CHAP. XLVII.
THE ENGLISH INVADE BRITTANY, WHERE THEY DO GREAT DAMAGES.—OTHER MATTERS.
THIS year, the earl of Suffolk and sir Thomas Rampstone, on account of the duke of Brittany having joined king Charles, made an inroad on his duchy with about twelve hundred combatants, and advanced even to Rennes, where the duke resided. They committed great waste, and made a very considerable booty in prisoners and effects, with which they returned to a large village in that country, called Tintenarch[13]. On the morrow, they marched back to lower Normandy with all they had gained without any opposition.
Soon afterward, sir Thomas fixed his quarters in a small town, called St James de Beuvron, which had been destroyed; but he had it repaired and refortified to serve him as a post to carry on the war against the Bretons, for it was but half a league from their country. Sir Thomas was deputy to the earl of Suffolk, the governor of lower Normandy, and thence he led the English on different excursions through Brittany, carrying on a severe warfare.
The duke, to oppose them, assembled a large force of his nobles, whom he gave in charge to his brother the count de Richemont, lately made constable of France. The count led them straight to St James de Beuvron, which he instantly besieged, and commenced his operations with a grand skirmish. Having surrounded it on all sides, he established his quarters, and had his engines pointed against the walls, which greatly damaged them. He attacked the place by storm, which lasted for a considerable time very sharply.
A party of Bretons from the lower parts of the duchy had been posted below the town, near to a pond; and to get near the walls, it was necessary to cross the head of this pond, which was very narrow. There was beside it a small bulwark under the command of an english knight, sir Nicholas Bourdet, having with him from sixty to eighty combatants, and near to it was one of the town-gates well guarded by the English.
When these Bretons were descending the ditch in great numbers to attack the walls, they heard on each side of them the English shouting, 'Salisbury! Suffolk!' which threw the Bretons into great confusion. Sir Nicholas, seizing the opportunity of their dismay, vigorously fell on them, and, meeting scarcely any defence, put to death or drowned in the pond from seven to eight hundred, and made about fifty prisoners. The English won eighteen standards, and one banner. News of this defeat was speedily carried to the count, who was storming the town on the opposite side. He was much hurt at the intelligence, and ordered the retreat to be sounded, for the siege had been raised on the other side of the place.
When the count had collected his men together, he held a council on what should now be done, and it was resolved, that considering the great loss they had sustained, it would be prudent to march away, which was carried into effect; but he waited until midnight, when he returned to the town of Fougeres in a disorderly manner, leaving behind great quantities of provision, stores, bombards, and other artillery. Sir Thomas, with his six hundred men, for he had no more, and the greater part of them were wounded, remained in the town very much rejoiced at his good fortune; and he caused all the things the enemy had left behind them to be brought thither.
Two days after this affair, the earl of Suffolk joined sir Thomas with fifteen hundred combatants, whom the latter conducted with some of his own men, to a strong monastery that soon surrendered. The earl thence advanced farther into the country, toward the city of Dol, with the intent to reside there. In the mean time, the duke of Brittany sent a poursuivant with letters to the earl, to request that he would consent to a suspension of arms, according to the inclosed terms, which being agreed to, he remanded sir Thomas and his men, who returned to St James de Beauvron with a very rich booty.
A negotiation now took place, when a truce was signed to last for three months; and the earl of Suffolk had four thousand five hundred francs for consenting to it. The truce was well kept until the end of June, which terminated it, as the two parties could not agree on a final peace, so that the war recommenced, and the English daily committed great waste on the country by fire and sword.
To obviate these evils, the duke, and his brother the constable, had the town of Pontorson, which divides Normandy from Brittany, and is two leagues from Mont St Michel, well repaired and fortified, to serve as a barrier town against the English.
A few days after this, the earl of Suffolk was dismissed from his government, and the earl of Warwick appointed in his stead, who assembled a considerable body of men and laid siege to Pontorson.
During this siege, the English were in constant danger of having their convoys of provision cut off by the garrisons of Mont St Michel and other places. To prevent which, lord Scales was detached with five hundred combatants to lower Normandy to escort the convoys. On his return, the Bretons, who had been made acquainted therewith, placed themselves, to the amount of fifteen hundred men, in ambuscade, near to Mont Saint Michel, and, watching their opportunity, sallied out on the English, as they were marching by. They found them, however, in handsome array; and they made so valorous a resistance that the Bretons were completely routed. Eight hundred were slain; and in the number were the lord Château-Geron, the lord de Couesquen, the lord de Chambourg, the baron de Chamboches, the lord de la Hunaudes, sir Pierre le Porc, the commander of the Scotsmen, and many others of the nobility. The lord de Rohan and several great lords were made prisoners.
This event was known in Pontorson by the English having caused the dead bodies of the baron de Soulenges and sir Pierre le Porc, and of others, to be brought to the walls, and delivered to the garrison for burial, and hastened their determination of surrendering to the earl of Warwick, on having their lives spared, as they had no longer hopes of succour. They were marched out of the town with white staves in their hands, leaving all their baggage and effects behind them. Lord Scales was made governor of the town.
Toward the end of this year, sir John de Luxembourg assembled in Picardy, and the parts adjacent, about a thousand combatants, men at arms and archers, with the intent to besiege and reduce to his obedience the town of Beaumont in Argonne, held by William de Flavy, of the party of king Charles,—which Flavy, and those under his command, did many injuries and oppressive acts to all the surrounding country.
In these days, duke Philip of Burgundy again collected a large body of troops from Flanders and Artois, to march into Holland and besiege the duchess Jacquiline in the town of Gouda. On this occasion, he wrote to inform his nobles, that he was resolved this campaign to finish the war with Holland, and not return until it was ended. They had indeed often been assembled for this purpose, and were almost tired with the war.
The duke led this armament to Sluys, and there embarked for Holland. During these tribulations, the English continued a severe warfare on the borders and in Brittany. A very sharp combat took place between them and the Bretons, under the command of the constable de Richemont, in which numbers were slain on both sides; but, in the end, the earl of Warwick and his English gained the day.