A.D. 1369. proposed certain secret articles, by which he engaged to invade England, and to persuade the Pope to annul the treaty between England and Scotland; but these do not seem to have been ratified by King Robert.1 and tries in vain to make an alliance ders, About the same time that King Edward entered into the truce with Scotland, he sent (on the 12th of with Flan- June) ambassadors to Count Louis of Flanders, and to the burgomasters of Bruges, Ghent, and Ypres, to confirm their alliance with England.2 But the King of France was endeavouring, at the same moment, to attach Flanders to himself. For five years it had been Edward's object to bring about an intimate connexion with the Count of Flanders by marrying his son Edmund, Earl of Cambridge, to Margaret, the Count's daughter and heiress of Flanders, and widow of the late Duke of Burgundy. The Pope, however, who was a creature of France, refused, on the ground of consanguinity, to grant dispensation for this marriage. Nevertheless, disregarding similar grounds of objection, he granted it for the marriage of Margaret with Philip Duke of Burgundy, brother of the King of France, which was solemnised on June 19th, 1369. The Count of Flanders thus became bound to France; but his subjects knew the value of friendship with England, and the Flemings remained neutral. In the following year, on August 4th, 1370, a treaty was concluded with them by Edward's ambassadors, the object of which was, to provide for the safe carrying on of commerce between the two nations during the war. Among other conditions of 1 Tytler's Scotland, vol. ii. p. 328. 2 Rymer, vol. iii. p. 871. CHAP. VIII. EDWARD'S FOREIGN ALLIANCES. 155 this treaty, it was provided that, in order to avoid A.D. 1869. hindrance and loss to the Flemings, no goods of the but secures enemies of England, that is to say, of France or its neutrality. Spain, should be carried in Flemish vessels; that care should be taken that the goods received into the vessels really belonged to the parties to whom they were consigned, and not to the enemy; and it was also particularly ordained that the Flemings should not convey any "armour, artillery, or victuals" in their ships to the enemies of England.i alliances. Edward succeeded in securing the friendship of the Other Duke of Juliers and of his own nephew the Duke of Gueldres, who agreed each to bring 1,000 lances to the field, and were consequently to be "delivered " for one year. He was not equally successful with Albert of Bavaria, who then governed Hainault, or with the Duchess of Brabant, both of whom sided with France.3 The fickle King of Navarre hesitated as to which side he should take, and consequently bore no part in the war. The King of Castile of course remained the ally of France; but the King of Aragon was at least neutral, for a treaty had been made between England and Aragon on January 10th, 1369, which, although entirely one-sided, was based on the supposition of complete friendship between the two countries. In it, Edward and his son bound themselves not to invade or molest Aragon; but the King of Aragon promised no help in return. Long negotia 1 Rymer, vol. iii. p. 898. 2 Buchon's Froissart, vol. i. p. 572, "roi d'Angleterre, qui avoit envoyé devers eux qu'ils retinssent gens et ils seroient délivrés," &c. 3 Ibid. A.D. 1869. tions, not concluded till February 6th 1371, took place between England and Genoa, which resulted in an agreement, that the Genoese should enter into no confederation against England with her enemies of France or Spain, nor should help them with mercenary troops.1 The bishops and the English bishops While the two Kings were thus strengthening their hands by human means, they did not neglect to call in spiritual aid. The King of France, having great influence over the Pope although he had left France in 1367, had found no difficulty in nominating priests devoted to his interests in the provinces yielded to the English, who were therefore ready to maintain his cause. Thus the Archbishop of Toulouse went preaching over the country, and turned away more than sixty cities and castles from their English allegiance. In like manner, the priests in Picardy made use of their pulpits to beat up recruits for the King of France, and the King himself, accompanied by his Queen, headed barefooted processions of the clergy, who went about supplicating God to have mercy on the kingdom. The King of England was not to be outdone by the King of France in making use of spiritual weapons; against the and the Bishop of London thundered from his pulpit on the justice of war with France.2 preach French. 1 Rymer, vol. iii. p. 910. 2 Tyrrell's England, vol. iii. p. 690. CHAP. IX. WAR BEGINS. 157 CHAPTER IX. RENEWAL OF THE FRENCH WAR, AND END OF THE BLACK WAR began in earnest immediately on its declara- A.D. 1369. tion. On the part of the French, as already related, the first step was the seizure of Ponthieu; but, simultaneously with this, the Duke of Berri, who had returned from England on parole in 1367,1 collected together considerable forces in Auvergne, and the Duke of Anjou did the same in Languedoc. But the frontiers of Poitou and Aquitaine were too well guarded by English troops, for the French Dukes to undertake any great operations. On the part of the English, Edward had gathered together a body of soldiers for the support of his son, the command of which was given to the Earls of Cambridge and Pembroke. Brittany was selected as the most con- War begins. venient part of France for their landing; it was therefore necessary to ask the consent of the Duke, for the passage of the troops through his duchy. He was so intimate an ally of England that there Earls of was no difficulty in obtaining it. On the landing and Pemof the soldiers at St. Malo he sent to meet them, received them hospitably, and, with the consent of the barons and knights of his duchy, granted them leave to go through Brittany into Poitou. While 1 Froissart, vol. i. p. 562, note. Cambridge broke got Brittany. A.D. 1369. the English were at St. Malo, they treated with the "Companies" who were at Chateau Gontier and Vire in Maine, and, with the consent of the Duke of Brittany, arranged that they should cross the Loire and meet them at Nantes.' The old leaders of the Prince's armies also came forward to take their respective commands. It has been already related, how that noble warrior John of Chandos had answered to the Prince's call, when Rouergue was attacked, and had taken up his head-quarters at Montauban. The Captal de Buch also came; and Sir Hugh Calverley hastened from Spain, as soon as he heard that the French were The Eng- about to make war on the Prince, and joined him at lish troops Angoulême, where he waited till the "Companies "had arrived from Normandy. The Prince put Calverley at their head; and the forces under his command, amounting to about 2,000 men, marched to attack the Count of Armagnac and the Lord of Albret.2 gether at Angoulême. They ravage Perigord When the Earls of Cambridge and Pembroke, with their English troops, had joined the "Companies" at Nantes, they also marched to Angoulême, and their united forces numbered about 3,000 men. By the Prince's orders they entered Perigord, and overran and Poitou. it; after which, they laid siege to the castle of Bourdeille on the Drome, which they took after nine weeks' operations. They then returned to Angoulême. After this the Prince sent them and Chandos, who had returned to Angoulême from Rouergue, to attack Roche-sur-Yon in Poitou, which surrendered after a month's siege. The conquerors then again returned to Angoulême.1 Shortly after this, James Froissart, vol. i. p. 568. 3 Ibid. p. 582, Audley, who had been 2 Ibid. p. 568. 4 Ibid. p. 586. |