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[Illustration: HOTEL DE VILLE BOURGES----FRONTISPIECE]
HISTORY OF FRANCE
By M. Guizot
Volume III.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
XXIII. THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR.--CHARLES VI. AND THE DUKES OF BURGUNDY.
XXIV. THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR.--CHARLES VII. AND JOAN OF ARC. (1422-
1461.)
XXV. LOUIS XI. (1461-1483.)
XXVI. THE WARS OF ITALY.--CHARLES VIII. (1483-1498.)
XXVII. THE WARS IN ITALY.--LOUIS XII. (1498-1515.)
LIST OF STEEL ENGRAVINGS.
VOLUME III.
PAGE
[Illustration: HOTEL DE VILLE BOURGES----FRONTISPIECE]
[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF JOAN OF ARC----85]
[Illustration: CHINON CASTLE----95]
[Illustration: JOAN ENTERING ORLEANS----104]
[Illustration: CHARLES VIII.----263]
[Illustration: CASTLE OF AMBOISE----308]
[Illustration: STATES GENERAL AT TOURS----329]
WOOD-CUTS:
[Illustration: The Procession went over the Gates----16]
[Illustration: '"Thou art betrayed."'----26]
[Illustration: Murder of the Duke of Orleans----38]
[Illustration: Death of Valentine de Milan----45]
[Illustration: John the Fearless----51]
[Illustration: Already distressed----57]
[Illustration: Charles VI. and Odette----71]
[Illustration: '"Into the River!"'----77]
[Illustration: The Body of Charles VI. lying in State----84]
[Illustration: The Shepherdess of Domremy----90]
[Illustration: Joan of Arc in her Father's Garden----91]
[Illustration: Herself drew out the Arrow----109]
[Illustration: Joan examined in Prison----128]
[Illustration: Philip the Good of Burgundy----144]
[Illustration: The Constable Made his Entry on Horseback----150]
[Illustration: Jacques Coeur----165]
[Illustration: Jacques Coeur's Hostel at Bourges----169]
[Illustration: Agnes Sorel----175]
[Illustration: Louis XI. and Burgesses waiting for News----193]
[Illustration: Charles the Rash----203]
[Illustration: Louis XI. and Charles the Rash at Peronne----209]
[Illustration: Philip de Commynes----217]
[Illustration: The Corpse of Charles the Rash Discovered----236]
[Illustration: The Balue Cage----245]
[Illustration: Louis XI. at his Devotions----255]
[Illustration: Views of the Castle of Plessis-les-Tours----258]
[Illustration: Louis XI----260]
[Illustration: Anne de Beaujeu----264]
[Illustration: Meeting between Charles VIII, and Anne of Brittany----282]
[Illustration: Charles VIII. crossing the Alps----285]
[Illustration: Charles VIII----293]
[Illustration: Battle of Fornovo----303]
[Illustration: Louis XII----310]
[Illustration: Bayard----315]
[Illustration: Battle of Agnadello----334]
[Illustration: Cardinal d'Amboise----347]
[Illustration: Chaumont d'Amboise----350]
[Illustration: Bayard's Farewell----358]
[Illustration: Gaston de Foix----364]
CHAPTER XXIII.----THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR--CHARLES VI. AND THE DUKES OF
BURGUNDY.
Sully, in his Memoirs, characterizes the reign of Charles VI. as "that
reign so pregnant of sinister events, the grave of good laws and good
morals in France." There is no exaggeration in these words; the
sixteenth century with its St. Bartholomew and The League, the eighteenth
with its reign of terror, and the nineteenth with its Commune of Paris,
contain scarcely any events so sinister as those of which France was, in
the reign of Charles VI., from 1380 to 1422, the theatre and the victim.
Scarcely was Charles V. laid on his bier when it was seen what a loss he
was and would be to his kingdom. Discord arose in the king's own family.
In order to shorten the ever critical period of minority, Charles V. had
fixed the king's majority at the age of fourteen. His son, Charles VI.,
was not yet twelve, and so had two years to remain under the guardianship
of his four uncles, the Dukes of Anjou, Berry, Burgundy, and Bourbon; but
the last being only a maternal uncle and a less puissant prince than his
paternal uncles, it was between the other three that strife began for
temporary possession of the kingly power.
Though very unequal in talent and in force of character, they were all
three ambitious and jealous. The eldest, the Duke of Anjou, who was
energetic, despotic, and stubborn, aspired to dominion in France for the
sake of making French influence subserve the conquest of the kingdom of
Naples, the object of his ambition. The Duke of Berry was a mediocre,
restless, prodigal, and grasping prince. The Duke of Burgundy, Philip
the Bold, the most able and the most powerful of the three, had been the
favorite, first of his father, King John, and then of his brother,
Charles V., who had confidence in him and readily adopted his counsels.
His marriage, in 1369, with the heiress to the countship of Flanders, had
been vigorously opposed by the Count of Flanders, the young princess's
father, and by the Flemish communes, ever more friendly to England than
to France; but the old Countess of Flanders, Marguerite of France, vexed
at the ill will of the count her son, had one day said to him, as she
tore open her dress before his eyes, "Since you will not yield to your
mother's wishes, I will cut off these breasts which gave suck to you, to
you and to no other, and will throw them to the dogs to devour." This
singular argument had moved the Count of Flanders; he had consented to
the marriage; and the Duke of Burgundy's power had received such
increment by it that on the 4th of October, 1380, when Charles VI. was
crowned at Rheims, Philip the Bold, without a word said previously to
any, suddenly went up and sat himself down at the young king's side,
above his eldest brother, the Duke of Anjou, thus assuming, without
anybody's daring to oppose him, the rank and the rights of premier peer
of France.
He was not slow to demonstrate that his superiority in externals could
not fail to establish his political preponderance. His father-in-law,
Count Louis of Flanders, was in almost continual strife with the great
Flemish communes, ever on the point of rising against the taxes he heaped
upon them and the blows he struck at their privileges. The city of
Ghent, in particular, joined complaint with menace. In 1381 the quarrel
became war. The Ghentese at first experienced reverses. "Ah! if James
Van Artevelde were alive!" said they. James Van Artevelde had left a son
named Philip; and there was in Ghent a burgher-captain, Peter Dubois, who
went one evening to see Philip Van Artevelde. "What we want now," said
he, "is to choose a captain of great renown. Raise up again in this
country that father of yours who, in his lifetime, was so loved and
feared in Flanders." "Peter," replied Philip, "you make me a great
offer; I promise that, if you put me in that place, I will do nought
without your advice." "Ah! well!" said Dubois, "can you really be
haughty and cruel? The Flemings like to be treated so; with them you
must make no more account of the life of men than you do of larks when
the season for eating them comes." "I will do what shall be necessary,"
said Van Artevelde. The struggle grew violent between the count and the
communes of Flanders with Ghent at their head. After alternations of
successes and reverses the Ghentese were victorious; and Count Louis with
difficulty escaped by hiding himself at Bruges in the house of a poor
woman who took him up into a loft where her children slept, and where he
lay flat between the paillasse and the feather-bed. On leaving this
asylum he went to Bapaume to see his son-in-law, the Duke of Burgundy,
and to ask his aid. "My lord," said the duke to him, "by the allegiance
I owe to you and also to the king you shall have satisfaction. It were
to fail in one's duty to allow such a scum to govern a country. Unless
order were restored, all knighthood and lordship might be destroyed in
Christendom." The Duke of Burgundy went to Senlis, where Charles VI.
was, and asked for his support on behalf of the Count of Flanders. The
question was referred to the king's council. The Duke of Berry
hesitated, saying, "The best part of the prelates and nobles must be
assembled and the whole matter set before them; we will see what is the
general opinion." In the midst of this deliberation the young king came
in with a hawk on his wrist. "Well! my dear uncles," said he, "of what
are you parleying? Is it aught that I may know?" The Duke of Berry
enlightened him, saying, "A brewer, named Van Artevelde, who is English
to the core, is besieging the remnant of the knights of Flanders shut up
in Oudenarde; and they can get no aid but from you. What say you to it?
Are you minded to help the Count of Flanders to reconquer his heritage,
which those presumptuous villains have taken from him?"
"By my faith," answered the king, "I am greatly minded; go we thither;
there is nothing I desire so much as to get on my harness, for I have
never yet borne arms; I would fain set out to-morrow." Amongst the
prelates and lords summoned to Compiegne some spoke of the difficulties
and dangers that might be encountered. "Yes, yes," said the king, "but
'begin nought and win nought.'" When the Flemings heard of the king's
decision they sent respectful letters to him, begging him to be their
mediator with the count their lord; but the letters were received with
scoffs, and the messengers were kept in prison. At this news Van
Artevelde said, "We must make alliance with the English; what meaneth
this King Wren of France? It is the Duke of Burgundy leading him by the
nose, and he will not abide by his purpose; we will frighten France by
showing her that we have the English for allies." But Van Artevelde was
under a delusion; Edward III. was no longer King of England; the
Flemings' demand was considered there to be arrogant and opposed to the
interests of the lords in all countries; and the alliance was not
concluded. Some attempts at negotiation took place between the advisers
of Charles VI. and the Flemings, but without success. The Count of
Flanders repaired to the king, who said, "Your quarrel is ours; get you
back to Artois; we shall soon be there and within sight of our enemies."
Accordingly, in November, 1382, the King of France and his army marched
into Flanders. Several towns, Cassel, Bergues, Gravelines, and Turnhout,
hastily submitted to him.
There was less complete unanimity and greater alarm amongst the Flemings
than their chiefs had anticipated. "Noble king," said the inhabitants,
"we place our persons and our possessions at your discretion, and to show
you that we recognize you as our lawful lord, here are the captains whom
Van Artevelde gave us; do with them according to your will, for it is
they who have governed us." On the 28th of November the two armies found
themselves close together at Rosebecque, between Ypres and Courtrai. In
the evening Van Artevelde assembled his captains at supper, and,
"Comrades," said he, "we shall to-morrow have rough work, for the King of
France is here all agog for fighting. But have no fear; we are defending
our good right and the liberties of Flanders. The English have not
helped us; well, we shall only have the more honor. With the King of
France is all the flower of his kingdom. Tell your men to slay all, and
show no quarter. We must spare the King of France only; he is a child,
and must be pardoned; we will take him away to Ghent, and have him taught
Flemish. As for the dukes, counts, barons, and other men-at-arms, slay
them all; the commons of France shall not bear us ill will; I am quite
sure that they would not have a single one of them back." At the very
same moment King Charles VI. was entertaining at supper the princes his
uncles, the Count of Flanders, the constable, Oliver de Clisson, the
marshals, &c. They were arranging the order of battle for the morrow.
Many folks blamed the Duke of Burgundy for having brought so young a
king, the hope of the realm, into the perils of war. It was resolved to
confide the care of him to the constable de Clisson, whilst conferring
upon Sire de Coucy, for that day only, the command of the army. "Most
dear lord," said the constable to the king, "I know that there is no
greater honor than to have the care of your person; but it would be great
grief to my comrades not to have me with them. I say not that they could
not do without me; but for a fortnight now I have been getting everything
ready for bringing most honor to you and yours. They would be much
surprised if I should now withdraw." The king was somewhat embarrassed.
"Constable," said he, "I would fain have you in my company to-day; you
know well that my lord my father loved you and trusted you more than any
other; in the name of God and St. Denis do whatever you think best. You
have a clearer insight into the matter than I and those who have advised
me. Only attend my mass to-morrow." The battle began with spirit the
next morning, in the midst of a thick fog. According to the monk of
St. Denis, Van Artevelde was not without disquietude. He had bidden one
of his people go and observe the French army; and, "You bring me bad
news," said he to the man in a whisper, "when you tell me there are so
many French with the king: I was far from expecting it. . . . This is
a hard war; it requires discreet management. I think the best thing for
me is to go and hurry up ten thousand of our comrades who are due." "Why
leave thy host without a head?" said they who were about him: "it was to
obey thy orders that we engaged in this enterprise; thou must run the
risks of battle with us." The French were more confident than Van
Artevelde. "Sir," said the constable, addressing the king, cap in hand,
"be of good cheer; these fellows are ours; our very varlets might beat
them." These words were far too presumptuous; for the Flemings fought
with great bravery. Drawn up in a compact body, they drove back for a
moment the French who were opposed to them; but Clisson had made
everything ready for hemming them in; attacked on all sides they tried,
but in vain, to fly; a few, with difficulty, succeeded in escaping and
casting, as they went, into the neighboring swamps the banner of St.
George. "It is not easy," says the monk of St. Denis, "to set down with
any certainty the number of the dead; those who were present on this day,
and I am disposed to follow their account, say that twenty-five thousand
Flemings fell on the field, together with their leader, Van Artevelde,
the concoctor of this rebellion, whose corpse, discovered with great
trouble amongst a heap of slain, was, by order of Charles VI., hung upon
a tree in the neighborhood. The French also lost in this struggle some
noble knights, not less illustrious by birth than valor, amongst others
forty-four valiant men who, being the first to hurl themselves upon the
ranks of the enemy to break them, thus won for themselves great glory."
The victory of Rosebecque was a great cause for satisfaction and pride to
Charles VI. and his uncle, the Duke of Burgundy. They had conquered on
the field in Flanders the commonalty of Paris as well as that of Ghent;
and in France there was great need of such a success, for, since the
accession of the young king, the Parisians had risen with a demand for
actual abolition of the taxes of which Charles V., on his death-bed, had
deplored the necessity, and all but decreed the cessation. The king's
uncles, his guardians, had at first stopped, and indeed suppressed, the
greater part of those taxes; but soon afterwards they had to face a
pressing necessity: the war with England was going on, and the revenues
of the royal domain were not sufficient for the maintenance of it. The
Duke of Anjou attempted to renew the taxes, and one of Charles V.'s
former councillors, John Desmarets, advocate-general in parliament,
abetted him in his attempt. Seven times, in the course of the year 1381,
assemblies of notables met at Paris to consider the project, and on the
1st of March, 1382, an agent of the governing power scoured the city at
full gallop, proclaiming the renewal of the principal tax. There was a
fresh outbreak. The populace, armed with all sorts of weapons, with
strong mallets amongst the rest, spread in all directions, killing the
collectors, and storming and plundering the Hotel de Ville. They were
called the Malleteers. They were put down, but with as much timidity as
cruelty. Some of them were arrested, and at night thrown into the Seine,
sewn up in sacks, without other formality or trial. A fresh meeting of
notables was convened, towards the middle of April, at Compiegne, and the
deputies from the principal towns were summoned to it; but they durst not
come to any decision: "They were come," they said, "only to hear and
report; they would use their best endeavors to prevail on those by whom
they had been sent to do the king's pleasure." Towards the end of April
some of them returned to Meaux, reporting that they had everywhere met
with the most lively resistance; they had everywhere heard shouted at
them, "Sooner death than the tax." Only the deputies from Sens had voted
a tax, which was to be levied on all merchandise; but, when the question
of collecting it arose, the people of Sens evinced such violent
opposition that it had to be given up. It was when facts and feelings
were in this condition in France, that Charles VI. and the Duke of
Burgundy had set out with their army to go and force the Flemish communes
to submit to their count.
[Illustration: The Procession went over the Gates----16]
Returning victorious from Flanders to France, Charles VI. and his uncles,
everywhere brilliantly feasted on their march, went first of all for nine
days to Compiegne, "to find recreation after their fatigues," says the
monk of St. Denis, "in the pleasures of the chase; afterwards, on the
10th of January, 1383, the king took back in state to the church of St.
Denis the oriflamme which he had borne away on his expedition; and next
day, the 11th of January, he re-entered Paris, he alone being mounted, in
the midst of his army." The burgesses went out of the city to meet him,
and offer him their wonted homage, but they were curtly ordered to
retrace their steps; the king and his uncles, they were informed, could
not forget offences so recent. The wooden barriers which had been placed
before the gates of the city to prevent anybody from entering without
permission, were cut down with battle-axes; the very gates were torn from
their hinges; they were thrown down upon the king's highway, and the
procession went over them, as if to trample under foot the fierce pride
of the Parisians. When he was once in the city, and was leaving Notre
Dame, the king sent abroad throughout all the streets an order forbidding
any one, under the most severe penalties, from insulting or causing the
least harm to the burgesses in any way whatsoever; and the constable had
two plunderers strung up to the windows of the houses in which they had
committed their thefts. But fundamental order having been thus upheld,
reprisals began to be taken for the outbreaks of the Parisians, municipal
magistrates or populace, burgesses or artisans, rich or poor, in the
course of the two preceding years;--arrests, imprisonments, fines,
confiscations, executions, severities of all kinds fell upon the most
conspicuous and the most formidable of those who had headed or favored
popular movements. The most solemn and most iniquitous of these
punishments was that which befell the advocate-general, John Desmarets.
"For nearly a whole year," says the monk of St. Denis, "he had served as
mediator between the king and the Parisians; he had often restrained the
fury and stopped the excesses of the populace, by preventing them from
giving rein to their cruelty. He was always warning the factious that to
provoke the wrath of the king and the princes was to expose themselves to
almost certain death. But, yielding to the prayers of this rebellious
and turbulent mob, he, instead of leaving Paris as the rest of his
profession had done, had remained there, and throwing himself boldly
amidst the storms of civil discord, he had advised the assumption of arms
and the defence of the city, which he knew was very displeasing to the
king and the grandees." When he was taken to execution, "he was put on a
car higher than the rest, that he might be better seen by everybody."
Nothing shook for a moment the firmness of this old man of seventy years.
"Where are they who judged me?" he said: "let them come and set forth the
reasons for my death. Judge me, O God, and separate my cause from that
of the evil-doers." On his arrival at the market-place, some of the
spectators called out to him, "Ask the king's mercy, Master John, that he
may pardon your offences." He turned round, saying, "I served well and
loyally his great-grandfather King Philip, his grandfather King John, and
his father King Charles; none of those kings ever had anything to
reproach me with, and this one would not reproach me any the more if he
were of a grown man's age and experience. I don't suppose that he is a
whit to blame for such a sentence, and I have no cause to cry him mercy.
To God alone must I cry for mercy, and I pray Him to forgive my sins."
Public respect accompanied the old and courageous magistrate beyond the
scaffold; his corpse was taken up by his friends, and at a later period
honorably buried in the church of St. Catherine.
After the chastisements came galas again, of which the king and his court
were immoderately fond. Young as he was (he was but seventeen), his
powerful uncle, the Duke of Burgundy, was very anxious to get him
married, so as to secure his own personal influence over him. The wise
Charles V., in his dying hours, had testified a desire that his son
should seek alliances in Germany. A son of the reigning duke, Stephen of
Bavaria, had come to serve in the French army, and the Duke of Burgundy
had asked him if there were any marriageable princess of Bavaria. "My
eldest brother," answered the Bavarian, "has a very beautiful daughter,
aged fourteen." "That is just what we want," said the Burgundian: "try
and get her over here; the king is very fond of beautiful girls; if she
takes his fancy, she will be Queen of France." The Duke of Bavaria,
being informed by his brother, at first showed some hesitation. "It
would be a great honor," said he, "for my daughter to be Queen of France;
but it is a long way from here. If my daughter were taken to France, and
then sent back to me because she was not suitable, it would cause me too
much chagrin. I prefer to marry her at my leisure, and in my own
neighborhood." The matter was pressed, however, and at last the Duke of
Bavaria consented. It was agreed that the Princess Isabel should go on
a visit to the Duchess of Brabant, who instructed her, and had her well
dressed, say the chroniclers, for in Germany they clad themselves too
simply for the fashions of France. Being thus got ready, the Princess
Isabel was conducted to Amiens, where the king then was, to whom her
portrait had already been shown. She was presented to him, and bent the
knee before him. He considered her charming. Seeing with what pleasure
he looked upon her, the constable, Oliver de Clisson, said to Sire De
Coney, "By my faith, she will bide with us." The same evening, the young
king said to his councillor, Bureau de la Riviere, "She pleases me: go
and tell my uncle, the Duke of Burgundy, to conclude at once." The duke,
delighted, lost no time in informing the ladies of the court, who cried,
"Noel!" for joy. The duke had wished the nuptials to take place at
Arras; but the young king, in his impatience, was urgent for Amiens,
without delay, saying that he couldn't sleep for her. "Well, well,"
replied his uncle, "you must be cured of your complaint." On the 18th
of July, 1385, the marriage was celebrated at the cathedral of Amiens,
whither the Princess Isabel "was conducted in a handsome chariot, whereof
the tires of the wheels were of silvern stuff." King, uncles, and
courtiers were far from a thought of the crimes and shame which would be
connected in France with the name of Isabel of Bavaria. There is still
more levity and imprudence in the marriages of kings than in those of
their subjects.
Whilst this marriage was being celebrated, the war with England, and her
new king, Richard II., was going on, but slackly and without result.
Charles VI. and his uncle of Burgundy, still full of the proud confidence
inspired by their success against the Flemish and Parisian communes,
resolved to strike England a heavy blow, and to go and land there with a
powerful army. Immense preparations were made in France for this
expedition. In September, 1386, there were collected in the port of
Ecluse (Sluys) and at sea, between Sluys and Blankenberg, thirteen
hundred and eighty-seven vessels, according to some, and according to
others only nine hundred, large and small; and Oliver de Clisson had
caused to be built at Trdguier, in Brittany, a wooden town which was to
be transported to England and rebuilt after landing, "in such sort," says
Froissart, "that the lords might lodge therein and retire at night, so as
to be in safety from sudden awakenings, and sleep in greater security."
Equal care was taken in the matter of supplies. "Whoever had been at
that time at Bruges, or the Dam, or the Sluys would have seen how ships
and vessels were being laden by torchlight, with hay in casks, biscuits
in sacks, onions, peas, beans, barley, oats, candles, gaiters, shoes,
boots, spurs, iron, nails, culinary utensils, and all things that can be
used for the service of man." Search was made everywhere for the various
supplies, and they were very dear. "If you want us and our service,"
said the Hollanders, "pay us on the nail; otherwise we will be neutral."
To the intelligent foresight shown in these preparations was added
useless magnificence. "On the masts was nothing to be seen but paintings
and gildings; everything was emblazoned and covered with armorial
bearings. But nothing came up to the Duke of Burgundy's ship; it was
painted all over outside with blue and gold, and there were five huge
banners with the arms of the duchy of Burgundy and the countships of
Flanders, Artois, Rethel, and Burgundy, and everywhere the duke's device,
'I'm a-longing.'" The young king, too, displayed great anxiety to enter
on the campaign. He liked to go aboard his ship, saying, "I am very
eager to be off; I think I shall be a good sailor, for the sea does me no
harm." But everybody was not so impatient as the king, who was waiting
for his uncle, the Duke of Berry, and writing to him letter after letter,
urging him to come. The duke, who had no liking for the expedition,
contented himself with making an answer bidding him "not to take any
trouble, but to amuse himself, for the matter would probably terminate
otherwise than was imagined." The Duke of Berry at last arrived at Sluys
on the 14th of October, 1386. "If it hadn't been for you, uncle," said
the king to him, "we should have been by this time in England." Three
months had gone by; the fine season was past; the winds were becoming
violent and contrary; the vessels come from Treguier with the constable
to join the fleet had suffered much on the passage; and deliberations
were recommencing touching the opportuneness, and even the feasibility,
of the expedition thus thrown back. "If anybody goes to England, I will,"
said the king. But nobody went. "One day when it was calm," says the monk
of St. Denis, "the king, completely armed, went with his uncles aboard of
the royal vessel; but the wind did not permit them to get more than two
miles out to sea, and drove them back, in spite of the sailors' efforts,
to the shore they had just left. The king, who saw with deep displeasure
his hopes thus frustrated, had orders given to his troops to go back,
and, at his departure, left, by the advice of his barons, some men-of-war
to unload the fleet, and place it in a place of safety as soon as
possible. But the enemy gave them no time to execute the order. As soon
as the calm allowed the English to set sail, they bore down on the
French, burned or took in tow to their own ports the most part of the
fleet, carried off the supplies, and found two thousand casks full of
wine, which sufficed a long while for the wants of England."
Such a mistake, after such a fuss, was probably not unconnected with a
resolution adopted by Charles VI. some time after the abandonment of the
projected expedition against England. In October, 1388, he assembled at
Rheims a grand council, at which were present his two uncles, the Dukes
of Burgundy and Berry [the third, the Duke of Anjou, had died in Italy,
on the 20th of September, 1384, after a vain attempt to conquer the
kingdom of Naples], his brother, the Duke of Orleans, his cousins, and
several prelates and lords of note. The chancellor announced thereat
that he had been ordered by the king to put in discussion the question,
whether it were not expedient that he should henceforth take the
government of his kingdom upon himself. Cardinal Ascelin de Montaigu,
Bishop of Laon, the first to be interrogated upon this subject, replied
that, in his opinion, the king was quite in a condition, as well as in a
legal position, to take the government of his kingdom upon himself, and,
without naming anybody, he referred to the king's uncles, and especially
to the Duke of Burgundy, as being no longer necessary for the government
of France. Nearly all who were present were of the same opinion. The
king, without further waiting, thanked his uncles for the care they had
taken of his dominions and of himself, and begged them to continue their
affection for him. Neither the Duke of Burgundy nor the Duke of Berry
had calculated upon this resolution; they submitted, without making any
objection, but not without letting a little temper leak out. The Duke of
Berry even said that he and his brother would beg the king to confer with
them more maturely on the subject when he returned to Paris. Hereupon
the council broke up; the king's two uncles started for their own
dominions; and a few weeks afterwards the Cardinal-bishop of Laon died
of a short illness. "It was generally believed," says the monk of St.
Denis, "that he died of poison." At his own dying wish, no inquiry was
instituted on this subject. The measure adopted in the late council was,
however, generally approved of. The king was popular; he had a good
heart, and courteous and gentle manners; he was faithful to his friends,
and affable to all; and the people liked to see him passing along the
streets. On taking in hand the government, he recalled to it the former
advisers of his father, Charles V., Bureau de la Riviere, Le Mercier de
Noviant, and Le Begue de Vilaine, all men of sense and reputation. The
taxes were diminished; the city of Paris recovered a portion of her
municipal liberties; there was felicitation for what had been obtained,
and there was hope of more.
Charles VI. was not content with the satisfaction of Paris only; he
wished all his realm to have cognizance of and to profit by his
independence. He determined upon a visit to the centre and the south of
France. Such a trip was to himself, and to the princes and cities that
entertained him, a cause of enormous expense. "When the king stopped
anywhere, there were wanted for his own table, and for the maintenance of
his following, six oxen, eighty sheep, thirty calves, seven hundred
chickens, two hundred pigeons, and many other things besides. The
expenses for the king were set down at two hundred and thirty livres a
day, without counting the presents which the large towns felt bound to
make him." But Charles was himself magnificent even to prodigality, and
he delighted in the magnificence of which he was the object, without
troubling himself about their cost to himself. Between 1389 and 1390,
for about six months, he travelled through Burgundy, the banks of the
Rhone, Languedoc, and the small principalities bordering on the Pyrenees.
Everywhere his progress was stopped for the purpose of presenting to him
petitions or expressing wishes before him. At Nimes and Montpellier, and
throughout Languedoc, passionate representations were made to him
touching the bad government of his two uncles, the Dukes of Anjou and
Berry. "They had plundered and ruined," he was told, "that beautiful and
rich province; there were five or six talliages a year; one was no sooner
over than another began; they had levied quite three millions of gold
from Villeneuve-d'Avignon to Toulouse." Charles listened with feeling,
and promised to have justice done, and his father's old councillors, who
were in his train, were far from dissuading him. The Duke of Burgundy,
seeing him start with them in his train, had testified his spite and
disquietude to the Duke of Berry, saying, "Aha! there goes the king on a
visit to Languedoc, to hold an inquiry about those who have governed it.
For all his council be takes with him only La Riviere, Le Mercier,
Montaigu, and Le Begue de Vilaine. What say you to that, my brother?"
"The king, our nephew, is young," answered the Duke of Berry: "if he
trusts the new councillors he is taking, he will be deceived, and it will
end ill, as you will see. As for the present, we must support him. The
time will come when we will make those councillors, and the king himself,
rue it. Let them do as they please, by God: we will return to our own
dominions. We are none the less the two greatest in the kingdom, and so
long as we are united, none can do aught against us."
The future is a blank, as well to the anxieties as to the hopes of men.
The king's uncles were on the point of getting back the power which they
believed to be lost to them. On the 13th of June, 1392, the constable,
Oliver de Clisson, was waylaid as he was returning home after a banquet
given by the king at the hostel of St. Paul. The assassin was Peter de
Craon, cousin of John IV., Duke of Brittany. He believed De Clisson to
be dead, and left him bathed in blood at a baker's door in the street
called Culture-Sainte-Catherine. The king was just going to bed, when
one of his people came and said to him, "Ah! sir, a great misfortune has
happened in Paris." "What, and to whom?" said the king. "To your
constable, sir, who has just been slain." "Slain!" cried Charles; "and
by whom?" "Nobody knows; but it was close by here, in St. Catherine
Street." "Lights! quick!" said the king; "I will go and see him;" and he
set off, without waiting for his following. When he entered the baker's
shop, De Clisson, grievously wounded, was just beginning to recover his
senses. "Ah! constable," said the king, "and how do you feel?" "Very
poorly, dear sir." "And who brought you to this pass?" "Peter de Craon
and his accomplices; traitorously and without warning." "Constable,"
said the king, "never was anything so punished or dearly paid for as this
shall be; take thought for yourself, and have no further care; it is my
affair." Orders were immediately given to seek out Peter de Craon, and
hurry on his trial. He had taken refuge, first in his own castle of
Sable, and afterwards with the Duke of Brittany, who kept him concealed,
and replied to the king's envoys that he did not know where he was. The
king proclaimed his intention of making war on the Duke of Brittany until
Peter de Craon should be discovered, and justice done to the constable.
Preparations for war were begun; and the Dukes of Berry and Burgundy
received orders to get ready for it, themselves and their vassals. The
former, who happened to be in Paris at the time of the attack, did not
care to directly oppose the king's project; but he evaded, delayed, and
predicted a serious war. According to Froissart, he had been warned, the
morning before the attack, by a simple cleric, of Peter de Craon's
design; but, "It is too late in the day," he had said; "I do not like to
trouble the king to-day; to-morrow, without fail, we will see to it." He
had, however, forgotten or neglected to speak to his nephew. Neither he
nor his brother, the Duke of Burgundy, there is reason to suppose, were
accomplices in the attack upon De Clisson, but they were not at all sorry
for it. It was to them an incident in the strife begun between
themselves, princes of the blood royal, and those former councillors of
Charles V., and now, again, of Charles VI., whom, with the impertinence
of great lords, they were wont to call the marinosettes. They left
nothing undone to avert the king's anger and to preserve the Duke of
Brittany from the war which was threatening him.
Charles VI.'s excitement was very strong, and endured forever. He
pressed forward eagerly his preparations for war, though attempts were
made to appease him. He was recommended to take care of himself; for he
had been ill, and could scarcely mount his horse; and the Duke of
Burgundy remonstrated with him several times on the fatigue he was
incurring. "I find it better for me," he answered, "to be on horseback,
or working at my council, than to keep resting. Whoso wishes to persuade
me otherwise is not of my friends, and is displeasing to me." A letter
from the Queen of Arragon gave some ground for supposing that Peter de
Craon had taken refuge in Spain; and the Duke of Burgundy took advantage
of it to dissuade the king from his prompt departure for the war in
Brittany. "At the very least," he said, "it was right to send to Arragon
to know the truth of the matter, and to thank the queen for her
courtesy." "We are quite willing, uncle," answered Charles: "you need
not be vexed; but for my own part I hold that this traitor of a Peter de
Craon is in no other prison and no other Barcelona than there is in being
quite comfortable at the Duke of Brittany's." There was no way of
deterring him from his purpose. He had got together his uncles and his
troops at Le Mans; and, after passing three weeks there, he gave the word
to march for Brittany. The tragic incident which at that time occurred
has nowhere been more faithfully or better narrated than in M. de
Barante's History of the Dukes of Burgundy. "It was," says he, "the
beginning of August, 1392, during the hottest days of the year. The sun
was blazing, especially in those sandy districts. The king was on
horseback, clad in a short and tight dress called a jacket. His was of
black velvet, and very oppressive. On his head he wore a cap of scarlet
velvet, ornamented with a chaplet of large pearls, which the queen had
given him at his departure. Behind him were two pages on horseback. In
order not to incommode the king with dust, he was left to march almost
alone. To the left of him were the Dukes of Burgundy and Berry, some
paces in front, conversing together. The Duke of Orleans, the Duke of
Bourbon, Sire de Coney, and some others were also in front, forming
another group. Behind were Sires de Navarre, de Bar, d'Albret, d'Artois,
and many others in one pretty large troop. They rode along in this
order, and had just entered the great forest of Le Mans, when all at once
there started from behind a tree by the road-side a tall man, with bare
head and feet, clad in a common white smock, who, dashing forward and
seizing the king's horse by the bridle, cried, 'Go no farther; thou art
betrayed!'
[Illustration: '"Thou art betrayed."'----26]
The men-at-arms hurried up immediately, and striking the hands of the
fellow with the butts of their lances, made him let go the bridle. As he
had the appearance of a poor madman, and nothing more, he was allowed to
go without any questioning, and he followed the king for nearly half an
hour, repeating the same cry from a distance. The king was much troubled
at this sudden apparition; and his head, which was very weak, was quite
turned by it. Nevertheless the march was continued. When the forest had
been traversed, they came to a great sandy plain, where the rays of the
sun were more scorching than ever. One of the king's pages, overcome by
the heat, had fallen asleep, and the lance he carried fell against his
helmet, and suddenly caused a loud clash of steel.
"The king shuddered; and then he was observed, rising in his stirrups, to
draw his sword, touch his horse with the spur, and make a dash, crying,
'Forward upon these traitors! They would deliver me up to the enemy!'
Every one moved hastily aside, but not before some were wounded; it is
even said that several were killed, among them a bastard of Polignac.
The king's brother, the Duke of Orleans, happened to be quite close by.
'Fly, my nephew d'Orleans,' shouted the Duke of Burgundy: 'my lord is
beside himself. My God! let some one try and seize him!' He was so
furious that none durst risk it; and he was left to gallop hither and
thither, and tire himself in pursuit of first one and then another. At
last, when he was weary and bathed in sweat, his chamberlain, William de
Martel, came up behind and threw his arms about him. He was surrounded,
had his sword taken from him, was lifted from his horse, and laid gently
on the ground, and then his jacket was unfastened. His brother and his
uncles came up, but his eyes were fixed and recognized nobody, and he did
not utter a word. 'We must go back to Le Mans,' said the Dukes of Berry
and Burgundy: 'here is an end of the trip to Brittany.' On the way they
fell in with a wagon drawn by oxen; in this they laid the King of France,
having bound him for fear of a renewal of his frenzy, and so took him
back, motionless and speechless, to the town."
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