On Saturday, the last day of June about two or three in the morning the queen of France was brought to bed in the castle of Amboise, of a fair son, who was then baptised by the name of Charles by the archbishop of Lyon, who was his godfather with the prince of Wales, son to king Henry VI. which latter was then detained a prisoner by Edward, calling himself king of England: his godmother was the princess Jeanne of France, duchess of Bourbon. This event was celebrated by Te Deums sung in most of the churches, by bonfires, and public tables in all the streets of the principal towns.
Not long after this, the king of Sicily, the duke of Guienne, the duke of Bourbon, the archbishop of Lyon, the lord de Beaujeu, and others went to Angers, Saumur, Pont de Cé, and other places near, to negotiate a pacification between the king and the duke of Brittany,—and they remained until it was accomplished. The king having signed the treaty, returned to the queen at Amboise. Ambassadors were, in consequence of this peace, sent by the duke of Brittany to the duke of Burgundy, to deliver up and cancel the alliance that subsisted between them, which greatly vexed the duke of Burgundy, especially on hearing the good understanding and union that reigned between the duke of Brittany and the king.
The duke of Burgundy hearing that the earl of Warwick was preparing to sail for England, instantly ordered a fleet of ships of war, full of artillery, and manned with English, Picards, Burgundians, and others, to cruize in the channel to intercept him. They sailed close to the norman coast in hopes of falling in with the earl, and there remained at anchor a considerable time,—during which the king was gone on a pilgrimage to Mont Saint Michael.
Having performed his devotions, he returned to Avranches, Tombelaine[33], Coutances, Caen and Honnefleur; and while on the coast, he ordered the ships Lord Admiral, the Colon, and others, to be victualled, on board of which the earl of Warwick and the duke of Clarence embarked with their company, and a body of franc-archers and men at arms which the king had given them as an escort, and for their defence. On their embarking, they weighed anchor, and set sail in sight of the Burgundians, who had been at anchor, so long without doing any thing but expend all their provision, which forced them to weigh also, and return to their duke with hungry stomachs. This was matter of joy to the king, for they had lost much time in inactivity,—and the victualling and manning of this fleet had been very expensive.
The wind proving favourable to the french fleet, it soon arrived off the english coast,—and the earl of Warwick and his company landed, during the night at Plymouth and Dartmouth. Warwick, on his landing, instantly dispatched a party of his men ten miles up the country to seize an english baron, who was quietly sleeping in his bed, unsuspicious of this invasion. They brought him to Warwick who ordered him to be immediately beheaded. From Dartmouth, Warwick marched to Bristol, where he was well received,—for it was there he had left his artillery and baggage when he fled to Normandy. When he had remained there about three days, to collect his friends together, he found himself at the head of about sixty thousand men in arms who promised to stand by him until death, and with them he began his march to meet king Edward; but it was more than fifteen days after his landing in England before any intelligence from him reached France.
In this interval, the lord d'Argueil son to the prince of Orange[34], who was of the household of the duke of Burgundy, and one of his nearest relatives, having married the sister of the duke of Bourbon, suddenly quitted the service of the duke of Burgundy, and joined the king, who received him with much distinction. The duke, when he heard of his departure, was ready to burst with grief and vexation; and declared, in the presence of the ambassadors from Brittany, that the lord d'Argueil should have all the property he possessed in his territories confiscated,—and he afterwards had all his castles within his dominions razed to the ground.
The king on the 14th of October, sent letters-patent to Paris, which were read and published in all the squares, in the presence of the lieutenants of the provostship of Paris. They contained information of the treaty of peace which he had concluded with Henry VI. of England, and orders for the admission of all the English of his party into France on their private affairs, or commercial transactions, with or without passports,—but to the exclusion of all who supported the late king Edward IV. his allies and abettors.
This day, news arrived in France, that the duke of Clarence and the earl of Warwick prospered greatly in their enterprises; that they had taken the field in pursuit of Edward,—and that the greater part of the nobles, prelates and gentlemen of England, had joined them, more especially the populace of London, who had gone out to meet Warwick, having turned their backs on Edward; that king Henry, who had been so long detained in confinement by Edward, was fully restored to liberty and to his crown,—that Warwick had been appointed regent of the kingdom,—and that great rejoicings had taken place in London. All the french prisoners were sent home free of ransom; but Warwick had seized on the persons and effects of those who were subjects to the duke of Burgundy. And the intelligence concluded by saying, that Edward, finding himself thus abandoned, had fled the kingdom, to seek an asylum with his brother in law the duke of Burgundy,—but that his wife and family had remained behind.
The king of France, having made a long stay at Tours and Amboise, moved by devotion, went on a pilgrimage to the church of our Lady at Celles, in Poitou,—whence after a few days, he returned to Amboise.
In the month of November, the king sent letters to Paris, to order all the nobles, clergy, and inhabitants of that city, to make processions in praise of God and the virgin Mary, and to continue them, laying aside all other employments whatever, for three days, to return thanks for the great victory which Henry of Lancaster, king of England, had gained over the earl of March, who had, for a long time usurped his throne, by the support of the duke of Burgundy, and, also, for the happy peace and good understanding that now subsisted between him and the king of England. These processions, thus ordered, were executed in all the principal towns of France.