THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY MARCHES HIS WHOLE ARMY TO PARIS TO FORCE AN ENTRANCE.—HE THEN CARRIES THE QUEEN OF FRANCE TO TROYES,—AND OTHER EVENTS.
WHEN these matters had been concluded, the duke of Burgundy marched his army from Chartres, through Montlehery, toward Paris, with the intention of forcing an entrance into that city by means of some of the Parisians his partisans. To succeed in his plans, he sent forward Hector de Saveuses, with his brother Philip, the lord de Sores, Louis de Varigines and several other captains, with six thousand combatants to the porte de Louvel de Chastillon[53], near to the suburbs of Saint Marceau; but, a little before their arrival, their coming was betrayed by a skinner of Paris to the constable, who instantly reinforced that part of the town with a large body of his troops; so that when Hector and his men approached the gate, to enter therein, he was sharply repulsed, and himself wounded on the head by a bolt from a cross-bow. Finding he had failed, from his intentions having been discovered, he retreated within the suburbs of St Marceau to wait the coming of his lord the duke of Burgundy.
The constable did not suffer them to remain quiet, but, making a sally with three or four hundred of his men, vigorously attacked the Burgundians, killing some and taking others. The Burgundians rallied, and renewed the combat so courageously that they forced the enemy to fall back within the town, and rescued some of the prisoners they had made.
In this affair, John, eldest son to the lord de Flavy, behaved remarkably well: he was the banner-bearer to Hector de Saveuses, and advanced it to the very gates of Paris, for which he was greatly praised by the duke when it came to his knowledge.
Several of the partisans of the duke were, at this moment, beheaded in Paris, while he remained in battle-array half a league distant, waiting for intelligence from those whom he had sent in advance. When he learnt that his attempt had been discovered, he remanded his men from St Marceau, and marched his army back to Montlehery, attended always by the young count de St Pol his nephew.
At Montlehery, he disbanded all his Picards, namely, sir John de Luxembourg, the lord de Fosseux, and the other captains before-mentioned, ordering them to the different towns on the frontier, until the winter should be passed. To sir John de Luxembourg was given in charge the town of Mondidier and the adjacent country: Hector and Philip de Saveuses were posted with their men in Beauvais; the bastard de Thian was appointed governor of Senlis; the lord de l'Isle-Adam had in charge Pontoise and Meulan; the lord de Cohen and several more returned to their own habitations in Picardy and the adjoining countries.
The duke of Burgundy went from Montlehery to Chartres, where, having ordered governors for that and the neighbouring places, he departed with the queen of France and his Burgundians for Troyes and Champagne, taking the road toward Joigny, whither he was pursued by the count d'Armagnac, constable of France.
The constable followed the duke for a long way with the intention of combating him, should he find a favourable opportunity; and in fact, when the queen and the duke were lodged in Joigny, some of his captains, with about three hundred combatants, made an attack on the quarters of the lord du Vergy and the Burgundians, which much alarmed and dispersed them.
The whole of the duke's army were in motion, and soon drawn up in battle array on the plain; and a detachment was ordered to pursue the enemy, who drove them as far as the head-quarters of the constable, about a league distant from Joigny. The lord de Château-vilain was one of the principal commanders of this detachment, and pursued the enemy the farthest. On their return, a sufficient guard of men at arms was appointed at Joigny, where, having remained five days, they continued their march to Troyes, and were magnificently and honourably received by the inhabitants and magistrates of that town.
The queen was lodged in the palace of the king her lord, and she received all the taxes and subsidies due to the crown by the town of Troyes, and from all other places under the obedience of the duke of Burgundy. By the advice of the duke, the duke of Lorraine was sent for to Troyes; on his arrival, the queen appointed him constable of France; and a sword was presented to him, on his taking the usual oaths, thus displacing the count d'Armagnac from that office.
The duke of Burgundy now dismissed the greater part of the burgundian lords, and remained in Troyes almost all the winter. He nominated John d'Aubigny, John du Clau and Clavin his brother, commanders on the frontiers of Champagne with a large force of men at arms, who carried on a vigorous war on the party of the constable.