towns of Arleux and Crevecoeur, which the king had formerly given to the bastard, but had since wrested from him. He summoned the governor of the castle of Crevecœur to surrender it amicably, or he would take it by storm; and the governor yielded it up, on having his life and fortune spared, and returned to his own country of Normandy. John de Longueval, having performed this exploit, left a sufficient garrison in each for its defence, and then returned to his other companions with the main army. When the king of France was assured of this great force which the count de Charolois had raised, he despatched his chancellor to Amiens, and to Abbeville, where he met the counts d'Eu and de Nevers; and they issued a proclamation, in the king's name, for all who had been accustomed to bear arms to be in readiness to serve him; and every one was forbidden to bear arms, or to serve any other lord than the king, on pain of corporal punishment and confiscation of effects. Notwithstanding this, many of the knights and nobles of that country, who had always been attached to the house of Burgundy, joined the count de Charolois, leaving it to chance how they were to be treated for what they held under the king. There were others who served the king. The count de Nevers, knowing that he was in the ill-graces of the count de Charolois, sent divers messengers to bring about a reconciliation, but to no effect, for they were not admitted to an audience; which caused many who served the count de Nevers, and were among the principal of his household, to abandon his service, and to withdraw themselves to the count de Charolois, to preserve his favour. The count de Nevers, seeing himself thus abandoned, sent to entreat the lord de Saveuses to come and speak with him; but he would not comply, although he was requested by the count several times. But the count having received information that the lord de Saveuses was to pass through Bray-sur-Somme, went himself to Bray, where he met him, and entered into a long conversation, to prevail on him to think of some means of making up the quarrel between the count de Charolois and him. This good lord promised willingly to undertake the business, provided that he, the count de Nevers, would not bear arms for either of the parties, and that he would not introduce any men-at-arms, as a garrison, into Peronne: and this he promised to perform. Now it happened that while the count de Nevers was returning from Bray to Amiens, he received intimation from the inhabitants of Peronne, that the count de St. Pol had drawn up his forces before that town, and had summoned them to surrender the place to the duke of Burgundy, or to his son, and that they had demanded three days' delay to give their answer. On receiving this intelligence, the count instantly departed from Amiens, in company with Joachim Rohault, marshal of France. These two noblemen had with them one hundred lances and two hundred of the king's archers; and they entered Peronne, the 15th day of May, with five or six hundred horse. It was the common report at that time, that the duke of Burgundy had given to his nephew, the count de Nevers, on his marriage, the lands and castlewicks of Peronne, Mondidier, and Roye, to enjoy during his life, or until they were redeemed for thirty-two thousand crowns of gold, or till he should have other lordships of equal value to these castlewicks. The count maintained, that he held them in perpetuity, by grants from the king and the duke of Burgundy, within a short time after he had entered upon them. But the count de Charolois said, that they now no longer belonged to the count de Nevers, he having since then received other and more valuable lordships, namely, the counties of Rethel and Nevers, with other lordships; from which he concluded that the duke, his father, was entitled to have the three before-mentioned castlewicks restored to him; since, moreover, when his father had given them to the count de Nevers, it was without his consent, who was his only son and heir. The duke of Burgundy maintained that he had only given these lands until they were redeemed, or until superior or equal lands should fall to the count de Nevers; and that, if the count had deeds containing different terms, they were drawn up without his signature or seal. The lord de Saveuses had exerted himself so effectually with the count de Charolois, that it was generally believed that the quarrel between him and the count de Nevers would speedily be accommodated; but the intelligence that he had thrown into Peronne a large body of men-at-arms broke off the whole negotiation. CHAPTER CXXIV.—THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS TAKES LEAVE OF THE DUKE OF BUrgundy, AND MARCHES HIS ARMY AND ARTILLERY TOWARD FRANCE.-HE CROSSES THE RIVER SOMME, AND SUBJECTS TO HIS OBEDIENCE THE TOWNS OF NEELLE *, ROYE†, AND MONDIDIER. .—HE BESIEGES BEAULIEU §, AND CROSSES THE OISE. On the 15th of May, the count de Charolois, hearing that his armies in Flanders and in Burgundy were quite ready to march, took leave of the duke his father at Brussels, who is reported to have thus addressed him: "My son, act well your part in the business you are going upon, and take care of your health: prefer death to flight; and should you be in danger, you shall not long remain therein, if one hundred thousand more warriors can relieve you." The count, on taking his leave, went to lie at Quênoy in Hainault, where two embassies were waiting for him: one from Brittany, and one from the king of France. Of this last, the bishop of Mans, brother to the count de St. Pol, was the chief; but they had not any great success, and that from Brittany was soon dismissed. On the morrow, the count advanced to Honnecourt, between Crevecoeur and St. Quentin, where he waited for his artillery, which was astonishingly numerous; for two hundred and twenty-six carriages had passed through Arras, from the castle of Lille, full of bombards, serpentines, crapaudeaux, mortars, and other artillery, besides other carriages with military stores from Brabant and Namur, that passed through Cambray. From Honnecourt, the count went to Roseil, two leagues from Peronne, where he staid some days, with all his army and artillery, from which conduct those in Peronne expected to be besieged; but he had formed different plans. On the 4th of June, the count moved with his army from Roseil toward Bray-sur-Somme, when the inhabitants came out to offer him the keys of their town. The count de St. Pol and the bastard of Burgundy then crossed the river with their men, and advanced to Neelle in the Vermandois, and made pretence of an instant assault, when it was surrendered, on condition that eight men-at-arms, who were within it, should depart in safety, with their horses and arms, and that the archers, amounting to about six score, should march away in their doublets or jackets, each with a wand in his hand. lord de Neelle, however, who was found therein, was detained a prisoner. The The lord de Hautbourdin, bastard to the count de St. Pol, marched a body of men-atarms and archers to the town of Roye, which they made a similar pretence of attacking; but the inhabitants, fearful of the event, surrendered the place to him for the count de Charolois. On their entrance, they found there the countess of Nevers, to whom they offered neither insult nor injury, but afforded her every facility to retire whither she pleased. A few days after, she went to Compiègne, under the escort of the lord de Ravenstein and five or six hundred combatants. Those of Mondidier surrendered their town, two or three days after, to the count de Charolois, in which was Hugh de Mailly lord de Boullencourt ||, a valiant and hardy knight, who had always been attached to the house of Burgundy, and he remained governor of the place with the approbation of the inhabitants; for this town had ever been of the Burgundy party. While these towns were surrendering to the count de Charolois, the count de Nevers, fearing he should be besieged in Peronne, departed thence with Joachim Rohault marshal of France, the lord de Moy, and about two thousand combatants, thinking to enter the city of Noyon; but that was not so soon effected, nor until they had promised that their whole troop should not enter, and that they would not do or suffer any mischief to be done to the inhabitants. Nevertheless, they all entered, and did mischief enough. It happened that as some of the townsmen were lowering down the portcullis of the gate, it fell on a man-atarms and killed him. About the 15th of June, the count de Charolois left Roye, to besiege the castle of Beaulieu, Neelle, a town of Picardy, three leagues from Roye. || Hué de Mailly, lord of Lorsignol and Bouillencourt, governor of Montdidier; fifth son of Colart de Mailly, celebrated for his crusade in Prussia, and brother of Colart de Mailly who was killed at Azincourt, together with his father. a strong place belonging to the lord de Neelle. In the castle was a good garrison, who burnt the best part of the town round the castle, which was a pity, for the castle was afterward so battered by cannon that the garrison were glad to surrender on St. John Baptist's day, on having their lives and baggage spared. During this siege, the lord de Hautbourdin found means to cross the Oise with a body of men in boats, and entered the town of Pont St. Maixence before the inhabitants knew anything of his coming. This body was part of the van of the count's army, under the command of the count de St. Pol. The count de Charolois was with the main body, and the bastard of Burgundy commanded the rear. CHAPTER CXXV.-THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS PASSES THE RIVER OISE, ADVANCES TO SAINT DENIS, AND DRAWS UP HIS ARMY IN BATTLE-ARRAY BEFORE PARIS.-THE COUNT de SAINT POL GAINS POSSESSION OF THE BRIDGE OF SAINT CLOUD, AND CROSSES THE SEINE WITH HIS DIVISION OF THE COUNT'S ARMY. WHEN the count de Charolois heard that his van were in possession of Pont St. Maixence, he advanced the remainder of the army thither, in order to cross the Oise. The inhabitants paid him every obedience, as lieutenant-general to the duke of Berry; and the count had it proclaimed in the name of the duke of Berry, whose lieutenant-general he styled himself, that he abolished all taxes, impositions and subsidies whatever, as he had before done at Mondidier, and in the other towns he passed through, to the great joy of the people. The count entered the town of Pont St. Maixence on the feast-day of St. Peter and St. Paul, and remained there for some days. He thence marched to St. Denis, where he was joyfully received, as well in the name of the duke de Berry as in his own, for they could not make any resistance to him. He waited there, and between St. Denis and Paris, with his whole army, the remainder of the month of June, for the arrival of the dukes of Berry, of Brittany, of Calabria, of Nemours, of Bourbon, and the other lords, who had mutually promised each other to meet there. The count, finding that none came, and that the time was elapsed for the meeting, and that his Burgundians, whom he daily expected, had not joined him, because the king's army kept them constantly in check, on the 8th day of July assembled his army, and marched in battle-array so near to Paris that they were plainly seen from the walls. To say the truth, considering the smallness of their numbers, it was the proudest army that could be seen. Joachim Rohault left Paris to examine it the nearer, having kept on its flanks all the way from Beaulieu and other parts, to make an attack if he should espy a favourable opportunity, but found them always so well prepared that he dared not venture to attack them; and he was now forced to make a hasty retreat, to escape the light troops of the count; for he would have been completely surrounded by them, had he not so speedily re-entered Paris. Instantly after his entrance, the count fired off two or three serpentines over the town, which exceedingly frightened the inhabitants. The count then, placing himself at the head of the three divisions of his army, halted near a windmill close by the town, which made those within Paris suppose an attack was about to commence; but it was not so, for, in like manner as he had done to other towns, he informed them, that his only object was the good of the kingdom; that he had come thither at the prayer and request of the duke of Berry, who had promised to join him very shortly, and that his speedy arrival showed his eagerness to serve him. He added, that whatever the duke of Berry should do would be solely for the general welfare, and then summoned them to surrender to him as lieutenant-general to the duke of Berry; but they would no way comply. When Joachim Rohault had entered Paris, he met in the streets a canon from Amiens, called Jacques de Villiers, who, having finished his business there, was desirous to return. Joachim asked him whence he came, and whither he wanted to go: he replied, that he was from Amiens, and wanted to go back. Joachim then made him swear, that he would tell the count de Charolois, that he, Joachim, had lately received letters from the king of France, to signify to him for certain, that within four days the king would be returned to Paris, and would advance to meet the count, when it would be seen which was the stronger. The canon kept his promise, and told the count, word for word, what Joachim had ordered him, while he halted at the windmill. The count replied that he put no faith in what Joachim said, for before this he had told him things that were untrue. Having displayed his force before Paris, the count marched his army to where the fair of the Lendit had been held, the booths of which were still standing, and had it surrounded by his baggage-waggons, of which he had an immense number, as well for the service of his artillery as that belonging to the other lords who had accompanied him. While the army was thus posted, the count de St. Pol, commander of the van, saw a large boat-full of hay going to Paris, which having taken, and emptied of the hay, he entered it, with the whole of his men, and passed over to gain possession of the bridge of St. Cloud, which was surrendered by those who guarded it, on having their lives and fortunes spared. The count de Charolois, on hearing this, ordered the whole of his army to advance thither, cross the Seine, and march for Estampes, in the hope of meeting there the dukes of Berry and of Brittany, who could not pass the Seine by reason of the king's army that was following them. The count crossed the Seine on the 15th of July; and, this same day, the count de St. Pol advanced the whole of the van to Montlehery, where he fixed his quarters. Montlehery had a good castle, in which were a party of the royal army; but neither party seemed inclined to attack the other. The count de Charolois remained with his, that night, within one league of Montlehery; and the bastard of Burgundy, who had the command of the rear division, was quartered in the rear of the count, two leagues from Montlehery. The count de St. Pol sent off scouts from Montlehery, as far as Chastres, three leagues on the road to Estampes, who met messengers from the king to the Parisians, ordering them to be prepared on the morrow to assist him in battle against the count de Charolois. These messengers were brought to the count de St. Pol, and assured him that the king and his whole army were at this hour (eleven o'clock at night) at or near to Chastres. On hearing this, the count dislodged from Montlehery, and posted his division lower down, in a valley more toward Paris, and sent information of what the messengers had related to the count de Charolois, that he might instantly advance, or send him orders how to act, for that the king would certainly give him battle the next morning at daybreak. The count, having called a council, immediately after decamped to join the count de St. Pol, and sent orders for Sir Anthony of Burgundy to hasten the advance of the rear as much as possible, which he did, so that the count de Charolois, and his brother the bastard of Burgundy, formed a junction with the count de St. Pol on the 16th day of July, in the valley below Montlehery, by sunrise, and there drew up in battle array, to wait the arrival of the king of France. The king, who had been engaged in the Bourbonnois, where he had taken several places, and destroyed much of the country, was informed, while there, of the conduct of the princes in raising forces, and held an army in readiness to oppose them. He was fearful lest the army from Brittany should join that of Burgundy, and thus become too strong and dangerous to combat; in consequence, he called the principal captains of his army to a council of war, to ask their opinion, whether he should first offer battle to his brother and the Bretons, or to the count de Charolois. Although their opinions were divided, the majority were for fighting the count de Charolois first; for if he succeeded in overpowering his army, he could with ease conquer his brother and the Bretons at any time, and even all the other lords of the confederacy; and it was the more advisable to fight now before the count was joined by the Burgundian army, that had been kept in cheek, by a detached force from the army of the king. Notwithstanding the majority were for fighting the count de Charolois, the lord de Varennes, seneschal of Normandy, declared loudly against it. He said that he was of a contrary opinion, because he knew that the count de Charolois was not of a character to retreat, nor give up any point; and that he was so much beloved by the Picards, and the others who formed his army, and who had been accustomed to war, that they would never desert him while they were alive: he was, therefore, for fighting the duke of Berry first, because he had with him some of the great captains who had served the late king Charles VII., and who, when they saw the king advancing in person, would not have the heart to combat against him, but most probably would turn to his side, and the remainder would be at his mercy. The seneschal was told, that his advice was the effect of fear; but he replied, that it was not; and he would show plainly, if a battle took place, that he was not afraid, and that what he had said was purely from loyalty in advising the king to the best of his abilities. CHAPTER CXXVI.-THE KING DETERMINES ΤΟ COMBAT THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS.-A BATTLE TAKES PLACE BELOW MONTLEHERY.-THE EVENT OF IT. WHEN the king had heard the opinions of his commanders, although they were various, he eagerly determined to combat the count de Charolois, and ordered all, under pain of death, to follow him. He made such diligence that, on the 14th of July, he marched his army, as well by day as by night, twenty-four leagues, and lay at Estampes. On the morrow, he advanced to Chastres, three leagues from Montlehery. On his march, he passed within seven or eight leagues of the army of the dukes of Berry and of Brittany, ignorant that his messengers, whom he had sent to Paris, were made prisoners, or that the count de Charolois was so near him. The king dislodged from Chastres on the 16th, before sunrise, and soon arrived near to Montlehery, whence he saw the enemy drawn up in battle-array below in the valley. The king instantly formed his army into three divisions: the van was given to the command of the seneschal of Normandy, the son of the lord de Norenton, the lord de Barbasan, Malortie, Flocquet, Salazar *, and other captains: the main body was commanded by the king in person, attended by many of his great lords: and the rear division, consisting of seven or eight hundred men at arms, was given to the count du Maine: so that the king had in his three divisions, as was commonly reported, two thousand two hundred men-at-arms, or lances, the best appointed that ever men-at-arms were, for they consisted of the flower of the king of France's forces. There were also great bodies of archers and infantry, besides many that were ill-mounted, and on foot, who had remained behind, but who always followed the train of the king. The count de Charolois, observing the manner in which the royal army had been drawn up, formed his own into three divisions also. The first was under the count de St. Pol; the second he reserved to himself; and the bastard, his brother, commanded the third: but he ordered them all into the line, closing his rear with the baggage-waggons, and pointing his artillery in their front. He ordered his archers to plant a sharp stake before them, to check the charge of the cavalry, if they should attempt to break their line; and in this state they waited the attack of the king. This was not, however, the case; for the two armies remained, without moving, in their different positions for four hours, excepting some slight skirmishes of the light troops, who were within cross-bow shot of each other. As part of the count's army was too distant from the artillery, it was proposed by some to make their horses fall back, keeping their fronts to the enemy; but the lord de Hautbourdin disapproved of this manœuvre, and said, that were he to retire one step from the place where he was, it would be dangerous and disgraceful to him, and give the enemy courage to advance. In the meantime, different pieces of artillery were played off on both sides, to the destruction of numbers. At length the count de Charolois, fearful of the Parisians suddenly appearing to aid the king, and, by falling on his rear, attack him on all sides, and that if he delayed the combat, his men would be starved from want of provision, consulted his principal officers, and resolved to begin the attack. They began their march in excellent order: one division by the side of a wood, the other by the village, and the centre having the wood on its rear. The French, seeing this movement, made part of their army advance also, in front of the count's division, and crossed a ditch near the village; but the count's archers attacked them Robert Floquet was bailiff of Evreux. John de Salazar, surnamed "le grand chevalier," lord of St. Just, &c., chamberlain to Charles VII., and further recompensed for his great services by the lordship of Issoudun, died in 1479, at Troyes, in Champagne. He married Margaret de la Tremouille, daughter of George, count of Guisnes, and had by her Hector, lord of St. Just; Galeas, lord of Lez; Lancelot, lord of Marcilly, all celebrated warriors, and Tristan, bishop of Meaux, who in 1471 was promoted to the archbishopric of Sens. |