In the year 1454, the reverend father in God master John Bernard, archbishop of Tours, and sir Guillot Destan, knight, seneschal of Rouergue, set out on an embassy from the king of France to the king of Castille, to confirm the alliances between France and Spain.
In this same year, the king of France sent a large body of men at arms and franc archers to Bordeaux, with orders to erect two castles to keep that people under better subjection: one was placed on the bank of the river, and the other at the opposite end of the town toward Béarn.
The count de Clermont, the lord de Saintrailles bailiff of Lyon, the governor of la Rochelle, sir John Bureau mayor of Bordeaux, and sir Guichart le Boursier, were appointed to superintend the erection of these castles. They exerted great diligence to complete them,—and they were so strong that they were thought impregnable, so that the inhabitants were kept in more subjection than they had ever before been.
At this time, the duke of York seized the government of England, and imprisoned the dukes of Somerset and Glocester[183],—the first in the tower of London, and Glocester in Pomfret-castle.
In this year also, the count de Charolois, son to the duke of Burgundy married the daughter of duke Charles of Bourbon.
The king of Spain deceased, at the age of fifty years. It was a pity, for he was a good, wise, and handsome prince.
In this same year died pope Nicholas, who was but in his prime[184]; and it was found, when the physicians opened his body, that he had been poisoned. Pope Calixtus was chosen in his stead.[185]
The king of England called a meeting of some of his lords in the month of February, and remonstrated with them on the imprisonment of the dukes of Somerset and Glocester, his relatives, and wished that, if they were not too heavily charged with high treason, they might be released. They consented to this; and the mayor of London even said, that he would instantly deliver them from prison, on receiving good security for their re-appearance. Soon after, these lords appeared before the tower in great force, and took therefrom the duke of Somerset, who soon after gained the complete government of the king. The duke of York, seeing this, and dreading the effects of Somerset's anger, left the court as secretly as he could, and retired into his duchy.
About this time, the lord de l'Esparre was arrested, for having, contrary to his oath, gone to England, and induced king Henry to send over troops to reconquer the Bordelois. Although his treason had been manifest, nevertheless the king, at the last capture of Bordeaux, being alway full of mercy, had pardoned him, on condition of his being banished Guienne and the Bordelois. However, by the instigation of the devil in hell, he had attempted, under colour of a passport, to restore those countries to the English, as a more false and wicked traitor than before. But as the Scripture says, that every thing wicked, however secretly done, is at length discovered and punished, so this came to the king's knowledge, and, as I have said, he was arrested and carried prisoner to Poitiers, where, on being tortured, he confessed his guilt, and was judicially condemned. He was then delivered to the executioner, who smote off his head and quartered his body, which was hung up at different places, as is usual in such cases, to serve for an example to all others.