The Chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet Vol I of XIII by Enguerrand de Monstrelet

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Title: The Chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet Vol. 1 of 13
containing an account of the cruel civil wars between the
houses of Orleans and Burgundy

Author: Enguerrand de Monstrelet

Translator: Thomas Johnes

Release Date: January 4, 2016 [EBook #50839]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

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THE

CHRONICLES

OF

ENGUERRAND DE MONSTRELET.

THE

CHRONICLES

OF

ENGUERRAND DE MONSTRELET;

CONTAINING

AN ACCOUNT OF THE CRUEL CIVIL WARS BETWEEN THE HOUSES OF

ORLEANS AND BURGUNDY;

OF THE POSSESSION OF

PARIS AND NORMANDY BY THE ENGLISH;

THEIR EXPULSION THENCE;

AND OF OTHER

MEMORABLE EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE,

AS WELL AS IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

A HISTORY OF FAIR EXAMPLE, AND OF GREAT PROFIT TO THE

FRENCH,

Beginning at the Year MCCCC. where that of Sir JOHN FROISSART finishes, and ending

at the Year MCCCCLXVII. and continued by others to the Year MDXVI.

TRANSLATED

BY THOMAS JOHNES, ESQ.

IN THIRTEEN VOLUMES ... VOL. I.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN, PATERNOSTER-ROW;

AND J. WHITE AND CO. FLEET-STREET.

1810.

TO

HIS GRACE

JOHN DUKE OF BEDFORD,

&c. &c. &c.

MY LORD,

I am happy in this opportunity of dedicating the Chronicles of Monstrelet to your grace, to show my high respect for your
many virtues, public and private, and the value I set on the honour of your grace’s friendship.
One of Monstrelet’s principal characters was John duke of Bedford, regent of France; and your grace has fully displayed
your abilities, as regent, to be at least equal to those of your namesake, in the milder and more valuable virtues. Those of a
hero may dazzle in this life; but the others are, I trust, recorded in a better place; and your late wise, although, unfortunately,
short government of Ireland will be long and thankfully remembered by a gallant and warm-hearted people.

I have the honour to remain,

Your grace’s much obliged,

Humble servant and friend,

Thomas Johnes.

CASTLE-HILL,
March 13, 1808.

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

PAGE

The prologue
1

CHAP. I.

How Charles the well-beloved

reigned in France, after he
had been crowned at
Rheims, in the year thirteen
hundred and eighty
7

CHAP. II.

An esquire of Arragon, named

Michel d’Orris, sends
challenges to England. The
answer he receives from a
knight of that country
13

CHAP. III.

Great pardons granted at

Rome
38

CHAP. IV.

John of Montfort, duke of

Brittany, dies. The emperor
departs from Paris. Isabella
queen of England returns to
France
39

CHAP. V.

The duke of Burgundy, by

orders from the king of
France, goes into Brittany,
and the duke of Orleans to
Luxembourg. A quarrel
ensues between them
42

CHAP. VI.

Clement duke of Bavaria is

elected emperor of
Germany, and afterward
conducted with a numerous
retinue to Frankfort
45

CHAP. VII.

Henry of Lancaster, king of

England, combats the
Percies and Welshmen,
who had invaded his
kingdom, and defeats them
47

CHAP. VIII.

John de Verchin, a knight of

great renown, and
seneschal of Hainault,
sends, by his herald, a
challenge into divers
countries, proposing a deed
of arms
49

CHAP. IX.

The duke of Orleans, brother

to the king of France, sends
a challenge to the king of
England. The answer he
receives
55

CHAP. X.

Waleran count de Saint Pol

sends a challenge to the
king of England
84

CHAP. XI.

Concerning the sending of sir

James de Bourbon, count
de la Marche, and his two
brothers, by orders from
the king of France, to the
assistance of the Welsh,
and other matters
87

CHAP. XII.

The admiral of Brittany, with

other lords, fights the
English at sea. Gilbert de
Fretun makes war against
king Henry
89

CHAP. XIII.

The university of Paris

quarrels with sir Charles de
Savoisy and with the
provost of Paris
91

CHAP. XIV.

The seneschal of Hainault

performs a deed of arms
with three others, in the
presence of the king of
Arragon. The admiral of
Brittany undertakes an
expedition against England
95

CHAP. XV.

The marshal of France and the

master of the cross-bows,
by orders from the king of
France, go to England, to
the assistance of the prince
of Wales
103

CHAP. XVI.

A powerful infidel, called

Tamerlane, invades the
kingdom of the king
Bajazet, who marches
against and fights with him
106

CHAP. XVII.

Charles king of Navarre

negotiates with the king of
France, and obtains the
duchy of Nemours. Duke
Philip of Burgundy makes a
journey to Bar-le-Duc and
to Brussels
108

CHAP. XVIII.

The duke of Burgundy dies in

the town of Halle, in
Hainault. His body is
carried to the Carthusian
convent at Dijon, in
Burgundy
110

CHAP. XIX.

Waleran count de St Pol lands

a large force on the Isle of
Wight, to make war against
England, but returns without
having performed any great
deeds
114

CHAP. XX.

Louis duke of Orleans is sent

by the king to the pope at
Marseilles. The duke of
Bourbon is ordered into
Languedoc, and the
constable into Acquitaine
116

CHAP. XXI.

The death of duke Albert,

count of Hainault, and of
Margaret duchess of
Burgundy, daughter to
Louis earl of Flanders
120

CHAP. XXII.

John duke of Burgundy, after

the death of the duchess
Margaret, is received by
the principal towns in
Flanders as their lord
122

CHAP. XXIII.

Duke William count of

Hainault presides at a
combat for life or death, in
his town of Quesnoy, in
which one of the champions
is slain
124

CHAP. XXIV.

The count de St Pol marches

an army before the castle of
Mercq, where the English
from Calais meet and
discomfit him
126

CHAP. XXV.

John duke of Burgundy goes

to Paris, and causes the
dauphin and queen to return
thither, whom the duke of
Orleans was carrying off,
with other matters
136

CHAP. XXVI.

Duke John of Burgundy

obtains from the king of
France the government of
Picardy. An embassy from
England to France. An
account of Clugnet de
Brabant, knight
157

CHAP. XXVII.

The war is renewed between

the dukes of Bar and
Lorraine. Marriages
concluded at Compiegne.
An alliance between the
dukes of Orleans and
Burgundy
161

CHAP. XXVIII.

The duke of Orleans, by the

king’s orders, marches a
powerful army to
Acquitaine, and besieges
Blay and le Bourg
167

CHAP. XXIX.

The duke of Burgundy

prevails on the king of
France and his council, that
he may have permission to
assemble men at arms to
besiege Calais
169

CHAP. XXX.

The prelates and clergy of

France are summoned to
attend the king at Paris, on
the subject of an union of
the church
174

CHAP. XXXI.

The Liegeois eject their

bishop, John of Bavaria, for
refusing to be consecrated
as a churchman, according
to his promise
176

CHAP. XXXII.

Anthony duke of Limbourg

takes possession of that
duchy, and afterward of the
town of Maestricht, to the
great displeasure of the
Liegeois
179

CHAP. XXXIII.

Ambassadors from pope

Gregory arrive at Paris,
with bulls from the pope to
the king and university of
Paris
182

CHAP. XXXIV.

The duke of Orleans receives

the duchy of Acquitaine, as
a present, from the king of
France. A truce concluded
between England and
France
188

CHAP. XXXV.

The prince of Wales,

accompanied by his two
uncles, marches a
considerable force to wage
war against the Scots
189

CHAP. XXXVI.

The duke of Orleans, only

brother to Charles VI. the
well beloved, king of
France, is inhumanly
assassinated in the town of
Paris
191

CHAP. XXXVII.

The duchess of Orleans with

her youngest son wait on
the king in Paris, to make
complaint of the cruel
murder of the late duke her
husband
206

CHAP. XXXVIII.

The duke of Burgundy

assembles a number of his
dependants, at Lille in
Flanders, to a council,
respecting the death of the
duke of Orleans. He goes
to Amiens, and thence to
Paris
211

CHAP. XXXIX.

The duke of Burgundy offers

his justification, for having
caused the death of the
duke of Orleans, in the
presence of the king and his
great council
220

CHAP. XL.

The king of France sends a

solemn embassy to the
pope. The answer they
receive. The pope
excommunicates the king
and his adherents
302

CHAP. XLI.

The university of Paris

declares against the pope
della Luna, in the presence
of the king of France. King
Louis of Sicily leaves Paris.
Of the borgne de la Heuse
315

CHAP. XLII.

The duke of Burgundy departs

from Paris, on account of
the affairs of Liege. The
king of Spain combats the
saracen fleet. The king of
Hungary writes to the
university of Paris
320

CHAP. XLIII.

How all the prelates and

clergy of France were
summoned to Paris. The
arrival of the queen and of
the duchess of Orleans
325

CHAP. XLIV.

The duchess-dowager of

Orleans and her son cause
a public answer to be
made, at Paris, to the
charges of the duke of
Burgundy against the late
duke of Orleans, and
challenge the duke of
Burgundy for his murder
331

THE

LIFE OF MONSTRELET.

Materials for the biography of Monstrelet are still more scanty than for that of Froissart. The most satisfactory account, both
of his life and of the continuators of his history, is contained in the Memoires de l’Académie de Belles Lettres, vol. XLIII. p.
535. by M. Dacier.
‘We are ignorant of the birthplace of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, and of the period when he was born, as well as of the names
of his parents. All we know is, that he sprang from a noble family,—which he takes care to tell us himself, in his introduction
to the first volume of the chronicles; and his testimony is confirmed by a variety of original deeds, in which his name is always
accompanied with the distinction of ‘noble man,’ or ‘esquire.[1]’
‘According to the historian of the Cambresis, Monstrelet was descended from a noble family settled in Ponthieu from the
beginning of the twelfth century, where one of his ancestors, named Enguerrand, possessed the estate of Monstrelet in the
year 1125,—but Carpentier does not name his authority for this. A contemporary historian (Matthieu de Couci, of whom I
shall have occasion to speak in the course of this essay,) who lived at Peronne, and who seems to have been personally
acquainted with Monstrelet, positively asserts that this historian was a native of the county of the Boulonnois, without precisely
mentioning the place of his birth. This authority ought to weigh much: besides, Ponthieu and the Boulonnois are so near to
each other that a mistake on this point might easily have happened. It results, from what these two writers say, that we may fix
his birthplace in Picardy.
‘M. l’abbé Carlier, however, in his history of the duchy of Valois, claims this honour for his province, wherein he has
discovered an ancient family of the same name,—a branch of which, he pretends, settled in the Cambresis, and he believes
that from this branch sprung Enguerrand de Monstrelet. This opinion is advanced without proof, and the work of Monstrelet
itself is sufficient to destroy it. He shows so great an affection for Picardy, in divers parts of his chronicle, that we cannot
doubt of his being strongly attached to it: he is better acquainted with it than with any other parts of the realm: he enters into
the fullest details concerning it: he frequently gives the names of such picard gentlemen, whether knights or esquires, as had
been engaged in any battle, which he omits to do in regard to the nobility of other countries,—in the latter case, naming only
the chief commanders. It is almost always from the bailiff of Amiens that he reports the royal edicts, letters missive, and
ordinances, &c. which abound in the two first volumes. In short, he speaks of the Picards with so much interest, and relates
their gallant actions with such pleasure, that it clearly appears that he treats them like countrymen.
‘Monstrelet was a nobleman then, and a nobleman of Picardy; but we have good reason to suspect that his birth was not
spotless. John le Robert, abbot of St Aubert in Cambray from the year 1432 to that of 1469, and author of an exact journal
of every thing that passed during his time in the town of Cambray and its environs, under the title of ‘Memoriaux,’[2] says
plainly, ‘qu’il fut né de bas,’—which term, according to the glossary of du Cange, and in the opinion of learned genealogists,
constantly means a natural son; for at this period, bastards were acknowledged according to the rank of their fathers.
Monstrelet, therefore, was not the less noble; and the same John le Robert qualifies him, two lines higher, with the titles of
‘noble man’ and ‘esquire,’ to which he adds an eulogium, which I shall hereafter mention,—because, at the same time that it
does honour to Monstrelet, it confirms the opinion I had formed of his character when attentively reading his work.
‘My researches to discover the precise year of his birth have been fruitless. I believe, however, it may be safely placed prior
to the close of the fourteenth century; for, besides speaking of events at the beginning of the fifteenth as having happened in his
time, he states positively, in his introduction, that he had been told of the early events in his book (namely, from the year
1400,) by persons worthy of credit, who had been eye-witnesses of them. To this proof, or to this deduction, I shall add, that
under the year 1415, he says, that he heard (at the time) of the anger of the count de Charolois, afterwards Philippe le bon
duke of Burgundy, because his governors would not permit him to take part in the battle of Azincourt. I shall also add, that
under the year 1420, he speaks of the homage which John duke of Burgundy paid the king of the Romans for the counties of
Burgundy and of Alost. It cannot be supposed that he would have inquired into such particulars, or that any one would have
taken the trouble to inform him of them if he had not been of a certain age, such as twenty or twenty-five years old, which
would fix the date of his birth about 1390 or 1395.
‘No particulars of his early years are known, except that he evinced, when young, a love for application, and a dislike to
indolence. The quotations from Sallust, Livy, Vegetius, and other ancient authors, that occur in his chronicles, show that he
must have made some progress in latin literature. Whether his love for study was superior to his desire of military glory, or
whether a weakly constitution or some other reason, prevented him from following the profession of arms, I do not find that
he yielded to the reigning passion of his age, when the names of gentleman and of soldier were almost synonimous.
‘The wish to avoid indolence by collecting the events of his time, which he testifies in the introduction to his chronicles, proves,
I think, that he was but a tranquil spectator of them. Had he been an Armagnac or a Burgundian, he would not have had
occasion to seek for solitary occupations; but what proves more strongly that Monstrelet was not of either faction is the care
he takes to inform his readers of the rank, quality, and often of the names of the persons from whose report he writes, without
ever boasting of his own testimony. In his whole work, he speaks but once from his own knowledge, when he relates the
manner in which the Pucelle d’Orléans was made prisoner before Compiégne; but he does not say, that he was present at the
skirmish when this unfortunate heroine was taken: he gives us to understand the contrary, and that he was only present at the
conversation of the prisoner with the duke of Burgundy,—for he had accompanied Philip on this expedition, perhaps in quality
of historian. And why may not we presume that he may have done so on other occasions, to be nearer at hand to collect the