LIHONS, IN SANTERRE, PILLAGED BY MANY CAPTAINS WHO HAD TAKEN UP ARMS.—THE CAPTURE OF THE CASTLE OF BEAUMONT.—THE STORMING THE CASTLE OF NEELE.—AND OTHER MATTERS.
SIR Mauroy de St Leger, soon after his last expedition to Chaulnes, made another, in conjunction with Jean d'Aubigny, to Lihons, in Santerre, which with the priory they completely plundered, ransoming the inhabitants for large sums, all of which they carried with them into Artois.
In this manner different companies were formed of nobles or others, but attached to the party of the duke of Burgundy, under various standards: the principal leaders were, St Mauroy de St Leger, sir Jennet de Poix, his brother David, the lord de Sores in Beauvoisis, Jean de Fosseux, Hector and Philippe de Saveuses, Ferry de Mailly, Louis de Varigines, sir Payen de Beaufort, sir Louis de Burnel, Jean de Donquerre, Guerard, bastard de Bruneu, and numbers of others, who, with displayed banners, invaded the territories of France; in particular, the countries of Eu and Aumale, and those lands in Santerre, as far as the river Oise, that belonged to such as were favourers of the Orleans party. In these parts they committed every sort of ravage, plundering the property, and making the inhabitants prisoners, as would be done to a country against which war had been declared.
There were also other companies formed by captains under pretence of their attachment to the duke of Burgundy, such as sir Gastellin, a lombard knight, Jean de Gaingy, Jean de Clau, and Lamain de Clau, Savoyards, Jean d'Aubigny, the bastard de Sallebruche, Charles l'Abbè, the bastard de Thian, Matthieu des Près, Panchette, the bastard Penar, and others, who amounted to two thousand horsemen when they were all assembled. They for a long time quartered themselves on the territories of Burgundy as well as France, and did incredible mischief to both.
Sir Gastellin and his men even took the castle of Oisy in the Cambresis, belonging to the daughter and heiress of sir Robert de Bar, and held it for a long time, using that and its dependances as if they had been his own property.
About the same time, the lord de Sores, with six hundred combatants, marched to Pont Avaire[48], and thence advanced toward Paris, and placed themselves in ambuscade at La Chappelle[49] until the gates should be opened. Shortly after their arrival, a man rode to them on a white horse from Paris, and, having said a few words to the lord de Sores, he returned thither the same road he had come. While they remained, they made several men and women prisoners for fear of being discovered by them to the Parisians; but seeing their enterprise had failed, they sounded their trumpets and retreated hastily toward Beaumont-sur-Oise. Their object had been to seize the king of Sicily by the aid of some of the Parisians.
When they were near Beaumont, they sent fourteen of their men in advance, having upright crosses on their breasts, to tell the wardens of the gate that the king had sent them to guard the passes of the Oise against the Burgundians. By their speeches and appearance, they gained belief; but they had no sooner entered than they killed the wardens, and kept possession of the gate. Their whole body attacked the castle, which they took, and slew the governor and his son.
After they had made a great slaughter in the town, and pillaged it of every thing they marched away, but neither set fire to it nor the castle, carrying their plunder and prisoners with them to Mouy in Clermont, wasting all the country they passed through. From Mouy they marched by Montdidier to Nesle in the Vermandois, belonging to the count de Dampmartin. Many other captains there joined them, among whom was sir Mauroy before mentioned. They resolved to storm the town, and succeeded notwithstanding the vigorous defence of the inhabitants, who well performed their duty. Many were killed and wounded, and numbers made prisoners; among the latter was the governor, sir Blanchet du Sollier. The town was plundered of every thing, and it was at the time full of merchandise on account of the fair. After remaining there about a fortnight, to sell their pillage and wait for the ransom of their prisoners, they departed, carrying on carts and cars the remnant of what they had gained, which was immense.
When information of these proceedings was given to the king, the constable, and the grand council, they were much incensed at the duke of Burgundy, to whom they said these captains belonged; and to provide a remedy, the following edict was proclaimed throughout the realm.
'Charles, by the grace of God, king of France, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting.
'Since the most supreme and excellent, the sovereign King of kings JESUS CHRIST our Creator, has, through his divine grace and clemency, selected us to govern and rule over the very renowned, and most noble kingdom of France, it behoves us to exert our best endeavours to secure peace to our subjects, and that all disturbers thereof should be punished, in order that impartial justice be distributed and our people live in peace and security.
'Whereas it has come to our knowledge, by the report of our council, and by others worthy of belief, and also by the great complaints, and doleful clamours of numbers of our subjects, as well as by the confessions of malefactors, justly put to death, the which we record in great sorrow and bitterness of heart, that Hector de Saveuses, Phillippe de Saveuses his brother, Elyon de Jacqueville, Pierre de Sorel, Gotrant lord de St Leger, Mauroy de St Leger his son, Jacques de Fosseux, Calvin de Clau, Jean d'Aubigny, Fierebourg, Matthieu dès Près, Jean de Poix, Daviod his brother, Camuset de Ligny, Gastellin, Cormeri, of the order of the hospital of St John of Jerusalem, the commander de Sagestre, Panchette, Henri de la Tour, Pierson Tube, Jean de Cauffour, Henri de Cauffour le Valois, Jacques de Calivray, Ramon Marcq, Denisot de Baugis, Guillaume le Glois, Martelet Testart, Jacques le Masson, Benois de Bessin, Guillemot de la Planche de Douay, le Tor d'emprès Douay, Jean Pallemargue, Robinet le vicomte, la barbe de Craon, Jean Jaully Picard, Robinet de Bray, le curé de Vaulx, prestre, Jean Louis de Cumillers, Robin d'Ays, Guillaume Mignot Brebiettes emprès Compiegne, Thomas de Plaisance, le grand Thomas Mignot, Jacquet de Clavin, Perrin de Chevrerieres, Henri de Hailly, Jean de Peresin, Jean Bertrand butcher of St Denis, Guillaume de Cormeuil, Guillaume de Chify du Brunet, master Robert trumpeter to our cousin of Burgundy, Perrin trumpeter to Jean d'Aubigny, Jennet one of the archers of the body guard of our said cousin of Burgundy, Jean de Vienon, Jean de Tourgney governor of Champlost[50], Puissevin d'Aussorros, Charles l'Abbé, the bastard Cognart de l'Aussorrois, the bastard de Launois Guynis, Rousselet le batelier, Philippot Vezis de Sens, Estienne Guyart de Sens, Symon le Vigneron de Joigny, Estienne de la Croix, the son of the host at Sens, Colin de l'hôpital, the bastard de Chaullay, the bastard Guignart, three brothers du Moyne de Collanges sur Yonne, Jean de Duilly, Charlot de Duilly, and a company of fuzelaires, calling themselves Begaux, accompanied by numbers of others, disturbers of the peace, among whom are some whom the laws have for ever banished our kingdom for their wickedness, having assembled themselves in companies contrary to our will and express orders.
'This they daily persevere in doing and in overrunning divers parts of our realm, gaining by force or sublety many towns and castles belonging to us, or to our noble vassals and clergy, and plundering them of all their wealth. Not content with this, they, like to perverse sinners, delighting in the effusion of blood put to death and wound not only such as shall attempt to defend their properties but the peaceable and well-inclined inhabitants of the said towns and castles, who only wish to remain in tranquillity.
'But what has astonished us the most, and which we would not have believed if sad experience had not convinced us of it, they have frequently advanced even to the walls of our good town of Paris, the principal seat of government and justice of our realm, and have attempted to enter it by fraud, to commit similar crimes to those they had done in other towns; and more particularly, a few nights since they made one of these mad and foolish attempts.
'They have also marched large bodies of armed men to the gates of the said town, knowing, at the same time, that we, our very dear companion the queen, and our son the duke of Touraine, with others of our blood, were personally within it. They then endeavoured fraudulently to gain admittance, which, should they have affected, (but through God's pleasure they failed,) murders, thefts, rapines, rapes, and every horrid mischief would have ensued to the ruin of that town, and, consequently, to the destruction of the church and kingdom.
'We point out, therefore, the before-mentioned persons as guilty of these atrocious acts, and call on our faithful and loyal subjects to assist us heartily in putting an end to their very heinous misdeeds. There is very clear evidence of this last fact; for when they found they could not by any means enter our said town of Paris, like madmen they gallopped off for the town of Beaumont-sur-Oise, belonging to our very dear and well beloved son and nephew the duke of Orleans, now prisoner in England, and on their march seized horses from the plough, and robbed and made prisoners every traveller they met. After this, they took the said town and castle by storm, plundered it, and killed or drowned very many of townsmen. In like manner they took the town of Nesle in Vermandois, and had before done the same to our town of Chablis[51], to the castle of Néant, belonging to the monks of La Charité sur Loire, with numbers of other castles, towns and villages, laying violent hands on women of all descriptions, violating them like beasts, pillaging churches and other sacred edifices, of which we are every day receiving the most melancholy accounts and lamentations.
'Greater mischiefs our ancient enemies the English would not, nor could not do; but these wretches, perversely wicked, add daily sin to sin, publicly shewing themselves rebels, and disobedient to our positive commands. They thus render themselves deserving of the severest punishments, and unworthy of the smallest grace, by holding ourselves and our sovereign power in perfect contempt.
'In consideration of the many and repeated complaints and lamentations made to us, by such numbers of our vassals and subjects, calling on God, our Creator, and on us for vengeance for the innocent blood that has been so cruelly shed,—we foreseeing that unless a stop be put to these atrocities, the whole kingdom will be ruined, and which we firmly believe to be the ultimate object of the before-named persons, have called together the princes of our blood, the members of our grand council and courts of parliament, with other barons and nobles of our realm, that they might advise on the best and most speedy measures to be adopted for the crushing this unnatural rebellion.
'After many consultations on the said matters, we having the utmost dread lest the divine judgement should fall on our head and on our kingdom, for the blood of the just that has been so abundantly and cruelly shed, and being ever desirous that peace and justice may be observed in our realm, do make known, and declare all the aforesaid persons, with their allies and associates, rebels to us and to our government. And because we at this moment are fully employed in the war that exists between us and our enemies the English, who have invaded our country, and cannot therefore act as we should wish against these said rebels and their allies: we therefore give full power and authority to all our loyal subjects to take up arms against them to put them to death, or to confine them in prison to suffer the punishment due to their crimes, and to take full possession of all their properties moveable or immoveable, by force of arms, and to slay such as may oppose them, without their having cause for any letters of pardon whatever.
'We therefore command, by these presents, the bailiff of Amiens, or his lieutenant, solemnly to proclaim three times a-week, with sound of trumpet, in all the usual places where proclamations have been made within his district, full licence and authority for any one to seize the persons and effects of the before-named rebels, and to put them to death, should need be, without danger of process or suit being hereafter made against him or them for so doing. The said bailiff, or his lieutenant, will attend to the observance of the above, so that nothing arise through his neglect to our prejudice, or to that of our kingdom.
'That greater confidence may be put in these presents, we order, that exact copies be made, and sent to those parts where the original cannot be proclaimed, and that equal faith be given to them. In testimony whereof, we have had our seal affixed to these presents. Given at Paris, the 30th day of August, in the year of grace 1416, and of our reign the 36th.'
Thus signed by the king, on the report of his great council, and countersigned 'Ferron.'
This edict was solemnly proclaimed in Amiens the 12th day of September and thence sent to all the provosts within the bailiwick of Amiens, to be proclaimed by them throughout their provostships. The provosts of Beauquesnes, of Montrieul of St Riquier, and of Dourleans, through fear of the duke of Burgundy, dared only to proclaim it once, and in their own courts, when few people were present.
Soon after, Remonnet de la Guerre was ordered by the king and constable to Noyon and Nesles, to aid sir Thomas de Lersies, bailiff of the Vermandois, in defending the country against the Burgundians.
War was now openly declared between the contending factions in that and divers other places of the realm. In truth wherever any of the king's officers could lay hands on the partisans of the duke of Burgundy, none escaped, whether nobles or not, from being sentenced to death; and more especially all who fell into the hands of the governor of Noyon and the parts adjacent were put to death without mercy,—insomuch that many trees near to that town were marvellously laden with such fruits.