CHAPTER X

THE FIRST HALF OF THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR

I. THE EARLY OCCURRENCES OF THE WAR

The French chronicler, Froissart, has described the life and events of this warlike and chivalrous period with so much vivacity and interest that it has seemed best to give extended extracts from his famous Chronicles. He gained most of his information from conversation with men who took part in the campaigns of the Hundred Years' War. Consequently we must make allowance for prejudices and mistakes, and it need not be a matter of surprise if Froissart's statements are not in all cases accepted in the Short History of England or in other histories. He wrote in French, but his chronicles have been often translated into English. The following extracts are taken from the old translation made by Lord Berners in the sixteenth century.

Froissart's

chronicles

Now sheweth the history that this Philip le Beau, king of 135. Extracts France, had three sons and a fair daughter named Isabel, from married into England to King Edward the second; and these three sons, the eldest named Louis, who was king of Navarre in his father's days and was called King Louis Hutin; the second had to name Philip the Great or the Long, and the third was called Charles; and all three were kings of France after their father's decease by right succession each after other, without having any issue male of their bodies lawfully begotten. So that after the death of Charles, last king of the three, the twelve peers and all the barons of France would

Hereafter

occasion

whereby the

war was

moved be-
tween the
kings of

France and
England

not give the realm to Isabel, the sister, who was queen of Engbeginneth the land, because they said and maintained, and yet do, that the realm of France is so noble that it ought not to go to a woman, and so consequently not to Isabel, nor to the king of England, her eldest son. For they determined the son of the woman to have no right nor succession by his mother, since they declared the mother to have no right; so that by these reasons the twelve peers and barons of France by their common accord did give the realm of France to the lord, Philip of Valois, nephew sometime to Philip le Beau, king of France, and so put out the queen of England and her son, who was as the next heir male, as son to the sister to Charles, last king of France. Thus went the realm of France out of the right lineage, as it seemed to many folk, whereby great wars have moved and fallen, and great destructions of people and countries in the realm of France and other places, as ye may hereafter see. This is the very right foundation of this history, to recount the great enterprises and great feats of arms that have fortuned and fallen. Sith the time of the good Charlemagne, king of France, there never fell so great adventures.

How King

Edward and all his allies

Thus the winter passed and summer came, and the feast of St. John Baptist approached; and the lords of England and of Almaine appareled themselves to accomplish their enterFrench king prise; and the French king wrought as much as he could to

did defy the

the contrary, for he knew much of their intents. King Edward made all his provisions in England, and all his men-of-war, to be ready to pass the sea incontinent after the feast of St. John; and so they did. Then the king went to Vilvorde, and there made his company to be lodged, as many as might in the town, and the others without along on the river sides in tents and pavilions; and there he tarried from Maudlin-tide till Our Lady day in September, abiding weekly for the lords of the Empire, and specially for the duke of Brabant, on whose coming all the others abode. And when the king of England saw how they came not, he sent great messengers to each of them, summoning them to come as they had promised, and to meet with him at Mechlin on St. Giles day and then to show him why they had tarried so long.

Thus King Edward lay at Vilvorde and kept daily at his cost and charge well to the number of sixteen hundred men of arms, all come from the other side of the sea, and ten thousand archers, besides all other provisions; the which was a marvelous great charge, besides the great rewards that he had given to the lords, and besides the great armies that he had on the sea. The French king on his part had set Genoways, Normans, Bretons, Picards, and Spaniards to be ready on the sea to enter into England as soon as the war should be opened.

These lords of Almaine at the king of England's summons came to Mechlin and with much business. Finally they accorded that the king of England might well set forward within fifteen days after; and to the intent that their war should be the more laudable, they agreed to send their defiances to the French king first the king of England, the duke of Gueldres, the marquis of Juliers, Sir Robert d'Artois, Sir John of Hainault, the marquis of Meissen, the marquis of Brandenbourg, the lord of Fauquemont, Sir Arnold of Baquehem, the archbishop of Cologne, Sir Waleran, his brother, and all other lords of the Empire. These defiances were written and sealed by all the lords except the duke of Brabant, who said he would do his deed by himself at time convenient. To bear these defiances into France was charged the bishop of Lincoln, who bare them to Paris and did his message in such manner that he could not be reproached nor blamed; and so he had a safe conduct to return again to his king, who was then at Mechlin. . . .

made the first journey into

In the first week that the French king was thus defied, Sir How Sir Walter Manny, as soon as he knew it, gat to him a forty Walter spears and rode through Brabant night and day, till he came the defiances Manny after into Hainault and entered into the wood of Blaton, as then were declared not knowing what he should do. But he had shewed to some of them that were most priviest about him, how he had prom- France ised before ladies and damosels ere he came out of England, that he would be the first that should enter into France, and to get either town or castle, and to do some deeds of arms. And then his intent was to ride to Mortagne and to get it if he might, the which pertained then to the realm of France; and so rode and passed the wood of Blaton, and came in a

How King

Edward took

on him to

bear the arms

the name,

to be called

morning before the sun-rising to Mortagne, and by adventure he found the wicket of the gate open. Then he alighted with his company and entered in, and did set certain of his company to keep the gate, and so went into the high street with his pennon before him and came to the great tower, but the wicket was fast closed. And when the watch of the castle heard the brunt and saw them, he blew his horn and cried "Treason! treason!" Then every man awoke and made them ready, and kept still within the castle. Then Sir Walter Manny went back again and did set fire in the street adjoining to the castle, so that there were a threescore houses brent and the people sore afraid, for they weened all to have been taken. Then Sir Walter and his company rode back straight to Condé and there passed the river of Hayne. Then they rode the way to Valenciennes and coasted on the right hand and came to Denain, and so went to the Abbey, and so passed forth toward Bouchain, and did so much that the captain did let them pass through by the river.

Then they came to a strong castle pertaining to the bishop of Cambray, called the castle of Thun, the which suddenly they took, and the captain and his wife within. And the lord Manny made a good garrison and set therein a brother of his called Sir Giles Manny, who afterwards did much trouble to the city of Cambray, for the castle was within a league of the town. Then Sir Walter Manny returned into Brabant to the king, his sovereign lord, whom he found at Mechlin, and there shewed him all that he had done. . . .

When that king Edward was departed from the Flamengerie, and came into Brabant and went straight to Brussels, the duke of Gueldres, the marquis of Juliers, the marquis of Brandenof France and bourg, the earl of Mons, Sir John of Hainault, the lord of Fauquemont, and all the lords of the Empire such as had been at that journey, brought him thither to take advice and counsel what should be done more in the matter that they had begun. And to have expedition in the cause they ordained a parliament to be holden at the town of Brussels, and thither to come was desired Jacques d'Arteveld of Gaunt, who came thither with a great company, and all the counsels of the good

king thereof

towns of Flanders. There the king of England was sore desired of all his allies of the Empire that he should require them of Flanders to aid and to maintain his war, and to defy the French king, and to go with him whereas he would have them; and on their so doing, he to promise them to recover Lille, Douay, and Bethune.

This request was well heard of the Flemings, and thereupon they desired to take counsel among themselves; and so they took counsel at good leisure, and then they said to the king: "Sir, ere this time you have made to us request in this behalf. Sir, if we might well do this, saving your honor and to save ourselves, we would gladly do this; but, sir, we be bound by faith and oath and in the sum of two millions of florins in the pope's chamber, that we may make nor move no war against the king of France, whosoever it be, on pain to lose the said sum, and, beside that, to run in the sentence of cursing. But, sir, if ye will take on you the arms of France and quarter them with the arms of England and call yourself king of France, as ye ought to be of right, then we will take you for rightful king of France and demand of you quittance of your bonds, and so ye to give us pardon thereof as king of France: by this means we shall be assured and dispensed withal, and so then we will go with you whithersoever you will have us."

Then the king took counsel, for he thought it was a sore matter to take on the arms of France and the name, and as then had conquered nothing thereof, nor could not tell what should fall thereof, nor whether he should conquer it or not; and on the other side, loth he was to refuse the comfort and aid of the Flemings, who might do him more aid than any other. So the king took counsel of the lords of the Empire, and of the lord Robert d'Artois, and with other of his special friends; so that finally, the good and the evil weighed, he answered to the Flemings that if they would swear and seal to this accord, and promise to maintain his war, how he would do all this with a good will, and promised to get them again Lille, Douay, and Bethune; and they answered how they were content.

Then there was a day assigned to meet at Gaunt, at which day the king was there, and the most part of the said lords,