CHAP. LV.
AFTER THE REDUCTION OF CHÂTILLON, THE FRENCH TAKE ST EMILION AND LIBOURNE.—THE KING JOINS HIS ARMY BEFORE BORDEAUX, IN WHICH WERE GREAT NUMBERS OF ENGLISH.—THAT TOWN SURRENDERS ON CAPITULATION.
After the surrender of Châtillon, the french commanders marched the army and artillery to St Emilion, the garrison of which instantly submitted, as it was impossible to make any resistance, and were mercifully received. Thence the army advanced toward Libourne, which had not willingly turned to the English when lord Shrewsbury first arrived at Bordeaux; but the french garrison, hearing of his coming, had fled: the townsmen were, therefore, forced to submit,—and, on this account, they were admitted into favour with the king.
At this time, the count de Clermont, as lieutenant-general for the king of France in Guienne and the Bordelois, kept his army on the other side of the Gironde. He had with him the count de Foix, the count d'Albreth, the lord d'Orval his son, sir Theaulde de Valpergue bailiff of Lyon, the lord de Saintrailles master of the horse to the king, sir Bernard de Béarn, the viscount de Turenne, the lord de Lavedan, and many other captains, to the number of eight hundred lances and archers, who acted so prudently that the english forces in that country, and in Bordeaux, to the amount of eight thousand combatants, never offered them battle, nor prevented them making prisoners, or destroying convoys of provision and wine. On the 14th day of July, the counts de Clermont, de Foix, and d'Albreth, laid siege to the new castle in Medoc, and remained before it fourteen days. The governor for the king of England was a knight of Gascony, called the lord de l'Isle, who, seeing the impracticability of defending it with success, surrendered it to these lords.
The french army was thence marched to besiege Blanquefort[158]; and the count de Foix, with his brother the viscount de Lautrec, separated from it to lay siege to Cadillac[159], while the lord de Saintrailles went before St Macaire[160], and reduced it to the king's obedience. The lord d'Albreth likewise left the siege of Blanquefort, and reduced the towns of Langon[161] and Villendras to obedience,—so that two or three sieges were going on at the same time. To regarrison their conquests, these lords had with them about a thousand lances, and a sufficiency of archers, comprehending the men of the count d'Armagnac, under the command of an esquire called L'ainé de Lange, seneschal of Rouergue.
During the siege of Cadillac, the count de Clermont never quitted that of Blanquefort until it had surrendered to him.
On the 16th day of July, the king left the city of Angoulême, to join his army in the Bordelois: he was accompanied by the counts of Angoulême, of Maine, of Nevers, of Estampes, of Castres, of Vendôme, and many other barons, knights and esquires, to the town of Libourne. His army was then before Fronsac, which was held by the English, who afterward surrendered it on capitulation of being allowed to go to England,—and they marched out with only staves in their hands. The army then crossed the Dordogne, to subdue the country within the two rivers, and captured many towns from the English.
The king advanced to Montferrant, and ordered a blockhouse to be erected against Lormond, near Bordeaux, by a part of his army, while another division was employed on the siege of the town and castle of Cadillac.
On the other hand, the counts de Clermont, de Foix, d'Albreth, d'Orval, and the bailiff of Lyon, with others to the amount of one thousand lances and archers, had posted themselves near to Bordeaux, on the side of the moors, to destroy all the corn and provision, that those within Bordeaux might not reap any advantage or profit by them.
On the 18th day of July, the king, in person, led his army against Cadillac, when it was taken by storm. The first who entered was an esquire named Gonfroy de St Hellin, bailiff of Chaumont in Bassigny,—but the English retired into the castle, which was very strong. Notwithstanding the strength of the place, the English, alarmed at the great power and good order of the king's army, which consisted of a thousand spears and a proportionate number of archers, were forced to submit. They surrendered themselves, in the month of October following, prisoners to the king, when their captain, called Gaillard, was beheaded.
In the blockhouse before Lormond were posted the lord de Lohéac marshal of France, with many other lords, knights, and captains, to the amount of fifteen or sixteen hundred spears, archers, and artillery,—and near to it were anchored the king's fleet of victuallers from Brittany, Poitou, Spain, Holland, Zealand and Flanders, which remained in the river Gironde, until Bordeaux surrendered to the king.
In like manner had victuallers been sent from England; and on their arrival the lord Cameise[162] had ordered their sails and stores to be landed and secured in the town, that they might not depart hospite insalutato; that is to say, without taking leave of their hosts. The English also constructed another blockhouse opposite to and higher than that of the French, although it profited them little, notwithstanding so many in the town were attached to the king of England, namely, the lord Cameise, the lord Clinton, the bastard of Somerset, the lord de l'Esparre, the lord de Rosem, and from three to four thousand English, and as many or more Gascons, one half of whom were quartered in the town, and the other half in the blockhouse, to guard their fleet.
Thus were these powers employed on the same duty in their separate blockhouses from the first day of August until the 17th of October, annoying each other by every possible means. Provision began at length to fail in Bordeaux, to the great alarm of the English, as was natural; and as they daily heard of towns in all directions submitting, by force of arms, to the king, they made offers of a surrender on a fair capitulation. The king consented, for two reasons: first, because he was ready to render good for evil: secondly, considering the mortality that was to be dreaded, if matters were pushed to extremities, he was glad to compound for the departure of the English on the following terms.
The city of Bordeaux was to be yielded up to him, and the inhabitants were to remain his true and loyal subjects,—they taking an oath never to rebel again, but to acknowledge the king of France as their true and legal lord. The English were to be allowed to transport themselves in their own vessels to England, or to Calais, as they should please. But because some of the lords of that country and city had maliciously and traitorously sought the alliance of England, and had gone thither for that purpose, contrary to their oaths and declarations made to the king in the preceding year, who, at a very great expense and loss of men, had conquered them, the king would reserve to himself the power of banishing from the country of Bordelois twenty persons, according to his pleasure, such as had gone to England to seek the aid of the English, and particularly the lord de Duras, the lord de l'Esparre, and others. This capitulation was signed on the 17th day of October, in the year 1453.
In truth, the king laboured greatly in these matters, both in body and mind; for, after the aid of God, he was indebted for the peaceable recovery of this country to his own prudent conduct, and to the gracious manner with which he received those who returned to their obedience. He was also supported by his vassals and subjects with the same earnestness as if the recovery of his kingdom had personally concerned themselves.
Sir Pierre de Beauveau, lord de la Bessiere, died of his wounds three days after the taking of Châtillon, which was a great loss. Sir James de Chabannes, grand master of the household, was likewise slain there: he was much lamented, as he was a most valorous knight.
The country being thus recovered, the king determined on going to Tours, after leaving, for its defence, the count de Clermont his lieutenant general, sir Theaulde de Valpergue, and sir John de Bureau, treasurer of France and mayor of the city of Bordeaux, with a sufficient force of men at arms, archers, and cross-bows. This was become absolutely necessary by reason of their late treacherous conduct, for, according to a maxim of law, 'Semul malus, semper præsumitur malus.' It was therefore expedient to keep a heavy hand on them, that they might be under greater subjection and prevented from rebelling again.