CHAP. III. EDWARD EMBARKS FOR FRANCE,

47

five

Prince, Lionel Duke of Clarence, John of Gaunt, and A.D. 1359. Edmund of Langley. Before doing so he appointed his youngest son, Thomas of Woodstock, then under years of age, nominal guardian of the kingdom. The Queen was left in England. King Edward set sail from Sandwich on the morning of October 28th, 1359, "between daybreak and sunrise," and reached Calais the same evening.1

According to Matteo Villani,2 the number of the Number of King's army exceeded 100,000 men. Froissart does the troops. not give the total number of the troops, but he does of some of the "battles."3 He states that the order of march was as follows:-First; a body of 500 men went forward to clear and open out the roads and cut down thorns and bushes to make way for the cars; then came the Constable, the Earl of March, with 500 men-at-arms and 1,000 bowmen; after these, the "battle" of the marshals, consisting of 3,000 men-at-arms and 5,000 bowmen; then the King's "battle," the number of which is not given, and then the cars carrying the baggage, which extended for two leagues in length; and, last of all, the "battle" of the Prince of Wales and his brothers, consisting of 2,500 men-at-arms, "nobly mounted and richly caparisoned." It is remarkable that they were apparently unprovided with bombards and the other

1 Rymer, vol. iii. p. 452.

3 Vol. i. p. 417.

2 Tom. iv. p. 238.

4 Froissart (vol. i. p. 427) says that there were 8,000 cars, each drawn by four horses, and (at p. 417) that they extended for two leagues, that is about six English miles, or under 11,000 yards. This would give only about four feet for each car and horses, unless, which is unlikely, they went several abreast. It is evident therefore that Froissart's two statements are inconsistent, and it is probable that the error lies in the reckoning up of the numbers of the cars.

A.D. 1359. new engines of war. They marched in close ranks, ready for fighting, "never left even a boy behind without waiting for him," and their rate of march was about three leagues a day. "There was such a multitude that the whole country was covered with thein, and they were so richly armed and apparelled that it was a wonder and great pleasure to look at the shining arms, the floating banners, and their array marching in order of battle at a slow pace."

They are met by the Duke of

When they had marched about four leagues they were met by the Duke of Lancaster, who, on hearing Lancaster. of the landing of the King, had turned back to Calais, hoping that Edward would be able to satisfy the clamorous demands of his troops of adventurers for money. The raid had been unsuccessful. They had been able to seize food enough to support themselves, but had taken no plunder, either of goods or money. The leaders immediately sought the presence of the King, and represented to him their extreme poverty; they said they had spent almost all their money and been obliged to sell their horses and their harness, and had not even money enough to return to their own Dispersion countries. The King, anxious, doubtless, to get rid foreign ad- of such troublesome friends, persuaded them to go to venturers. Calais to rest and refresh themselves for a few days,

of the

and promised to send them an answer to their entreaties. They followed his advice, and, after a few days, he sent to say that he did not require their services, but that they might join his army, without wages, if they pleased. He, however, told them that they should have a handsome share of the plunder. A portion of them accepted the proposal, although unwillingly, and the King continued his march.1

СНАР. ІІІ.

THE INVASION OF FRANCE.

49

the in

No great army opposed his progress; nor did even A.D.1359. flying troops attempt to harass him on his way. No oppoThe Duke of Normandy shut himself up in Paris. sition to Either he feared to encounter so mighty a host as vaders. that which was now marching at its ease, hunting and hawking, through the very heart of the kingdom, or, he thought it his best policy to allow the invaders to exhaust themselves and goad the people to resistance, by wandering like robbers over the poverty-stricken land. Each city prepared to defend itself; but it was only when Edward thought fit to attack a town that he had any fighting. His army Their suffered dreadfully from the utterly wasted state of from scarthe country, which had not been tilled for three city of years, and from the consequent difficulty of getting provisions. It was supplied with wheat and oats from Hainault and Cambray; although the Flemings-by the orders, doubtless, of their Count-had driven the English merchants out of Brabant, and expelled those citizens of Bruges who, having promised to supply the English army with food,' had consequently been taken by Edward under his special protection."

sufferings

food

weather.

In addition to the sufferings occasioned by the and bad scarcity of food, the weather added to their misery. The rain poured down in ceaseless torrents. It was the end of autumn, and winter was coming on; but Edward was determined not to leave France, until he had either gained the throne, or recovered the ancient possessions of the English Crown, and the difficulties of a winter campaign did not deter him from this object.

His plan was, first to reach the almost holy city Edward's of Rheims, where the French kings were always march on

1 Knighton, col. 2620. VOL. II.

E

2 Rymer, vol. iii. p. 452.

plan to

Rheims and be crowned there.

A.D. 1359. crowned, and where he too was resolved to be acknowledged the lawful King of France.1 He marched through Artois, Picardy, and Champagne, following the course of the rivers, with scarcely any fighting, and arrived before Rheims at the end of November. The city was too strongly fortified to be carried by assault, and, as the dreadful state of the He arrives weather prevented a regular siege, Edward quartered his troops in the surrounding abbeys and villages, sitting down, as the phrase is, before the town, while small detached parties of his troops, for pastime as well as plunder, attacked first one town and then another in the neighbourhood. The Duke of NorThe Duke mandy made no attempt to dislodge him.

at Rheims.

of Nor

mandy does not attack him.

Conspiracy in Paris.

The

policy of inaction, prompted by wisdom or cowardice, or possibly by necessity, was the course he adopted. He had indeed enough to do to hold his own in Paris; but his difficulties arose from the indignation of the people, at having for their ruler a man who would not raise a finger to defend his country. A conspiracy was set on foot, by those who had been Etienne Marcel's friends, to give up Paris to the King of Navarre. Charles was by no means the man for the occasion, but the people thought he could not be so weak and helpless as the Regent. They therefore resolved to supplant the latter, and, probably, make Charles King of France. The plot was found out; the leader The King of the conspiracy executed; the King of Navarre fled from Paris and declared war against the Duke; and thus, as Froissart says, "the noble kingdom of France was harassed with war on all sides." 2

of Navarre

declares

war

against

the Duke.

1 Sismondi, vol. x. p. 566.

2 Buchon's Froissart, vol. i. pp. 423 (note), 428; Sismondi, vol. x. p. 566; and Martin, vol. v. p. 224.

CHAP. III.

MARCHES INTO BURGUNDY.

51

Edward had hoped that, by threatening Rheims, he A.D. 1359. would provoke the Duke of Normandy to give him battle. Edward In this he did not succeed, and, being unwilling to gives up the plan of lay siege to Rheims in regular force during the winter, taking at last determined to give up all idea of taking that Rheims city, and lay siege to Paris itself, after making a raid through some of the most fertile parts of France. He accordingly broke up his camp at Rheims on January 11th, 1360, and, passing under the walls of Châlons on the Marne, Bar-le-duc, and Troyes without attack- and ing them, entered Burgundy and took Tonnerre and into BurFlavigny by assault. He then retraced his steps, encamped at Guillon on the Serain on the 19th of February, and remained there, on the confines of Burgundy, for about three weeks.

marches

gundy.

with the

While at Guillon, Edward received offers of peace Treaty from the Duke of Burgundy, which he willingly Duke of accepted, as it was of great importance to detach the Burgundy. first peer of the kingdom of France from its sovereign. The Duke was induced to take this step, partly by the wish to save his duchy from devastation, and partly by the persuasion of his mother, King John's second wife, who had never loved the Duke of Normandy. The Burgundians promised to pay Edward a large sum, and to give no help to the Duke of Normandy in either arms or money. The treaty was signed on March 10th, 1360.1

Although the Duke of Normandy made no effort A.D.1360. to drive the English out of France, some of the French, availing themselves of the supposed defenceless state of the country in the King's absence, invaded England. They landed at Winchelsea "in

1 Rymer, vol. iii. p. 473.