(A.D. 1370-1437.)
It was to the Duke of Bretagne, Joanna of Navarre's first husband, that Henry IV. was partly indebted for his elevation to the throne of England. Henry was an exile when Richard II. was obliged to go to Ireland, and finding that a clear field was thus left for his return, he applied to the Duke of Bretagne for advice and assistance, and was unhesitatingly provided by him with vessels, soldiers, and arms. The use he made of them is recounted in the last reign.
Joanna, the duke's wife, met Henry of Bolingbroke, the first time when he was making his preparations for this expedition to England, and was very much pleased with his beauty and attractive manners.
A.D. 1401. When she had been a widow for two years, and Henry was established on the throne, she willingly accepted an offer of his hand in marriage. He had then been a widower since 1394, when Anne of Bohemia, his first wife, died.
Joanna of Navarre agreed to marry Henry IV., but she had a family of children, and before going to England she had to provide for them. She knew that it would be unwise to take her sons with her, and as the eldest had succeeded to his father's title, the people of Bretagne would naturally object to his making England his home, so she entered into a treaty with her uncle, the Duke of Burgundy,
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who faithfully swore to preserve the laws, liberties and privileges of the Bretons. Thereupon the little duke and his two brothers, Arthur and Jules, were placed under his care, and taken to Paris to live.