THE DAUPHIN IS SUMMONED BY THE PARLIAMENT TO APPEAR AT THE TABLE OF MARBLE.—THE DUKE OF EXETER ARRESTS THE LORD DE L'ISLE-ADAM IN PARIS.
In this year, before king Henry left Paris to re-cross the sea, he caused Charles duke of Touraine and dauphin to be summoned to appear before the parliament at the table of marble, with all the usual ceremonies and solemnities to answer for himself and his accomplices to the charges made against him and them, respecting the murder of the late John duke of Burgundy. And because he neither appeared himself, nor sent any one, he was by the council and parliament publicly banished the realm, and declared incapable of succeeding to any lands or lordships, at present or in times to come,—and even to the succession of the crown of France, notwithstanding he was the true and lawful heir after the decease of his father king Charles, according to the laws and usages of the realm.
From this sentence, he made an appeal to his sword. Numbers of the Parisians were greatly pleased at his banishment, for they much feared him.
The duke of Exeter, governor of Paris, for certain reasons best known to himself, ordered the lord de l'Isle-Adam to be arrested by some of his English, which caused a thousand or more of the commonalty of Paris to rise in order to rescue him from those who were carrying him to the Bastille. But the duke of Exeter sent six score combatants, the greater part of whom were archers, to support them; and they by their arrows, and by proclaiming that what they were about was by the king's order, created so great an alarm, that the people retired to their houses, and the lord de l'Isle-Adam remained prisoner to the king of England so long as he lived. He would indeed have had him put to death, if the duke of Burgundy had not greatly interested himself in his behalf.
CHAP. LIV.
THE DUKE OF CLARENCE IS DEFEATED BY THE DAUPHINOIS NEAR TO BAUGEY.—IN THIS ENGAGEMENT, GREAT NUMBERS OF THE NOBLES AND GENTLEMEN OF EACH PARTY ARE SLAIN.
The duke of Clarence, who had been appointed governor-general of all Normandy on the departure of his brother king Henry for England, marched his army, on Easter-eve, toward the country of Anjou, to combat a large body of the Dauphinois under the command of the earl of Buchan, constable to the dauphin, the lord de la Fayette and several others. It happened, that on this day, the duke heard that his enemies were near him at a town called Baugey in Anjou; on which, being very renowned in arms, he instantly advanced thither a part of his force, particularly almost all his captains, when a very severe and bloody conflict ensued. The body of his army followed with much difficulty at a distance on account of a dangerous river they had to ford.
On the other hand, the Dauphinois, who had been advertised of their approach, fought so manfully that in the end they obtained the victory over the English. The duke of Clarence, the earl of Kyme, the lord Roos, marshal of England, and in general the flower of his chivalry and esquiredom were left dead on the field, with two or three thousand common men. The earls of Somerset and of Huntingdon, the count du Perche, with two hundred others, were made prisoners.
The Dauphinois lost from a thousand to eleven hundred men: in the number were a gallant knight called Charles le Bouteiller, sir John Yvorin, Garin des Fontaines, sir John de Passavant, sir John de Bulle, sir John Totavant, with other persons of note, amounting in the whole to the number before specified. From that time forward, the affair of this day was called the battle of Baugey.
The English were much cast down at this defeat, and particularly lamented the death of the duke of Clarence, who was much beloved by them for his valour and prudence. They, however, under the command of the earl of Salisbury, recovered the body of the duke, which was carried to Rouen, and thence transported to England, where it was buried with great solemnity.[7]