CHAP. II. SIEGE OF RENNES. 17 CHAPTER II. STATE OF FRANCE AFTER THE BATTLE OF POITIERS. A.D. 1357-59. Non observance of the two truce. THE two years' truce between England and France was badly kept on both sides, but the chief blame of its imperfect observance must be laid on the English. Charles of Blois had been released from prison in England in August 1356,1 just at the time that the Duke years' of Lancaster returned to Brittany after his campaign. in Normandy. War between him and the Duke had immediately broken out, and it continued on until after the battle of Poitiers. The Duke had laid siege Siege of to Rennes on October 3rd, 1356, and during its continuance one of those picturesque incidents, so characteristic of the times and of chivalry, occurred. Rennes. incident John Bolton, one of the besiegers, amused himself Chivalric with hawking in the neighbourhood of the city, and during the one day took six partridges. He then put on his com- siege. plete armour, mounted his horse, and rode up to the gates of the city, saying he wanted to see Bertrand du Guesclin, a man then unknown to fame, but who became eventually the chief support of the French throne. Bertrand did not appear, but Olivier de Maunay, a relation probably of the well-known Sir Walter, came to the gate and asked Bolton whether he would sell his partridges to some ladies in the town. "By my faith," said Bolton, "if you dare to bargain a little nearer to me and come so close that we may 1 Rymer, vol. iii. p. 335. 1357-59. A.D. fight, I will deal with you." "As God will, ouil," said Olivier, "wait and I will come and pay you." He then came down from the walls to the moat, which was full of water, and, taking off his gauntlets and leg-armour, jumped in and swam across. Bolton and Olivier were not long in beginning their fight, the Duke of Lancaster and his army looking on on one side, and the ladies in Rennes, "who," as Froissart says, "took great pleasure in watching them," on the other. Bolton was overcome, and Olivier took him and his partridges into the city. They were both wounded, but, before they had been long within the walls, Olivier began to feel that his wounds were serious, and accordingly told his prisoner that if he could procure him a safe-conduct for a month he would set him free. Olivier said he knew of some herbs which would cure him, but which could not be obtained in the town. Bolton set off on his errand, the Duke of Lancaster granted the safe-conduct, and Bolton then returned to Rennes and came back again with his captor. The month was spent in the English camp; the Frenchman was treated by the English surgeons; and, as soon as he had recovered, returned to Rennes with great expressions of politeness and courtesy on both sides.1 Raising of the siege of Rennes. The siege of Rennes was still going on when the truce was made. At the end of the following month, King Edward wrote to the Duke ordering him to abandon it, according to the conditions of the truce; The Duke but the Duke had made a vow that he would never leave Rennes until he had planted his standard on its walls, and therefore took no notice of the King's commands. It consequently became necessary for of Lan caster's VOW. 1 Buchon's Froissart, vol. i. p. 369. CHAP. II. MISERABLE STATE OF FRANCE. 19 Edward to write again, and in a still more decided manner, on the 4th of July. The Duke then complied. As a matter of form, the garrison allowed his vow to be carried into effect; the English banner floated from the ramparts for a short time, and the siege was then given up.1 A.D. 1357-59. of the war. At the expiration of the truce, war between Eng- Renewal land and France broke out with greater bitterness than ever. In order, however, to understand the relative positions of the two countries, it is necessary to enter, with some little detail, into the history of the deeply interesting events which took place in France during its continuance. state of The state of France was dreadful. No country ever Wretched suffered under greater calamities, than France after affairs in the battle of Poitiers. The Duke of Normandy and France. the nobles cared for nothing but luxury and extravagance; the enormous amount of the taxes which were imposed, and the debasement of the coin which was practised to support this wicked folly, spread misery from one end of the kingdom to the other. The released nobles made their vassals pay the ransoms they had promised to their English conquerors, and the disbanded soldiers formed themselves into Free Companies, under English as well as French leaders, and roamed about the country plundering and ravaging. sembling States The States-General, which had vainly endeavoured, Re-asin the previous year, to introduce reforms into the of the administration of the Government of France, met again General. on October 17th, 1356, just one month after the battle of Poitiers; and though the Assembly was again sum 1 Rymer, vol. iii. pp. 353 and 359; and Sismondi, vol. x. p. 505. A. D. moned only from those speaking the langue d'oil, it 1357-59. consisted of more than eight hundred persons, comprising nobles, barons, knights, and traders, the tiers état or bourgeois (among whom were two doctors in theology) forming at least one-half of the number. The King's brother the Duke of Orleans, and his uncle the Count of Alençon, were present, but neither of them was chosen president of the Assembly. They had fled at Poitiers, and were disgraced. Charles of Blois, Duke of Brittany, who had been released from his imprisonment in England in the previous July,' on payment of 25,000 nobles as satisfaction for the sum of 50,000 gold florins, the agreed amount of his ransom, was the only Prince who received any consideration, and was elected President. Charles of Blois elected president. Etienne Marcel and Robert Lecoq. Measures taken to defend Paris. The most prominent men in the Assembly were, Etienne Marcel and Robert Lecoq Bishop of Laon. Marcel was a merchant draper in Paris, and Provost of the Merchants. He was a man of remarkable character, and, whatever may have been the ultimate result of his patriotic endeavours to bring about a better government in France, there can be no doubt that at this critical period he rendered great services to the State. It seemed probable that King Edward would return to France in the spring and march on Paris, or even that the Black Prince might at once attack the capital, which was in an utterly defenceless state. He therefore practised the inhabitants in the use of arms, the right to which had been restored to them in 1355, and, under the authority of the Duke of Normandy, employed three thousand men in fortifying the city. Robert Lecoq, before becoming a priest, had been the King's 1 Rymer, vol. iii. p. 360. |