AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THE DUKE OF GLOCESTER, A WAR TAKES PLACE IN HAINAULT.—THE DUCHESS JACQUILINE WRITES TO THE DUKE OF GLOCESTER FOR ASSISTANCE.—THE CONTENTS OF HER LETTER.
Not long after the duke of Glocester had left Hainault, the men at arms of duke John of Brabant and the Picards began an open and severe warfare against the towns in that country under obedience to the duke of Glocester, as well as on those belonging to the lords of his party, by which the inhabitants were sorely oppressed and the country ruined.
To remedy these evils, the countess dowager of Hainault had many conferences with the duke of Burgundy, her nephew, and with the ambassadors from the duke of Brabant at Douay, Lille and Oudenarde, when it was concluded that Hainault should be restored to the government of the duke of Brabant, who was to promise a general amnesty to the inhabitants. The duchess Jacquiline was also to be put under the wardship of the duke of Burgundy, who was to receive a certain sum of money for her establishment, and she was to remain under his guard until the suit pending at the court of Rome should be determined.
While this treaty was negotiating, many of the principal towns revolted from their lady, and placed themselves under the obedience of the dukes of Burgundy and of Brabant, namely, Valenciennes, Condê, Bouchain and some others, so that there remained to her scarcely more than the bare town of Mons, which was nearly blockaded by her enemies, and very small quantities of provision permitted to be carried into the town.
The inhabitants, seeing themselves in great danger, were much exasperated against their lady, and told her plainly, that if she did not make peace, they would deliver her into the hands of the duke of Brabant: at the same time, they imprisoned many of her attendants, some of whom they judicially put to death, as shall be hereafter told.
The duchess Jacquiline, greatly alarmed at this sudden change, and fearing the worst, from what she had witnessed, and from what she had heard from her lady mother, namely, that she was to be put under the wardship of the duke of Burgundy, and carried to Flanders, sent letters in haste, describing her situation, to the duke of Glocester; but these letters were intercepted, and carried to the duke of Burgundy. Their contents were as follow.
'My very dear and redoubted lord and father, in the most humble of manners in this world, I recommend myself to your kind favour. May it please you to know, my very redoubted lord and father, that I address myself to your glorious power, as the most doleful, most ruined, and most treacherously-deceived woman living; for, my very dear lord, on Sunday the 13th of this present month of June, the deputies of your town of Mons returned, and brought with them a treaty that had been agreed on between our fair cousin of Burgundy and our fair cousin of Brabant, which treaty had been made in the absence, and without the knowledge of my mother, as she herself signifies to me, and confirmed by her chaplain master Gerard le Grand.