In the said year 1314, in the month of November, the King Philip, king of France, which had reigned twenty-nine years, died by an ill-adventure; for, being at a chase, a wild boar ran between the legs Par. xix. 118-120. of the horse whereupon he was riding, and caused him to fall, and shortly after he died. He was one of the most comely men in the world, and of the tallest in person, and well proportioned in every limb; he was a wise man in himself, and good, after layman's fashion, but by reason of pleasure-seeking, especially in the chase, he did not devote Purg. vii. 109, 110. his powers to ruling his realm, but rather allowed them to be played upon by others, so that he was generally swayed by ill counsel, to which he lent a too ready credence; whence many perils came to his realm. He left three sons, Louis, king of Navarre; Philip, count of Poitou; and Charles, Count de la Marche. All these sons one after another in a short while became kings of France, one succeeding on the death of another. And a little while before King Philip, their father, died, there fell upon them great and shameful misfortune, for the wives of all three were found to be faithless; and each one of the husbands was among the most beauteous Christians in the world. The wife of King Louis was daughter of the duke of Burgundy. Louis, when he was king of France, caused her to be strangled with a towel, and then took to wife Queen Clemence, daughter, that was, of Charles Cf. Par. ix. 1. Martel, the son of Charles II., king of Apulia. The wives of the second and third sons were sisters, daughters of the count of Burgundy, and heiresses of the countess of Artois. Philip, count of Poitou, on his wife's denial of the charge, and because he loved her much, took her again as being good and beautiful; Charles, Count de la Marche, never would take his wife back, but kept her in prison. This misfortune, it was said, befell them as a miracle by reason of the sin which prevailed in that house of taking their kinswomen to wife, not regarding degrees, or perchance because of the sin committed by their father in taking Pope Boniface, as the bishop of Sion prophesied, as we have before narrated.
§ 67.—Of the election which was made in Germany of two Emperors, one 1314 a.d.
1315 a.d. the duke of Bavaria, and the other the duke of Austria. § 68.—How Uguccione, lord of Pisa, made great war against the neighbouring places. § 69.—How King Louis of France was crowned, and led an army against the Flemings, but gained nothing.
§ 70.—How Uguccione, lord of Lucca and of Pisa, laid siege to the castle of Montecatini.
1315 a.d.
In the said year, Uguccione da Faggiuola, with his forces of German troops, being lord of all Pisa and of Lucca, having triumphed throughout all Tuscany, brought his host and laid siege to Montecatini, in Valdinievole, which was held by the Florentines after the loss of Lucca; and, albeit it was well furnished with good men, yet by means of the siege works it was greatly straitened, and in sore want of provisions. The Florentines sent into the Kingdom for M. Philip of Taranto, brother to King Robert, to oppose the fury of Uguccione, and of the Pisans, and of the Germans; and he came to Florence on the 11th of July with 500 horsemen in the pay of the Florentines, and with his son Charles, against the will of King Robert, who knew his brother to be more headstrong than wise, and also not very fortunate in battle, but rather the contrary; and if the Florentines had been willing to tarry longer, King Robert would have sent to Florence his son, the duke, with more order and more preparation, and a better following: but the haste of the Florentines, and the device of hostile fortune, made them desire only the prince, whence came to them thereafter much harm and loss of renown.
§ 71.—How, when the prince of Taranto was come to Florence, the Florentines sallied forth with their army to succour Montecatini, and were defeated by Uguccione della Faggiuola.
1315 a.d.
Johannes de Virgilio. Carmen v. 27.
When the prince of Taranto and his son were come to Florence, Uguccione, with all his forces from Pisa and from Lucca, and those of the bishop of Arezzo, and of the counts of Santafiore, and of all the Ghibellines of Tuscany and the exiles of Florence, with aid of the Lombards, under M. Maffeo Visconti and his sons, to the number of 2,500 and more horse, and a great number of foot, came to besiege the stronghold of Montecatini. The Florentines, in order to succour it, assembled a great host, and since they invited all their friends, there were there Bolognese, Sienese, men of Perugia and of the city of Castello, of Agobbio, and of Romagna, and of Pistoia, of Volterra, and of Prato, and of all the other Guelf and friendly cities of Tuscany, to the number, with the followers of the prince and of M. Piero, of 3,200 horse and a very great number of foot; and they departed from Florence on the 6th day of August. And when the said host of the Florentines and of the prince was come to Valdinievole, over against that of Uguccione, many days they abode face to face with the torrent of the Nievole between them, and many assaults and skirmishes took place. The Florentines, with many captains and but little order, held their enemies for nought; Uguccione and his people held theirs in great fear, and for this cause they kept strict guard and wise generalship. Uguccione, receiving tidings that the Guelfs of the territory six miles around Lucca, at the instigation of the Florentines, were marching upon Lucca, and had already routed the escort and taken possession of the road whereby provisions were brought to his army, took counsel to withdraw from the siege; and by night he gathered his troops and burned his outworks, and came with his followers in battle array to the neutral ground on the plain commanded by both the two hosts, with the intention, if the prince and his host did not stretch out to intercept him, to march through and make for Pisa; and if they desired to fight, he would have the advantage of the field, and would risk the chances of battle. The prince and the Florentines and their host, perceiving this, when day broke left the camp, and moved their tents and baggage; and the prince being ill with ague, they showed but little foresight, nor kept good order in the troops, by reason of the sudden and unexpected breaking up of the camp, but they confronted the enemy, thinking to turn them to flight. Uguccione, perceiving that he could not avoid the battle, caused the outposts of the plain to be assailed (to wit, the Sienese and them of Colle and others,) by his forefighters, about 150 horse, whereof were captains with the imperial pennon, M. Giovanni Giacotti Malespini, a rebel against Florence, and Uguccione's son; and the Sienese and men of Colle were without resistance broken up and driven back as far as the troop of M. Piero, which was with the Florentine horse. There the said forefighters were checked and well-nigh all cut off and slain, and the said M. Giovanni was left there dead, and Uguccione's son, and their company; and the imperial pennon was cut down, with many good and brave folk.
§ 72.—More about the said battle and defeat of the Florentines and of the prince.
1315 a.d.