Joustes before Rennes—Death of Isabelle—Betrothal of Anne—Marguérite of Austria—Marriage of Anne—Charles VIII.—Birth of Dauphin—Italian War—Return of King—Death of Dauphin—Birth and death of other children—Death of Charles VIII.
The French army lay encamped before Rennes. Hostilities began by the Bastard de Foix dressed as St. George, riding up to the walls and challenging any knight to come out and break a lance with him in honour of the ladies. A Breton noble in complete armour at once appeared, lists were made among the moats, Anne had a scaffolding erected from which she with her ladies and court witnessed the combat, first with lances, then with swords, and, after she had supplied hypocras and other refreshments to the French, every one retired.
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Next day the siege began. Provisions and money ran short and the Princess Isabelle died. Charles offered Anne a large pension, any place she chose to live in except Rennes or Nantes; and Louis de Luxembourg, the Comte d’Angoulême or the Duc de Nemours for a husband in exchange for the duchy, which she refused. He next offered her foreign troops all the arrears due to them if they would withdraw from Rennes, which they immediately did. Then he tried to induce her to accept a large allowance, give up the duchy and go to the King of the Romans; and finally proposed that she should throw over Maximilian, who could get no money from his father, the Emperor, had never even seen her, and probably cared very little for the marriage (having lately lost Marie de Bourgogne whom he loved passionately), and marry him.
It was far the best way out of this disastrous state of things. Charles was politically her enemy, but she had no personal dislike to him, he was a suitable age and a splendid match, besides which it was evident that she must either accept him or lose Bretagne altogether. And whether it would be better for her or Bretagne that she should be a landless fugitive or Queen of France was a question about which there was no doubt whatever in the minds of any of the sensible people who surrounded her. Her cousin, the Prince of Orange, her guardian, the Maréchal de Rieux, her Chancellor, Montauban, and her governess, Madame de Laval, all told her the same thing, and tried to persuade her to consent to this marriage. The Duc d’Orléans, who had been released by the intercession of his wife; and the Comte de Dunois, added their entreaties, and Anne at last began to hesitate. Then Madame de Laval told her confessor and begged him to speak to her. He accordingly assured her that it was required of her by God and the Church to make this sacrifice for the good of her country and the restoration of peace. Anne yielded to the only authority she recognised and consented to an interview with the King.
Charles therefore went, on pretence of a pilgrimage to the chapel of Notre Dame which was at the gate of Rennes. After his devotions were finished, he suddenly entered the town accompanied by the Princess Anne de Beaujeu, and an armed escort. The next day he presented himself at the palace of the Duchess. They had a long private audience in which Charles seems to have succeeded in overcoming any dislike Anne may have had for him, as they were betrothed to each other three days afterwards in the chapel of Notre Dame.
Two solemn contracts had to be broken for the sake of this marriage, so important both to Bretagne and France. Besides the ceremonial marriage of Anne and Maximilian, his daughter Marguérite had not only been for the last eight years the legal wife of Charles VIII., but had been brought up in France and treated as Dauphine and then as Queen. The marriage, which was of course only a form, had been celebrated at Amboise just before the death of Louis XI., with pomp and ceremony in the presence of the court, the Dauphin being then twelve and the Princess Marguérite three years old.[286]
It was a great affront to Maximilian, both on his own account and that of his daughter, who, though so young, was extremely indignant, having long considered herself Queen of France. She was conducted back to her father with great state, and when, as she passed through Arras, the people began the French cry of “Noël, Noël!” she said impatiently, “Do not cry ‘Noël!’ but ‘Vive Bourgogne!’” She was afterwards the famous Regent of the Netherlands, and throughout her life never forgot the slight or felt anything but enmity to France, in which, however, she did not include the Queen, who had sent her splendid jewels and beautiful embroideries, and with whom she was always on friendly terms.[287]
A chronicler favouring the Austrian party, observes in his writings that with respect to this alliance three things are most surprising: first, that Charles VIII. should have had the audacity to carry it out, being already married to the daughter of Maximilian; secondly, that the Duchesse de Bretagne should have accepted the deadly enemy of her house as her husband; and thirdly, that the Seigneur de Dunois, who had done so much to bring about this marriage, should have fallen dead from his horse as he returned from the betrothal, ce qui épouvanta fort tout le peuple.[288]