodies in the place Maubert, and in other
parts of the town. They carried Montagu to a scaffold erected in the
market place, where, having made him strip to his shirt, they cut off
his head, and fixed it to the end of a pike, and hung his body by the
shoulders to the highest gibbet at Montfaucon. This execution was
chiefly owing, as it was said, to the duke of Burgundy’s hatred to him,
who even sent for a very great number of the nobles of his countries of
Burgundy, Flanders, and Artois, to be spectators of it.
A little before this execution took place, the duke of Bourbon, and
his son the count de Clermont, left Paris, indignant at the arrest of
Montagu. The duke of Orleans, his brothers, and all of their party,
were also very much displeased that he was put to death,--but they
could not help it, for at that time they were not listened to by the
king’s council.
On the morrow of this event, duke William count of Hainault arrived at
Paris, having been sent for by the duke of Burgundy. A large company of
the nobles went out of the town to meet him; and he was most graciously
received by the king, the duke of Acquitaine and the other princes. On
his arrival, the hôtel that had belonged to Montagu was given to him,
with all its furniture, for it had been confiscated to the king’s use;
and duke William took instant possession.
The castle of Marcoussi, which had been built by Montagu, was seized
by the king: it is situated seven leagues from Paris, on the road to
Chartres. Montagu was born in Paris, and had first been secretary
to the king: he was the son of Gerard de Montagu, who had also been
secretary to Charles V. He was of noble birth by his mother’s side, and
had three daughters, two of whom were married; the elder to John[43]
count de Roussy, the second to Peter de Craon, lord of Montbason;
and the third was betrothed to John de Melun, son to the lord
d’Antoing[44], but the match was broken off: his son was married to the
daughter of the lord d’Albret, constable of France and cousin to the
king, as has been related.
After this, the provost of Paris arrested many of the king’s officers,
particularly those who had been concerned in the finances and in
matters of revenue. All the principals in the department of the
generalities, the presidents and others of the chamber of accounts,
Perrin Pillot, a merchant, with several others, were imprisoned in the
Louvre and in other places of confinement.
When the borgne de Foucal, equerry to the king, and keeper of that
department of the treasury called the Epargne, heard that the grand
master of the household was arrested, he was greatly astonished and
troubled, and, instantly changing his dress, mounted a fleet horse, and
secretly left Paris. This caused him to be much suspected of improper
conduct by the princes who were examining into these matters.
At this period, the archbishop of Sens, brother to the grand master,
Guichart Daulphin, William de Tignonville, knights, and master Goutier
Col, secretary to the king, were sent, by orders from the king, to meet
the english ambassadors at Amiens. The archbishop, hearing of the
arrest and imprisonment of his brother, took leave of his companions,
and set out from Amiens: but as he was journeying toward Paris, he was
met by one of the king’s ushers, who made him his prisoner; for he had
orders so to do from the king, and confine him at Amiens, should he
chance to find him there.
The archbishop very prudently replied, that he was ready to follow him
to prison or to death; but when they came to the river Oise, near the
priory of St Leu de Cherens, he played the usher a trick. On leaving
the ferry boat with a few of his people, he mounted the fleetest of his
horses, and galloped off, leaving the usher on the other side waiting
for the return of the ferry-boat; but, thunderstruck at his being so
cheated, he returned to Paris without his prisoner.
The lord de Tignonville, having been a member of the chamber of
accounts, was, by command of the princes, arrested by the bailiff of
Amiens, and confined in his prison. But after a short time, he, the
bishop of Chartres, and the other prisoners at Paris, were suspended
from their offices, and, having given bail, were permitted to go about
Paris, or wherever they pleased.
The princes, not being able to attend sufficiently to these matters
of reform from their other occupations of greater weight, appointed
a commission to examine carefully into them, which commission was
composed of the counts de la Marche, de Vendôme and de St Pol, with
some members of the parliament.
The men at arms that had been called together round Paris by the duke
of Burgundy and others were disbanded; and each, as they returned to
the places whence they had come, devoured the substance of the poor
people, according to the custom of that time.
Sir Guichart Daulphin[45], before mentioned, was, by the princes,
appointed grand master of the king’s household in the room of the
murdered Montagu; for the king was then troubled with his usual
disorder.
The bishop of Paris now requested of the princes, that they would, in
their mercy, permit him to have the body of his brother taken down from
the gibbet, and, with many tears and supplications, petitioned for
leave to bury him. But neither of these requests was granted him by the
princes; on which the bishop, ashamed of the disgraceful death of one
brother and the flight of another, the archbishop of Sens, soon after
quitted his see, and taking with him his sister-in-law, the widow of
Montagu, and some of their children, for the duke of Berry had already
appointed another chancellor, went to the estate of his sister-in-law
in Savoy: she was the daughter of sir Stephen de la Grange, formerly
president of the parliament, and brother to the cardinal d’Amiens.
The borgne de Foucal, not answering to the proclamations that were
made for his appearance, was banished the realm of France, by sound
of trumpet in the four quarters of Paris. In like manner were the
archbishop of Sens and many other fugitives banished the kingdom.
The king of Navarre, the dukes of Berry, Burgundy and Holland, with the
counts de Vendôme and de la Marche, and several great lords, waited on
the queen of France and the duke of Acquitaine, to make them acquainted
with the reasons for the executing Montagu, and what progress they had
made in the reformation of abuses, and the measures they had pursued
against such as were criminal. The queen testified her satisfaction,
and was contented that they should proceed as they had began. She was,
however, far from being pleased with the duke of Burgundy, whom she
dreaded, from the great power he was now possessed of, more than any of
the other princes, although he treated her respectfully in his speech.
The marriage of the lord Louis of Bavaria, brother to the queen, was
again talked of with the daughter of the king of Navarre; and he was
presented with the castle of Marcoussi, with all its furniture and
appurtenances, which had lately been confiscated to the king, by the
death of Montagu, which was very agreeable to the queen.
After these lords had for some days transacted business at Melun, where
the court was, they all returned to Paris, carrying with them master
Peter Bosthet, president of the parliament, and some members of the
chamber of accounts, and assembled daily to inquire after those persons
who had been in the receipt and expenditure of the public revenues.
During this time, the king, who had been very ill, was restored
to health, insomuch that on the 2d day of December, he rode from
his palace of St Pol, dressed in a hauberk under his robes, to the
cathedral church of Nôtre Dame, where he made his prayers, a page
carrying behind him a very handsome steel helmet and a moorish lance.
Having finished his prayers, he returned to his palace of Saint Pol.
On the morrow, he held a royal council in person, at which were present
the king of Navarre, the dukes of Berry, Burgundy, and of Bourbon,
which last was lately returned to Paris. It was there resolved, that
the king should summon the following lords to attend him personally
at the ensuing feast of Christmas, namely, the dukes of Orleans, of
Brittany, of Brabant, of Bar, and of Lorraine: the counts of Savoy[46],
of Alençon, of Penthievre, of Namur, of Harcourt, of Armagnac[47],
and in general all the great lords within his realm of France and
Dauphiny, with many prelates and other noblemen. After this summons of
the king, the duke of Burgundy gave orders for a large body of men at
arms to be collected in his countries of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy,
for the safety of his person.
Shortly after this council, duke William count of Hainault went to
Melun, the residence of the queen of France, who was his near relation;
and so managed that she, who could not bear the duke of Burgundy, and
had strongly supported the party adverse to him, namely, that of my
lord the duke of Orleans, was reconciled to him.
CHAP. XIV.
DUKE LOUIS OF BAVARIA ESPOUSES THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING OF
NAVARRE.--THE NAMES OF THE LORDS WHO CAME TO PARIS IN OBEDIENCE
TO THE KING’S ORDERS.
About this time, duke Louis of Bavaria was married at Melun to the
daughter of the king of Navarre, according to what has been before
mentioned. She had previously married the eldest son of the king of
Arragon[48], who had lately been slain in a battle between him and the
viscount de Narbonne and the Sardinians, which took place in Sardinia.
There was much feasting at this wedding, which was attended by many
lords, ladies and damsels.
About Christmas the greater part of those lords whom the king had
summoned, arrived at Paris: the duke of Orleans and his brothers,
however, did not come. On the eve of Christmas-day, the king went to
the palace to hold his state, and remained there until St Thomas’s day,
where he celebrated most solemnly the feast of the nativity of our Lord.
On this day the following persons were seated at the king’s table at
dinner: on his right, doctor William Bouratier, archbishop of Bourges,
who had said the mass, next to him was the cardinal de Bar. The king
was seated at the middle of the table, very magnificently dressed in
his royal robes. On his left were the dukes of Berry and Burgundy. A
great variety of ornamental plate was produced in gold and silver,
which were wont to be served before the king on high feasts, but which
had not for some time been seen, because they had been pawned to
Montagu, and had been found after his death in his castle of Marcoussi,
and in other places where he had hidden them.
By orders from the princes of the blood they had been replaced, as
usual, in the king’s palace, which was a very agreeable sight to the
nobles and people of Paris, from their regard to the honour of the
king’s person, and his royal state.
A great many princes and others had obeyed the king’s summons, and
were at this feast,--namely, the king of Navarre, the dukes of Berry,
Burgundy, Bourbon, Brabant, duke William count of Hainault, the duke of
Lorraine, duke Louis of Bavaria, brother to the queen,--and nineteen
counts, namely, the count de Mortain, brother to the king of Navarre,
the count de Nevers, the count de Clermont, the marquis du Pont, son
to the duke of Bar, the count de Vaudemont, the count d’Alençon, the
count de Vendôme, the count de Penthievre, the count de St Pol, the
count de Cleves, the count de Tancarville, the count d’Angy[49], the
count de Namur, and several others, to the aforesaid amount. The number
of knights who accompanied these princes was so great that, from the
report of the heralds, they were more than eighteen hundred knights,
without including esquires.
Nevertheless, there were not in this noble company the duke of Orleans
nor his brothers, nor the duke of Brittany, nor the lord d’Albret,
constable of France, nor the counts de Foix, d’Armagnac, and many other
potent lords, although they had been summoned by the king in like
manner as the others.
On St Thomas’s day, after the king had feasted his nobles in royal
state, the queen, by orders from the king, came from the castle of
Vincennes to Paris. All the princes, prelates, and great crowds of
people, went out to meet her and her son, the duke of Acquitaine, and
conducted her to the palace, where they presented her to the king, in
the presence of all the before-mentioned lords. Her son had visited
his government, to be properly instructed in arms, and other necessary
matters, that he might be the better qualified to rule his kingdom when
it should fall to him.
CHAP. XV.
THE KING OF FRANCE KEEPS ROYAL STATE IN HIS PALACE, WHEREIN
SEVERAL OF THE GREAT LORDS BEFORE MENTIONED HOLD MANY COUNCILS
ON THE STATE OF THE NATION.
In consequence of several meetings having been held in the presence of
the king, queen, and duke of Acquitaine, the king ordered the great
hall of the palace to be magnificently prepared for a royal sessions.
Thither were summoned all the principal noblemen, prelates and others,
when the king appeared seated in his regal robes. On one side of him
were the king of Navarre and the cardinal de Bar, and on the other
the duke of Acquitaine, the duke of Berry, and all the other princes
and nobles, each seated according to his rank: in like manner were
the prelates, knights, and clergy, and a multitude of others, seated
according to their respective situations in life.
Then, by the king’s commands, the count de Tancarville, an able and
eloquent man, harangued with a loud and clear voice, how Richard
late king of England, and son-in-law to the king, had been basely and
treacherously put to death, during the time of a truce, by Henry of
Lancaster, calling himself king of England, but then earl of Derby, in
conjunction with his partisans, as might be fully proved by several of
the English, near relations of the deceased king Richard:--And also how
the young prince of Scotland, an ally to the king, when on his voyage
to France, was taken by this same Henry, and detained his prisoner for
a long time; as were likewise many Scots, who were in the company of
the prince of Wales. Yvain Graindos[50], with several of his Welshmen,
allies also to the king, notwithstanding the aforesaid truce, were by
the English harrassed with war. The eldest son likewise to the prince
of Wales was made captive[51], carried to England, and imprisoned by
Henry for a considerable time.
‘In consequence of the facts above stated, the king thinks he may,
without further consideration, lawfully wage war against the said
Henry and his english subjects, without giving them any respite.
Notwithstanding this,’ continued the orator, ‘the king is desirous that
whatever he may please to order should be for the common welfare of the
state; and for this purpose a royal sessions has been held, for every
one to consider these matters and what ought to be the line of conduct
for him to pursue,--and, having an opinion thereon, if they will inform
the king or his council thereof, the king will thank them and follow
that advice which shall seem to him the most advantageous for the
general good.
Upon this, the eldest of the princes of the blood, namely, the king’s
uncle the duke of Berry, arose from his seat, and, advancing in front
of the king’s throne, fell on his knees, and, speaking for himself and
the other princes of the blood, declared they would relinquish, to the
use of the state, all taxes and impositions which they annually levied
on their lands,--and in like manner would they relinquish all the fees
and perquisites of office which they were in the habit of receiving
from their places under the king, and as the members of his council.
The king kindly listened to the duke’s speech, and accepted his offers,
and then commanded him to be reseated. The lord Tancarville continued
his harangue, saying, that the king, then present, revoked all pensions
and grants which he had given, and thus publicly annulled them. In
regard to the reformation and future management of the finances, the
king declared his intention that such regulations as should be ordered
by himself, and by the advice of the count de la Marche (who had now
lost his wife, the daughter of the king of Navarre), his brother the
count de Vendôme, the count de Saint Pol, and the other commissioners
from the parliament, should be fully executed without excepting any
person whatever; and that the reformations by them proposed should take
place, as well in the chambers of accounts as in the generalities and
in the household of the king,--and that all receivers, comptrollers,
and all persons any way interested in the management of the finances
of the realm, whether bishops or archbishops, and of what rank soever,
should be subjected to them.’ The orator continued,--‘That the king
willed and ordered, that during his absence, the queen should call
to her assistance some of the princes of the royal blood, and should
govern the affairs of this kingdom according as she might judge most
conducive to its welfare; and in case of the absence of the queen, the
duke of Acquitaine, his son, then present, should govern the kingdom,
with the assistance of the dukes of Berry and Burgundy.’
When the lord de Tancarville had more fully enlarged on the above
matters, and concluded his speech, the king descended from his royal
throne, and, with a small company, entered his apartment to dinner; and
the whole assembly broke up, and departed to their hôtels.
After the dinner, the queen set out with her attendants for the castle
of Vincennes, as it was the eve of the feast of the Circumcision, but
left her son with the king. On the morrow, the feast-day, the duke of
Burgundy (who had alone more princes, knights, and gentlemen attached
to him than all the other princes together,) gave presents of jewels
and rich gifts, of greater magnificence than any one, according to the
custom of that day. He made presents to all the knights and nobles of
his household, to the amount, as was estimated, of fifteen thousand
golden florins, of medals formed like to a mason’s level, of gold and
silver gilt; and at the pointed ends of these levels was fastened a
small gilt chain, with a plummet of gold, so that it might be used as a
rule.
Item, on Twelfth-day following, Louis king of Sicily, having been sent
for by the king, entered Paris. He came from the city of Pisa, whither
he had gone to visit pope Alexander V. and made his entry, attended by
numbers of the nobility and clergy, who had gone out to meet him.
Shortly after, the cardinal de Thurey came to Paris, as ambassador from
the pope to the king, who most honourably received him, as he likewise
did Philibert de Lignac, grand master of Rhodes, and chief of the order
of St John of Jerusalem, who had come from England.
The king now disbanded all the troops he had collected, as did the duke
of Burgundy, excepting about one hundred or six score gentlemen, whom
he retained, with those of his household, to guard his person: the
others returned to their homes.
Before the duke of Burgundy left Paris, the duke of Acquitaine, with
the consent of the king and queen, was intrusted to his care and
guardianship, that he might be properly instructed in the arts of war
and government. He had been very anxious to obtain this, and had caused
several of the princes of the blood to press the matter: even his
uncle, the duke of Berry, had, on this account, more than once refused
the queen to accept of the guardianship of the duke of Acquitaine;
but had so urged the business that the lord de Dolhaing[52], knight,
his principal esquire, counsellor and advocate, had, by the earnest
desire of the queen, been made chancellor to the duke of Acquitaine,
and the lord de Saint George his first chamberlain. The government
of the castles of Crotoy and Beaurain-sur-Canche were granted to the
duke of Berry for his life, on giving the preceding governors the
usual pension, in whose room he appointed two of his own knights; the
lord de Croy to Crotoy, and the lord de Humbercourt to Beaurain; and
sir Reginald Pot was, at his request, appointed governor of Dauphiny
for the dauphin. Soon after this, the king relapsed into his usual
disorder, and was put under good guard. Those who were intrusted with
the reform of abuses continued daily at work, and with such success
that large sums were recovered from the late directors of the finances.
At this period, the princes and council of state went often to the
castle of Vincennes, where the queen resided,--for without her
knowledge no business of any importance was carried on. The dukes of
Berry and Bourbon, however, were much discontented that they were not
so often summoned to the council as before, and that their authority
was greatly lessened. Seeing themselves, as it were, banished from the
government, they took leave of the king, queen, and princes, and each
retired to his own domains.
The cardinal de Thurey had come to Paris to solicit the university
and council of state to consent that pope Alexander might levy
two-tenths on the gallican church, to defray the great expenses he was
bound to pay. This request was not granted, because the university
opposed it, in the name of the whole church. The better to effect
this, the university required and obtained a royal mandate, to
command all officers under the crown forcibly to send out of their
jurisdictions all persons who should come thither making similar
demands. The solicitors of this levy had brought to Paris with them
a bull containing many novelties, which were not usually advanced,
namely, that the tythes, and other things, such as oblations to the
church, belonged to them in preference to the parochial clergy, for
that in fact they were in the same capacity, inasmuch as whoever should
confess themselves to them were not under the necessity of so doing to
their own clergyman. This doctrine they publicly preached throughout
Paris, and the members of the university preached in opposition to it,
so that during Lent the whole town was in confusion and discord by
these quarrels of the university and the mendicants, until they were
driven out of it by the university. The Jacobins, however, as the most
prudent, renounced the bull, and made oath that they would never claim
any advantages from it, nor from other privileges that had been granted
to them. By this means, they were reconciled to the university. The
pope, at this period, held his court with great state in Bologna la
Grassa.
CHAP. XVI.
A GREAT DISSENSION TAKES PLACE THIS YEAR BETWEEN THE KING OF
POLAND, ON THE ONE HAND, AND THE GRAND MASTER OF PRUSSIA AND
HIS KNIGHTS ON THE OTHER.
This year, a great quarrel arose between the king of Poland and the
grand master of the Teutonic order in Prussia; and the king assembled a
large force from different nations, which he marched into Prussia, with
the intent to destroy it.
The grand master and his brethren soon made themselves ready to meet
him with a great army, and showed every inclination to give him battle;
but when the two armies were in sight of each other, through the will
of God, the king of Poland retreated with his forces, among which were
twenty thousand Tartars at least, without counting his Polanders and
others his Christian allies, who were very numerous, and returned to
his own country.