The king, at the request of those from Bayonne, remitted one half of their fine of forty thousand crowns, on which they returned very well pleased with the king and his ministers. The king was attended at Taillebourg by the counts of Maine, of Nevers, of Clermont, of Vendôme, of Castres, of Tancarville, and very many other lords. Thither came also the counts of Foix and of Dunois, the lord d'Albreth, the lord of Lohéac, and other barons, who shortly after returned to their winter-quarters, and the king went to pass his winter in Touraine.
Thus, by the grace of God, was the whole of Guienne and Normandy reduced to the obedience of the king of France, and all the possessions the English had in that realm, excepting the town of Calais, which still remains in their hands; but God grant that it may soon share a similar fate, and then will the saying be accomplished, 'Melior est obedientia quam sacrificium.'
In this same year, the emperor Frederick, duke of Austria, was crowned, and married at Rome, by pope Nicholas, to the daughter of the king of Portugal,—and the feasts and entertainments were suitable to the rank of the parties. Shortly after, the emperor returned to Germany with his empress, where they were most honourably received, according to the customs of that country.
In this year also, there were great discords in England between the dukes of York and Somerset, for the government of the kingdom. The king supported the latter, who raised a large army, and took the field in handsome array. The duke of York did the same, and a general engagement was expected; but the prelates and great lords, dreading the consequences, interfered and brought about an accommodation,—when the duke of York promised never to arm again or collect forces in opposition to his king,[132]—and each army separated to the places they had come from.
In this same year, the cardinal de Touteville was sent by pope Nicholas to the king of France, as his legate, and to require that he would make peace with England,—for the continuation of the war was of great prejudice to the catholic faith. The legate pressed as speedy a conclusion as possible between the two kingdoms, for the infidels were daily making conquests from the Christians.
When the cardinal had explained the object of his mission, the king replied, that he was as desirous as ever to prevent further effusion of blood, and to promote the general welfare of Christendom: that he was ready to listen to any reasonable proposals, and had frequently made offers to that effect in vain: that he was willing to agree to any proper terms, and to employ his arms and finances, as much as should be in his power, to repulse the Saracens.
While the legate was employed on this business in France, the pope, having the matter much at heart, sent the archbishop of Ravenna, of the Ursini-family at Rome, to England, to make similar remonstrances with king Henry, and to press him earnestly to conclude a peace with France, for the reasons stated by the legate,—and that a further prolongation of the war would probably entail contempt on Christendom, as the infidels had already made great conquests in Hungary and Germany. The king's ministers made answer to the archbishop, that when they should have reconquered from the king of France what he had won from them, it would be time enough to talk of these matters. This answer was a bad precedent; and the cardinal and archbishop returned to pope Nicholas without having done any thing, in regard to the mission he had sent them on.
According to the chronicles of Arras, the inhabitants of Ghent, at this season, finding their lord was indignant against them for the opposition which their deputies had made to his laying a tax on salt, began to murmur,—and, puffed up with pride, they rose in rebellion against his authority, and seized many of the duke's officers, whom they beheaded without mercy. They chose from among themselves three leaders, called in their language Hoguemens, whom they appointed to the government. The principal was called Lieuvin Seve, a poor mason, and the other two were of low degree.
When news of this was brought to the duke, he instantly issued his summons, throughout Picardy and Hainault, for the assembling a body of men at arms; and sent a valiant knight, a gentleman born in Hainault, called sir Simon de Lalain, as governor of Oudenarde, and with him another knight, named the lord des Cornets. In the holy week of this same year, three of the states of Flanders, namely, Brussels, Ypres, and the Franc, sent a deputation to the duke of Burgundy at Brussels, accompanied by a Carthusian of the convent at Ghent. They were admitted to an audience on Good Friday, and, by the mouth of the Carthusian, entreated him, on their knees, and with the utmost humility, to pardon the people of Ghent for their ill conduct,—and to have pity on his country of Flanders for the love of God, and in respect to the sacred day on which they made their petition. They offered, on the part of the men of Ghent, that if he would pardon them, they would make whatever reparation his ministers should think expedient.
The good prince replied, that from his reverence to God and respect to the day, he would grant their request, provided the men of Ghent would abide by the decision of his ministers as to the reparation they were to make for their bad conduct.