XI. The discontent or resistance of the Normans and CHAP. their towns was what John feared the most, possessed, as many of the latter were, by Charles of Navarre, and the whole province and its baronage being exposed to the temptations of Edward. This was one principal reason for King John's convoking the estates, and covering his own fiscal authority by theirs. He at the same time created his eldest son and heir Duke of Normandy, and sent him to Rouen to reconcile the people there to his exactions and his reign. It would seem that Charles of Navarre, instead of treating the young Duke of Normandy as a rival and a foe, on the contrary, strove to win him over to a policy and a party hostile to his father. The Normans seemed leagued against John, determined to resist his exactions, especially the taxes voted by the estates, which must have been distasteful to the noblesse. John was informed of proceedings so hostile to his authority; and he learned, moreover, that those who were the planners and leaders of the opposition to him were to be at a certain time assembled, with the Duke of Normandy, in the castle of Rouen. John, urged by passion, and unrestrained by any sense of decorum or justice, hastened thither, well armed and accompanied, and so timed it as to enter by the postern of the castle at the moment when the King of Navarre, the Count of Harcourt, and other barons of their party, were seated at dinner with the Duke of Normandy. Of a sudden the king made his appearance, advanced to the table, livres of revenue were to pay for each hundred livres four. No noble was to pay for more than 5000 livres, and for these he must pay four for the first hundred, and but two for the remaining hundreds. Non-nobles were not to pay for what they possessed above 1000 livres. Those who had but forty livres re venue were assessed in two livres ; XI. CHAP. laid hold upon the King of Navarre, and exclaimed, "Ha, traitor! you are no fit company for my son's table; by the soul of my father, I shall not eat or drink as long as you live!" You An esquire of the King of Navarre, Colinet de Bleville, who was carving, raised his knife, in defence of his master, against King John, who recoiled, and called his sergents to take the fellow as well as the King of Navarre. The latter besought John to have patience, and to believe him innocent. The young Duke of Normandy too besought his father not to dishonour him; for the world would say he had betrayed his guests. But the king told his son "they were bad traitors, whose acts he would soon expose.' The king then took a mace from one of the sergents, struck the Count of Harcourt with it between the shoulders, crying, "On, proud traitor, to prison, with evil omen. are of the lineage of the Count of Eu. You must sing well if you escape me." All the guests were arrested and imprisoned in the castle. In addition to the prayers of his son, John was assailed by some of the eminent citizens of Rouen, who demanded the grace and liberation of Count Harcourt, the especial friend and patron of the city. This was the very reason for which John feared and hated him, and aware how unable he would be to resist their solicitations, he resolved to execute vengeance past recall. The king called to him the King of the Ribauds, a commander of a kind of forlorn hope, or daring soldiers in war, whilst in peace they were charged with the police of the exterior of the royal residence, and ordered him to make ready for the execution of several of those just captured. The king, having soon after mounted on horseback, caused four of them to be brought out, tied in carts, being the Count of Harcourt, the Sire of Graville, the Chevalier Maubué, and the esquire. John refused to all but the last the permission to confess themselves, saying traitors did not deserve such a favour. The heads of the victims were then cut off, and their bodies taken and hanged on the common gibbet. The brothers of the two principal sufferers, Philip of Navarre and Godfrey of Harcourt, sent to defy King John in bitter words, telling him he might kill the King of Navarre for the same reason that he killed the Count of Eu and Guines, for greed to have his lands; but he would find the robbery more difficult than the murder. John, for reply, brought off the King of Navarre with him to Paris, and committed him to close prison, threatening his life continually, and subjecting him to all kinds of indignity and of pain. To the public and the estates the king declared he had proofs of Charles of Navarre and his accomplices having agreed to betray Normandy to the English. Edward solemnly denied any such compact, and the King of Navarre was considered by many the victim of popular interests. Charles's brother and the Harcourts repaired to England, and obtained the aid of the Duke of Lancaster, who, with a very inconsiderable force, the Prince of Wales having the greater part of the English troops with him in Germany, landed at Cherbourg. The Duke of Lancaster had but 500 lances and 1000 archers. The Harcourts and Philip of Navarre brought a force considerably greater; and the united army advanced to Evreux first, and then to Vernon. They burned this town, as well as Verneuil, whilst King John was mustering an army at St. Denis. The English and the party of Navarre were engaged in burning the suburbs of Rouen, when they learned that the King of France was approaching with 4000 horse. Before so superior a force the Duke of Lancaster retreated, pursued by the reproaches, as well as the chivalry, of John. The latter asked the duke to turn and fight. The duke, in reply, said, that John must follow him if he wished to fight; and that, in order to give the French greater facilities CHAP XI. XI. CHAP. of finding him, he would order a lanthern to be carried in the rear of his army. The duke regained Cherbourg, however, without fighting, and John, laying siege to the King of Navarre's town of Evreux, entered it, the Navarrese burning it as they left, and the French completing its destruction. From thence John proceeded to besiege another fortress of the King of Navarre, Breteuil. Whilst the French king with his army was investing Breteuil, the Prince of Wales set out from Bordeaux on a plundering and conquering expedition similar to that which had proved so disgraceful and disastrous to his enemies in the preceding year. Instead of proceeding south, he now struck northwards, crossed the Dordogne, and entered the rich and flat province of Berry, which he wasted in all directions. John, learning the devastation of the provinces beyond the Loire, hastened to offer favourable terms to the garrison of Breteuil; and, getting possession of it, summoned all the nobles of the north and centre provinces to muster at Chartres. The Black Prince was informed at Vierzon of these preparations of his foes; and, instead of penetrating north of the Loire, as had been his purpose, he resolved to return leisurely by way of Touraine and Poitou to Bordeaux. Taking this route, the English encountered, near Romorantin, 300 lances, forming the advanced guard of the French army. They flung themselves into the castle of the town, which was soon reduced by the prince's guns throwing Greek fire, so that the French were compelled to surrender. After this exploit, which took place in the first days of September, the Black Prince pursued his way to Poitiers. The French army, led by King John and his four sons, had poured over the Loire to the number of 20,000 men-at-arms, with archers and light troops proportionate, their point of destination being the same town, where at least they hoped to come up with the English army. In their zeal they outstripped the Black Prince; and John occupied Poitiers with his army, whilst the English were advancing but within a few leagues of it. The capture of three French knights, who stumbled on the advanced guard of the English, informed them that their enemies were before them. The march was accordingly stopped, and the prince encamped on a high ground surrounded by hedges and vines, called the field of Maupertuis, about two leagues to the north of the capital of Poitou. The French king heard also, with surprise, that his army had got before the English at Poitiers, and thus intercepted their march. Almost all his noblesse was by his side; for, although John's warlike expeditions were in general undertaken with a moderate number of paid troops, there at present was a great feudal muster of the whole country to overwhelm the invaders. No less than 60,000 men had been collected. These were drawn up on the Sunday morning of the 18th of September, 1356, in three divisions, 16,000 well-armed men in each. The first was commanded by the Duke of Orleans, John's brother; the second, by the heir to the throne, Charles, Duke of Normandy, and his two brothers Louis and John, Counts of Anjou and Berri. The king led the third division, and had with him his youngest son, Philip, afterwards Duke of Burgundy. John could not but exult to find himself at the head of so brilliant and so numerous an army; and he exclaimed, "Now, gentlemen, when ye are at Paris or Rouen, you are always menacing the English, and are impatient to have your armour on to fight them: behold, ye have your wish." Eustace de Ribeaumont was sent, with others, to reconnoitre the position of the English. Froissart gives his words: "I have carefully examined them," said the knight: "they are about 2000 men-at-arms, 4000 archers, and 1500 brigands, or foot soldiers. They are strongly CHAP. XI. |