Discussing "The Chronicles" By Jean Froissart

In this episode of Canonball we discuss "The Chronicles," which Jean Froissart completed in 1400.

The painting used for the cover art for this episode is "The Black Prince At Crecy," completed by Julian Russell Story in 1888.  
  
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Transcript

Jean Froissart was a 14th century writer and poet who spoke French, but he was from Hanoi, which was a county of the Holy Roman Empire at that time and it overlapped with what is today Belgium and northern France. He was born in 1337, which is the year that the fighting started in the Hundred Years War for which he wrote a history that we'll be looking at today, and he died in 1405. Not much is known about his life. When he was about 24, he left Hanoi and started working for Philippa of Hanoi, who was the wife of Edward III, who's a major figure at whom we'll be looking at today. He had that job until the Queen died in 1369, so for about seven years, and it seems like his role was more literary than bureaucratic, that his job was to write poems for the Queen, essentially. He's best known for having written the Chronicles, this history, the text of which is preserved in more than a hundred and fifty manuscripts, many of which are illustrated. He also wrote something called Meliodor, which is an Arthurian romance, and a lot of poetry, some of it long and narrative, some of it short and lyrical. Most of the action in Froissart's Chronicle takes place in England, France, and Scotland, but he also mentions the Low Countries, which are what we today call the Netherlands, Belgium, and Northern France, roughly. The Iberian Peninsula, being Spain and Portugal, Italy, Germany, Ireland, the Balkans, Cyprus, and there are a few references to the Battle of Nicopolis, which happened in what is today Turkey. The Chronicles is a very interesting document. It has a lot of interesting detail in it, but it does have flaws as well that historians accept. One thing about it is that it only goes up to 1400, whereas the Hundred Years War is generally thought to have ended in 1453. So it's really a history of the first half, roughly, of the Hundred Years War, but also there are some inaccuracies in his history. The edition that I read noted when, for example, it seemed like there was a confusion in the geography. He named one place that started with an A, when in fact, he probably meant this other place that started with an A, because otherwise there's no way that that army could have gotten there in that time, or whatever. And it's also definitely not a complete history, even of the period that it covers, because he was one guy doing his best in the 14th century to put together an account of this very complicated sequence of events. And, of course, historians since then have pieced together things that he didn't know. So there are important parts, even of the time period that he covers, of which he was unaware. But the document is significant because he knew a lot of the people about whom he was writing firsthand. He worked, for example, in the court of Edward III, who was king for 50 years, most of it at the beginning of this war. But he also knew other people, and he traveled around to a lot of different places to interview people, and he quotes them at length. He also draws on other histories that had been written up to that time, and he cites them. So while he did do original research and interviews, he also compiled other accounts of particular battles and brought them together into one place. And most important of all, since he lived through the time period that he was writing about, you have, again, this proximity to history that you can really feel. For me, when I encounter a topic about which I don't know very much, the first thing that I want to do is to get a general outline of the major events and the major people involved and their goals and what they were trying to do and how things played out. And if you're trying to get that on the Hundred Years War, there are more efficient ways to get that than by reading Fonzant. But what you get from reading him that you don't get from browsing Wikipedia, for example, is this clear sense that while maybe the Hundred Years War is for us, though it shouldn't be, this period of European history about which we don't know very much and maybe feel that it has no relevance to our day, though it did pretty much determine the borders of France and England from then up to the present. And it may well have provoked the age of exploration in England to a certain degree because they realized they were not going to make any headway on the continent. So they needed to set out to sea. Reading Fonzant reminds you that there were lots and lots of people for whom the Hundred Years War characterized their entire lives. Whether they were fighting in it or living in the areas where it was going on, it really was a period rather than a war of fighting on and off that had proxy wars within it. You have the Castilian Civil War, you have the warof Breton succession, to name just two. But these were not just the sort of disproportionate figures that are poking each other in medieval art. These were people. And depending on who you are, some of them might have been your relatives. And you might even have relatives or ancestors on multiple sides of this conflict. And if you don't, it's still worth learning about. It's still very interesting history. But if you do, it's all the more interesting. So my goal today with this text is not to give you a detailed step-by-step account of how the Hundred Years' War played out militarily, economically, politically, though that's worth looking at too. And we'll get some broad concepts to frame what we're looking at. But instead, we're going to use this text by François as a window through which we can look to see some scenes from that period that might give us a sense of what it was like to live during that time. And it's evidence that we're not alone in finding this text engaging and inspiring. The late 19th and early 20th century composer Edward Elgar wrote an overture called François, which was inspired by this text that we're going to be looking at and is excellent and worth listening to. It's easy to find on YouTube, so I recommend you check that out. But now we can get into some passages by the chronicles of Jean-François. He starts his prologue by talking a little bit about his approach and his goals. He writes, quote, "...in order that the honorable enterprises, noble adventures, and deeds of arms which took place during the wars waged by France and England should be fittingly related and preserved for posterity, so that brave men should be inspired thereby to follow such examples, I wish to place on record these matters of great renown. But first of all, I beseech the savior of the whole world, who from nothing created all things, to fill me with such excellent sense and understanding that I may continue this book which I have begun in such a way that all who see it, read it, or hear it, may take delight and pleasure in it, and that I may earn their regard. It is said with truth that every building is constructed stone by stone, and that all great rivers are made up from many springs and streams. So knowledge is extracted and compiled by many learned men, and what one of them knows is unknown to another, though nothing is unknown if one seeks far enough." End quote. Just to comment on his writing, he begins with three sentences. That passage that I just read was three sentences, each of which I found interesting and well-written, even in translation. He starts out saying that he wants to record the deeds of the war, both for their own merit and so that they can inspire brave men thereby to follow such examples. And then he prays that everybody who reads or hears the book enjoys it, and then he gives a nice analogy about cumulative knowledge before he lists some of the other contemporary chroniclers on whose work he drew. And Froissart explains how the war starts, but he leaves out certain details that he probably didn't know. Edward III was the son of Edward II, who was in turn the son of Edward I, who was interesting in his own way. But Edward II was king of England from 1307 to 1327, and his wife, Isabella of France, had a lover named Roger Mortimer. And these two apparently worked together to take out Edward II in what we would today call a coup or a push. But then his son, Edward III, when he was 17, seizes power back from his mother's lover. Though Edward III had been king for three years, Roger Mortimer was the de facto ruler. He takes power back, has Roger Mortimer hanged, and then goes on to rule England for 50 years, turning England into a major European military power in the process. So imagine that. You're a prince, your father is the king, and your mom's boyfriend and your mom overthrow him in a coup. And then you overthrow your mom's boyfriend and have him executed. And that's how you begin your reign as king. That's Edward III's opening move. And the next thing that he does is what starts the Hundred Years' War. First, Charles IV, who's the king of France and of Navarre, dies in 1328 without a male heir. So he is the last king in the House of Capet, which had ruled France since 987 for about 340 years. So he dies without an heir, and the French nobility favor Philip VI, who is Charles IV's cousin, to be the new king. The reign of Philip VI, by the way, is the beginning of the House of Valois, which would rule France until 1589, or about the next 260 years. The trouble is that Charles IV is the brother of Isabella of France, who's Edward III's mother, who helped tooverthrow Edward II, meaning that Edward III is the nephew of Charles IV, making him a more direct heir to the throne of France than Charles IV's cousin, Philip VI. So the French nobility favor this guy who is a more distant relative, whereas the more direct heir happens to be the guy who is also the King of England. So what does Edward III, King of England do? But he claims the right to the throne of France as well. And this is what starts the Hundred Years' War. And we're not gonna go into a lot of medieval family dramas in this episode, but that one is worth understanding because it's unusual and it had huge consequences. And Edward III starts to make preparations for war. For example, quote, "'It was next proposed and decreed "'that no one in the realm of England, "'on pain of decapitation, should practice any game "'or sport other than that of shooting with bow and arrows, "'and that all craftsmen making bows and arrows "'should be exempted from all debts,' end quote." So on pain of decapitation, no one was allowed to do any sport except archery. And the idea there being, this would help people get better at archery and the better archers be more useful in a war. And Fletchers and Boyers, people making arrows and bows, were to be forgiven all their debts. These are two things that he's doing to stoke the military industry in the country and also encourage individual weapons training. And quote, "'It was also ordained and decreed "'that every lord, baron, knight, "'and honest citizen of the larger towns "'should make every effort to instruct their children "'in the French language, "'in order that they should be more efficient "'and feel more at home in the wars,' end quote." So he's also encouraging everybody who can to learn French. And the edition that I'm reading from, which is the Penguin Classics edition, has some sections that I guess the editor or translator abbreviated, and they have that in italics before getting back to Froissart's original writing. In this next part, there's one explanation that's that kind of summarizing, and then it goes back to Froissart. First, it reads, quote, "'As agreed in Parliament, "'the Bishop of Lincoln goes to France "'to deliver the challenge to Philip, "'arriving in Paris at the beginning of November. "'He hands the parchment documents to the French king,' end quote." So here, Edward has had a document sent to France to be read out explaining his position. And Froissart writes, quote, "'The king,' this is the king of France now, "'looked at them for a short time "'and then gave them to one of his secretaries to read out. "'Their content was as follows, or nearly so, "'as I have heard since from people "'who were in a position to know, "'and particularly the Lord of St. Venant, who was present. "'Edward, by the grace of God, King of England and Ireland, "'writes to Philip of Valois, "'since it falls out that in succession "'to our beloved uncle, the Lord Charles, King of France, "'we are heir to the realm and crown of France "'by a much closer degree of kinship than yourself, "'who have entered into possession of our heritage "'and are holding and desire to hold it by force, "'although we have several times pointed this out to you "'and have had it again pointed out "'by such worthy and eminent advisors "'as those of the Church and the Holy College of Rome, "'in agreement with the noble emperor, "'head of all adjudications, "'to which matters and demands "'you have never been willing to listen, "'but have held and still hold "'to your unjustly founded opinion. "'Wherefore, we give you notice "'that we shall claim and conquer our heritage of France "'by the armed force of us and ours, "'and from this day forward, "'we and ours challenge you and yours. "'And we rescind the pledge and homage "'which we gave you without good grounds, "'and we now place our domain of Panthieu, "'together with our other heritage, "'under the protection of God, not under yours, "'since we consider you as our enemy and adversary. "'Given in our palace of Westminster, "'in the presence of our whole council, "'the 19th day of October.'" So there, the King of England, Edward III, is explaining to the King of France, Philip VI, his position. He says, you've wrongfully claimed my heritage. I am the heir by a much closer degree than you are. We're now at war. And it's admirable and honest that he gave, as was customary at the time, this open and clear declaration of war. He says, here's why I'm doing it. Let it be known. Watch out, we're coming for you. And it's also worth noting that he gives the location as the Palace of Westminster, which is, of course, today, the building that houses British Parliament. Today, Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle or wherever else is where the King, or until recently, the Queen of England, lived. But until 1512, the King of England lived in Westminster. Froissart then describes the Battle of Sluis, S-L-U-I-S, I don't know exactly how to pronounce that, in 1340. This was a naval battle. And he writes, quote, as the English sailed forward, they looked towards Sluss and they saw such a huge number of ships that their masts resembled a forest. The King was greatly surprised and asked the commander of his fleet what this could be. He replied that he thought it must be the Norman Navy, which the King of France maintained at sea, in which had done him great honor.great harm on various occasions, as when it had sacked and burnt Southampton, and when it had captured his great ship Christopher with the slaughter of her soldiery and crew. When King Edward heard of this, he said, I have long waited to fight them. We will do so if it pleases God and St. George. They have inflicted so much damage on me that I mean to settle accounts with them if I can." And it's also worth noting that King Edward is present at the battle, something that was typical in the Middle Ages for the monarch, for the head of state to be participating in the war, not just directing it from the safety of the capital. Froissart continues, quote, When King Edward and his marshal had completed the disposition of their fleet, they had the sails hoisted to catch the wind on their starboard quarter in order to avoid the glare of the sun, which was shining straight in their faces. Considering that this would be a disadvantage, they fell away a little and came round until they had all the wind they wanted. Seeing them turn away, the Normans wondered why they did so and said, They are afraid and are retreating, for they are not men enough to fight us. They could tell from the banners that the King of England himself was there, at which they were delighted, since they were eager to fight him. They put their ships in readiness, like the skilled seamen and good fighters they were, and set the big ship Christopher, which they had taken from the English that same year, in the van with a big company of Genoese crossbowmen on board to defend it and harass the English. Then they sounded scores of trumpets, horns, and other instruments and bore down on their enemies to engage them. Fierce fighting broke out on every side, archers and crossbowmen shooting arrows and bolts at each other pell-mell, and men-at-arms struggling and striking in hand-to-hand combat. In order to come to closer quarters, they had great iron grappling hooks fixed to chains, and these they hurled into each other's ships to draw them together and hold them fast while the men engaged. Many deadly blows were struck and gallant deeds performed. Ships and men were battered, captured, and recaptured. The great ship Christopher was recovered by the English at the beginning of the battle, and all those on board were killed or taken prisoner. This capture took place in the midst of tremendous clamor and shouting at which more English came to the scene and immediately remanned her with a force made up entirely of archers before sending her forward to confront the Genoese. It was indeed a bloody and murderous battle. Sea fights are always fiercer than fights on land because retreat and flight are impossible. Every man is obliged to hazard his life in hope for success, relying on his own personal bravery and skill. There is no question that Sir Hugh Currit was a good, courageous knight, and so were Sir Peter Boucher and Barb of Arra, who in the past had wrought such havoc at sea and put an end to so many Englishmen. Thus the battle continued to rage continuously from early morning until afternoon, during which time there were many notable feats of arms and the English were hard put to it to hold their own since they were opposed by hardened soldiers and seamen who outnumbered them by four to one. But they performed with such courage that thanks to a reinforcement from Bruges and the surrounding district which came to their support, they at last obtained the victory. The Normans and all who were with them were utterly defeated, killed, or drowned, not a single one escaping in the general slaughter." So that's an interesting description of the fighting, but I also in particular had never thought about how a sea battle has that intensity to it. And there are other accounts of sea battles that we'll get to later in this text. But if you imagine you're a medieval foot soldier, you're not on horseback, and you're with a group of other guys, and you're engaging with an enemy group on land, there are at least two other things that can happen. One is that a friendly group can come to help you fight with that other group, and the other is that, though hopefully this would never happen, you could all turn and run, which was relatively common in warfare until the modern era, honestly. So even if things start to go badly, there are at least two ways that you could be saved on land, both of which are basically impossible when you're fighting on the sea. And that passage also has these descriptions of these big iron hooks that they use to hook two ships together so that they can fight properly. Because probably otherwise the ships can start to drift apart, and then you have this awkward moment where you're trying to kill each other, but the ships are drifting so you can't get to each other. So they hook the two ships together, and then basically fight to the death. And it probably sometimes happened that a friendly ship could come and hook up, I'm now wondering if that's the origin of that phrase, hook up to the other side of this enemy ship that you've engaged with, but that probably wasn't terribly common. In another passage, Froissart describes the establishment of the Order of the Garter, which is an order of chivalry that remains in the British honor system today. It was founded by Edward III, and it's outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George Cross. So it's a prestigious order, and it was established by Edward III. And online it says it was established in 1348, but Froissart writes that it was in 1344. But this might be one of those things on which he got the year a little bit wrong. He writes, quote, At that time, King Edward of England conceived the idea of altering and rebuilding the great castle of Wales.Windsor, originally built by King Arthur, and where had first been established the noble Round Table, from which so many fine men and brave knights had gone forth and performed great deeds throughout the world. King Edward's intention was to found an order of knights made up of himself and his sons and the bravest and noblest in England and other countries too. There would be 40 of them in all and they would be called the Knights of the Blue Garter, and their feast was to be held every year at Windsor on St. George's Day. To institute the feast, the king called together the earls, barons, and knights of the whole country and told them of his intentions and of his great desire to see them carried out. They agreed with him wholeheartedly, because they thought it an honourable undertaking and one which would strengthen the bonds of friendship among them. Forty knights were then chosen from among the most gallant of them all, and these swore a solemn oath to the king always to observe the feast and the statutes, as these were agreed and drawn up. In the castle of Windsor, the king founded and had built the chapel of St. George and established canons to serve God in it, giving them a generous endowment." And there it's canons with two Ns, not three, which I guess is a group of monks or priests rather than a kind of artillery. Back to the text, quote, "...in order to make the feast known in all countries, the king sent his heralds to announce it in France, Scotland, Burgundy, Hinnoo, Flanders, and Brabant, and also in the German Empire. All knights and squires who wished to come were given safe conduct for 15 days after the feast for their return home. There were to be jousts against 40 home knights challenging all comers and 40 squires as well. The feast was to be held on the following St. George's Day in the year 1344 at Windsor Castle. The Queen of England was to be there accompanied by 300 ladies and young girls, all of noble or gentle birth, and all similarly dressed," end quote. So on the one hand, Edward seems to have specifically wanted to continue the tradition of King Arthur by setting up this order, but the order is also going to have an annual celebration to which he invites the knights and noble people from all over Europe, from France, Flanders, Burgundy, Hinnoo, the German Empire, Scotland, and Brabant. And they're guaranteed safe passage to and from the event. So even if there's a war going on with your country, still you can come to this feast and have fun and watch some jousts or participate in it, eat some food, and then go home. And describing the Cressy campaign, the king reportedly stumbled coming off of the ship. This is now in 1346. Talking about the English fleet, Fauson writes, quote, When it was drawn up and anchored on the shore, the king came off his ship. But as his foot touched the ground, he stumbled and fell so heavily that the blood gushed from his nose. The knights who were around him took this for a bad omen and begged him to go back on board for that day. Why, retorted the king without hesitation, it's a very good sign for me. It shows that this land is longing to embrace me. They were all greatly cheered by this answer. So the king encamped on the beach for that day and night and the whole of the next, end quote. So the king trips and falls and bloodies his nose coming off the ship. And his guys say, oh, it's a bad sign. You should go back on the ship and try again tomorrow. And he said, no, it's not a bad sign. It's a good sign. This land wants to give me a big hug. And his guys liked that answer. Cressy is, of course, a part of what is today France that the English had come to conquer. And to respond to this English invasion, the king of France calls for help from all over Europe. And guys come from Germany, Luxembourg, Bohemia, some other places. And first he describes the battle of Caen, C-A-E-N, which is a small battle compared to the battle of Cressy, C-R-E-C-Y. And that's a long, interesting section. But at one point, Fonzon describes the actions of the blind king of Bohemia. He writes, quote, the noble and gallant king of Bohemia, also known as John of Luxembourg because he was the son of Emperor Henry of Luxembourg, was told by his people that the battle had begun. Although he was in full armor and equipped for combat, he could see nothing because he was blind. He asked his knights what the situation was and they described the route of the Genoese and the confusion which followed King Philip's order to kill them. Ha, replied the king of Bohemia, that is a signal for us. He then asked for news of his son Charles, king of Germany, and was told, my lord, we have none. We believe he must be fighting on some other part of the field. Then the king said a very brave thing to his knights. My lords, you are my men, my friends, and my companions in arms. Today I have a special request to make of you. Take me as far enough forward for me to strike a blow with my sword. Because they cherished his honor and their own prowess, his knights consented. And then skipping ahead a little, quote, there also was Lord Charles of Bohemia, who bore the title in arms of king of Germany, and who brought his men in good order to the battlefield. But when he saw that things were going badly for his side, he turned and left. I do not know which way he went. Not so the good king, his father. For he came so close to the enemy that he was able to use his sword several times and fought most bravely, as did the knights with him. They advanced so far forward thatthat they all remained on the field, not one escaping alive. They were found the next day lying around their leader with their horses still fastened together," end quote. So King John of Bohemia is blind and he asks his knights to bring him close enough to the battle to try to fight a little bit. And they do, they tie their horses together so they don't get separated and they stay in the battle until they're all killed, even while others are seeing that the battle is lost and are fleeing. And this scene, perhaps this passage, is what inspired the American painter Julian Russell's story to, in 1888, paint the Black Prince at Crecy, which is the cover art for this episode. Edward of Woodstock, who is the son of Edward III, he's the Prince of Wales, he's also known as the Black Prince either because of the black armor that he wore or because of his reputation for brutality, is, after the Battle of Crecy, contemplating the corpse of John of Bohemia, this blind king who went into battle. Froissart describes the horses of him and his men being still tied together, and that's not really depicted in Julian Russell's story's painting, but it's a beautiful painting all the same. And later, when the Black Prince seems to be in trouble, his father, Edward III, has an interesting response. Froissart writes, quote, "'Because of the danger in which those responsible "'for the prince found themselves, "'they sent a knight to King Edward, "'who had his position higher up on the mound "'of a windmill, to ask for help. "'When he reached the king, the knight said, "'Sire, the earls of Warwick and Oxford "'and Sir Reginald Cobham, who are with the prince, "'are meeting a very fierce attack by the French, "'so they ask you to bring your division to their support, "'because if the attack grows any heavier, "'they fear it will be about as much "'as your son can deal with.' "'The king asked the knight, "'whose name was Sir Thomas of Norwich, "'is my son dead or stunned or so seriously wounded "'that he cannot go on fighting? "'No, thank God,' replied the knight, "'but he is very hard-pressed and needs your help badly.' "'Sir Thomas,' the king answered, "'go back to him and to those who have sent you "'and tell them not to send for me again today, "'as long as my son is alive. "'Give them my command to let the boy win his spurs, "'for if God has so ordained it, "'I wish the day to be his and the honor to go to him "'and to those in whose charge I have placed him.' "'The knight went back to his commanders "'and gave them the king's message. "'It heartened them greatly, "'and they privately regretted having sent him. "'They fought better than ever "'and must have performed great feats of arms, "'for they remained in possession "'of the ground with honor.'" So the guys fighting around the prince send a messenger to the king saying they're in trouble and they need some help. And he says, don't ask me for help, let my son prove himself. And also by then the battle is going well for the English and he wants his son to be able to be known as the heroic leader of that great victory. So Edward III was trying to set his son up to be king someday. And based on Froissart's explanation, it seems like this battle was a disaster for France to a great extent because of a lack of organization. Some units were up in front, some were in the back. They weren't fighting at the same time, they got disorganized. And despite having France gathered this big army, it did not go well. Later he writes, quote, "'Late in the evening, as it was growing dark, "'King Philip left the field in despair, "'accompanied by five lords only. "'The king rode lamenting and mourning for his men "'until he came to the castle of La Broye. "'He found the gate shut and the drawbridge up, "'for it was now fully night and pitch dark. "'He called for the captain of the castle "'who came to the lookout turret and shouted down, "'Who comes knocking at this hour? "'Open your gate, captain,' King Philip answered. "'It is the unfortunate king of France.'" End quote. So King Philip leaves the battlefield and goes back to a castle with just five other guys. And he writes, quote, "'It must be said that fearful losses "'had been inflicted on the French "'and that the kingdom of France was greatly weakened "'by the death of so many of her brave nobility. "'If the English had mounted a pursuit "'as they did at Poitiers, "'they would have accounted for many more, "'including the king himself. "'But this did not happen. "'On the Saturday, they never once left their lines "'to pursue the enemy, but stayed on their positions "'to defend themselves against attack.'" End quote. So based on Froissart's account, we can contrast the disorder of the French army with the strict discipline of the English army that even in victory, they didn't break their lines. They stayed right where they were and fought solidly from their position. But Froissart goes on, quote, "'However, among the English, "'there were pillagers and irregulars, "'Welsh and Cornishmen armed with long knives "'who went out after the French, "'their own men-at-arms and archers making way for them. "'And when they found any in difficulty, "'whether they were counts, barons, knights, or squires, "'they killed them without mercy. "'Because of this, many were slaughtered that evening, "'regardless of their rank. "'It was a great misfortune, "'and the king of England was afterwards very angry "'that none had been taken for ransom, "'for the number of dead lords was very great.'" End quote. So after the battle, there are these irregular forces that go out into the night and hunt down guys and kill them wherever they can find them. And the king would have wanted to take some of the nobility.for ransom, which was a common practice at the time, because you could get more money for the life of a nobleman. Later, Edward lays siege to the French town of Calais. Fauzard writes, quote, He was determined to stay there through winter and summer till Calais was his, without regard for the time and effort it might cost him. His new town had everything that an army could need and more, including a place to hold markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There were haberdashers and butchers shops, stalls selling cloth and bread and all other necessities, so that almost anything could be bought there. All these things were brought over daily by sea from England, and goods and foodstuffs were also supplied from Flanders. In addition, the English made frequent raids on the surrounding country, going as far as the gates of Saint-Omer in Bologna, and bringing back much plunder to replenish their stocks of food. The king made no assaults on Calais, for he knew that the effort would be wasted. Desiring to spare his men in artillery, he said that he would starve the place out, however long it took, unless King Philip of France came to fight him again and raise the siege. When Sir Jean de Vienne, the military commander of Calais, saw that the English were preparing for a long siege, he gave orders for all the poorer people, who had no stocks of provisions, to leave the town immediately. One Wednesday morning, more than 1,700 of them, men, women, and children, came out and tried to pass through the English army. When asked why they were leaving, they replied that they had nothing to live on. The king gave them permission to pass safely through and ordered that a hearty meal should be provided for them, and that each should be given two pence. This merciful act was highly praised with good reason." So in laying siege to Calais, Edward III essentially builds a new town. He says, I'm going to stay here as long as it takes, for years, Calais is going to be mine. And he builds a town that has everything that people could need. It has haberdashers, it has butcher shops, it has market days on Wednesdays and Sundays, they bring over supplies from England, they raid the countryside, and the guy in charge of the town orders that the poorer people, who don't have enough food to withstand the siege, be sent out of the town. And Edward not only lets these 1,700 people leave, but he gives each of them two pence and a big meal before they go on to wherever they're going. Eventually, the French army comes out to confront him, and a spokesman comes to Edward. And he says, quote, "'Sire, the king of France has sent us to inform you that he has come to this place and halted on the hill of St. Gat, with the intention of fighting you, but he cannot see any way by which to reach you. Yet he would dearly like to, in order to raise the siege of his loyal town of Calais. He sent out his marshals to try to discover some way of approaching you, but the thing is impossible. He would therefore take it as a favor if you would call your council together, and he would do the same, and according to the decision they came to, agree on a spot where we could fight each other, such is the message and request which we have been charged to bring you.' After a brief consultation with his advisors, the king of England replied, "'My lords, I fully understand the request which you bring from my adversary, who is wrongly retaining possession of my lawful heritage to my great displeasure. Kindly tell him from me that I have every right to be where I am and where I have been for nearly a year, as he must have known, and he could have come to me sooner if he had wished to. But he has let me stay for so long that I have spent my resources heavily, and I believe I have now done enough to be shortly master of the town and castle of Calais. So I am not disposed to do very much to suit his plans and convenience, or let slip the thing I have so strongly desired and bought so dearly. Tell him that if he and his men cannot get through that way, they must go on looking until they find another.'" This exchange is interesting because the king of France sends a guy to tell the king of England, "'Look, we want to fight you, but we can't get to where you are. Why don't we agree on a place where we can fight, and we'll both go there?' And the king of England thinks about it, and he talks to his guys, and he says, "'No, I've been out here for a year. If you wanted to fight me, you could have come sooner, but this has been very expensive, and I'm about to get the town, so that's too bad.'" So maybe if they had come out sooner, not after a year, but after a month, if they'd come out to fight the English, Edward might have said, "'Okay, fine. Let's meet over here and fight there.'" And this would have been viewed as a courtesy, and it would have been probably an example of chivalry, in that you're being considerate even toward your enemy in certain ways. But because Edward viewed that Philip had first been inconsiderate toward him, in first of all wrongfully claiming his inheritance, but in a more local sense, waiting so long to come out and find him, he felt that he didn't owe him this courtesy. Later on, some representatives from the English go to talk to Sir Jean de Vienne, the guy who's in charge of Calais, and Froissart writes, after they come back to talk to Edward, quote, "'Sire, we have seen the captain of Calais and have had a long conversation with him. It appears that he and his companions—'and arms as well as the citizens would be quite ready to surrender the town and castle and everything in them to you on the Sole condition that they were allowed to leave unharmed. Sir Walter, the king answered, You know something of our intentions concerning Calais. What was your reply? Before God, sir, said Sir Walter, I told them that you would agree to nothing except that they should put themselves Entirely in your hands to live or die as you chose. When he heard this, Sir Jean de Vianne admitted that they were on the point of starvation, but said that rather than surrender on those terms, they would sell their lives as dearly as men ever did. Sir Walter replied the king, There is not the slightest hope or prospect of my changing my mind. Sir Walter Mani went closer to the king and Reasoned with him, saying, To help the defenders of Calais. My lord, You may well be mistaken, and you are setting a bad example for us. Suppose one day you sent us to defend one of your fortresses. We should go less cheerfully if you have these people put to death, for then they would do the same to us if they had The chance. This argument did much to soften the king's heart, especially when most of his barons supported it. So he said, My lords, I do not want to be alone against you all. Walter, go back to Calais and tell its commander that this is the limit of My clemency. Six of the principal citizens are to come out, with their heads and their feet bare, Halters round their necks, and the keys of the town and castle in their hands. With these six, I shall do as I please, and the rest I will spare. My lord, said Sir Walter, I will do as you say. End quote. So Sir Jean de Vienne, the commander in charge of Calais, tells the king's representatives, We'd be willing to leave and give you guys the whole city and the castle and everything if you just let us go unharmed. And Edward says, No way. I've been out here too long. They're gonna surrender, and I'll do with them whatever I want to. The implication being that he can put them to death. And King Edward's representative, Sir Walter, who's a knight himself, says, If you say that, and you put these guys to death, then you're gonna be putting us in a bad position the next time you send us to go guard some fortress, because then they're gonna do the same thing to us. And so then the king says, Fine. Give me six noblemen. Other than that, everybody else can go. And this is an interesting example of how exactly this kind of chivalry, this sort of gentlemanly warfare, is not just a courtesy. It's the natural result of a certain level of foresight, because all you have to do is, even in war, say, there is a logical reason for me to treat my enemy as I would like to be treated, because eventually, the positions are gonna be reversed. It's gonna come that this thing that I want to do, or that I have the opportunity to do to them, they're gonna have the opportunity to do it to me, so I shouldn't do it, so they won't do it. And even warfare we can keep at some kind of controlled level. And this goes all the way up to the use of chemical weapons in World War II. Both sides had them. Neither side wanted to use them, because if they used them, then immediately the other side would use them also. So there's a game theory component, a structural support to what might be called chivalry, or fighting honorably. And later, these six noblemen are sent to Edward in exchange for letting the rest of the population of Calais go free. Froissart writes, Quote, And, clasping their hands in supplication, said, None of the brave men present, lords, knights, or men-at-arms, could refrain from shedding tears of pity when they heard this. It was indeed a moving sight to see men so humiliated, and in such mortal danger. But the king continued to glare at them savagely, his heart so bursting with anger that he could not speak. When at last he did, it was to order their heads to be struck off immediately. All the nobles and knights who were there begged the king to have mercy, but he would not listen. Sir Walter Manny spoke up for them,his teeth and said, That is enough, Sir Walter, my mind is made up. Let the executioner be sent for. The people of Calais have killed so many of my men that it is right that these should die in their turn. Then the noble Queen of England, pregnant as she was, humbly threw herself on her knees before the King and said, weeping, Ah, my dear Lord, since I crossed the sea at great danger to myself, you know that I have never asked a single favor from you. But now I ask you in all humility in the name of the Son of the Blessed Mary and by the love you bear me to have mercy on these six men. The King remained silent for a time, looking at his gentle wife as she knelt in tears before him. His heart was softened for he would not willingly have distressed her in the state she was in. And at last he said, My lady, I could wish you were anywhere else but here. Your appeal has so touched me that I cannot refuse it. So although I do this against my will, here, take them. They're yours to do what you like with. The Queen thanked him from the bottom of her heart, and rose to her feet and told the six burghers to rise also. She had the halters taken from their necks and led them into her apartment. They were given new clothes and an ample dinner. Then each was presented with six nobles, and they were escorted safely through the English army and went to live in various towns in Picardy." So the King is thinking of all the people that the people of Calais had killed, all of his men whom they had killed in the past, and he wants revenge for that. And he's not even listening to his guys who had convinced him to soften his stance on the siege. He doesn't listen to Sir Walter, but then his pregnant wife comes out and says, no, spare these guys. And of course he doesn't have much choice in that case. Froissart later describes the battle of Winchelsea, which is a naval battle in 1350 between the English and the Spanish, and the English navy has positioned itself on the way that they think the Spanish have to take after they finished some trading. So now they're waiting for the Spanish to come. And Froissart writes, quote, "...King Edward had already drawn up his fleet and decided how he wished to fight the battle, and he had appointed Sir Robert of Namur, master of a ship called the Sade de Roy, on board of which was all his household equipment. He stood in the bows of his own ship wearing a black velvet jerkin and a black beaver-skin cap which greatly suited him. On that day, I was told by some who were with him, he was in a gayer mood than he had ever been seen before. He told his minstrels to strike up a dance tune which Sir John Chandos, who was there beside him, had recently brought back from Germany, and out of sheer high spirits he made Sir John sing with the minstrels to his own vast amusement. The same time he kept glancing up at the mast on which he had posted a lookout to espy the coming of the Spaniards. While the king was enjoying this gaiety and his knights were cheerful at seeing him so cheerful, the lookout shouted, ship ahoy and she looks like a Spaniard. The minstrels stopped playing and the man was asked if he saw more than one. In a moment he answered, yes, there are two, now three, now four. And then seeing the huge fleet, he shouted, there are so many, God help me, I can't count them. The king and his men realized that it must be the Spanish. The trumpets were sounded and the ships drew close together so as to be in battle order and more safely positioned. They were sure now that they would have their fight since the Spaniards were coming in such strength. It was already late, somewhere about 4 o'clock. The king therefore had wine served to himself and all his knights. Then he and the others put on their battle helmets. The Spanish were coming so fast that had they wished they could have sailed clean through without engaging. They were in big ships, well trimmed with the wind astern and need never have tangled with the English unless they wanted to. But such was their pride and confidence that they scorned to slip by without fighting. Instead, they prepared to give battle in earnest with their full strength. When King Edward saw how things were shaping, he called to the helmsman of his ship, steer that ship straight ahead of us. I want to have a joust at it. So I'm not sure what jousting with ships is, but from this description, it seems like it basically means to crash your ship straight into another one. Continuing on from the same spot, quote, the seamen would never have dared to disobey the king's orders. So he put his helm towards the Spaniard, which was bearing down on them rapidly with the wind. The king's ship was stoutly built and timbered, otherwise it would have been split in two for it and the Spanish ship, which was tall and heavy, collided with a crash like thunder. And as they rebounded, the castle of the king's ship caught the castle of the Spaniard with such force that the mast on which it was fixed broke and it was flung into the sea. The men in it were killed or drowned. End quote. So again, the monarch is not only present at this battle and directing it, he said, crash my ship into that other ship that's coming at us. Continuing from the same spot, quote, the king's ship was so shattered by the collision that it seems cracked and water began to pour in. His knights did not tell the king of this yet, but set to work to bail out the water. Then the king looking at the ship with which he had jousted and which was lying before them said, grapple my ship to that one. I want to have it. Let that one go. His knights answered, you'll get a better one. So that ship went on and another big one came up and notice there, you can see this here and at other spots in this text, we imagine the kings of the past sometimes, or they're depicted as being like ferocious 20th century dictators, like Stalin or somebody that if you disobey them, he'll just.put you to death. And there are examples in this text where the king gives an order and the guys around him advise him to do something else and he does that instead. So he's definitely the sovereign. He's the one who's responsible. But his team, his crew of guys around him are also very important. And if you notice right there, he says, get that ship, I want that one. And this is an order that he's giving in the heat of battle now. And his guys say, no, no, don't get that one, we'll get a better one. And he apparently says, okay, fine. And Froissart might be taking a little bit of narrative liberty here, but I'm not sure why he would add a detail like that unless he had heard something similar from somebody who was at the battle. Why would you say the king wanted that ship, but his guys told him to get a different one and so they hooked up to a different ship instead? That's a detail that rather than adding to the flow of the narrative detracts from it. You would more expect a historian who was taking some liberties to make the king give the order and it would just be carried out immediately. Anyway, picking up from the same spot, quote, let that one go, his knights answered, you'll get a better one. So that ship went on and another big one came up. The knights flung out hooks and chains and fastened their own ship to it. A fierce battle began between them. The English archers shooting and the Spanish defending themselves lustily. And soon the fighting had spread to a dozen different places. Wherever the English found themselves at close quarters, they threw out their grapnels and performed prodigies of valor. The advantage was by no means with them for the Spanish ships being bigger and higher than theirs, they were able to shoot down at them and hurl the great iron bars, which did considerable damage. The knights in the king of England's ship, seeing that it was making so much water, end quote. And I think that has to be a typo. It should be taking so much water. It says making though. Anyway, quote, the knights in the king of England's ship, seeing that it was taking so much water that it was in danger of foundering, made desperate efforts to capture the ship to which they were grappled. They fought so well that in the end, the Spaniard was taken and all the men on board had thrown into the sea. Only then was the king told of the danger they were in of sinking and urged to move into the ship they had just captured. This he did with his knights and all the others, leaving their own ship abandoned. They then prepared to continue the attack on the enemy vessels, which were making a stout fight of it and whose archers were wreaking particular havoc with the bolts from their powerful crossbows. End quote. So they're sinking. The king doesn't know. They grapple onto another ship and they're fighting for the next ship and they finally clear it. And then they tell the king, look, we got to get onto this ship because our ship is sinking. And so then they go. Continuing from the same spot, quote, this hotly contested sea battle began late. The English therefore redoubled their efforts to finish the business and defeat their enemies before nightfall. Yet the Spanish, who are used to the sea and had better ships, did their utmost and never flinched. The young prince of Wales and his company were engaged in another quarter. End quote. Remember the prince of Wales is the black prince, Edward, the son of Edward III. Quote, they were grappled and held fast by a big Spanish ship, which inflicted great damage on them. Their ship was holed in several places through which the water came pouring in. However fast they bailed, they could not stop her from settling lower and lower. This filled the prince's men with great anxiety and made them fight all the harder to take the Spanish ship. But it put up such a stout defense that they could not manage it. While they were in this perilous situation, the Duke of Lancaster came sailing alongside them. He saw that they were getting the worst of it and that their ship was in a dangerous state for water was being thrown out on every side. So he went round to the other side of the Spaniard shouting, derby to the rescue, whereupon the Spanish were boarded and engaged so fiercely that they did not hold out for long. Their ship was taken and they were all thrown overboard with no quarter for any. The Prince of Wales and his men went on board and hardly had they done so than their own ship sank. Then they realized fully the great danger they had been in. The English knights and barons were fighting in other places following the plan of battle which had been made. They had need of all their strength and skill for they were up against no weak enemy. For example, late in the evening, the ship carrying the king's household commanded by Sir Robert of Namur was grappled by a big Spanish ship and hotly engaged by it. In order to master the English ship at their leisure and capture both it and everyone in it, the Spaniards decided to carry it off with them. They hoisted their sails and moved forward with the wind in spite of everything that Sir Robert and his seamen could do. The Spaniard being the heavier and taller ship, its advantage was too great to be resisted. End quote. So the ship carrying the king's household is getting towed away by this bigger Spanish ship. The Spanish wanna tow this ship away so that they can capture everybody on board for ransom. Picking up from the same spot, quote, so linked together, they passed near the king's ship and the English shouted, rescue the Saladaroy. But in the growing dark, they were not heard. Or if they were, they were not aided. It looked as though the Spaniards would carry them away as they pleased when one of Sir Robert's men called Hanneken performed a notable feat of daring. With his drawn sword in his hand, he braced himself and sprang on board the enemy ship, forced his way to the mast and cut the sail cable so that the sail sagged and no longer drew. Then he skillfully severed the four main ropes which stayed the mast and the sail so that this collapsed and the ship came to a stop. Seeing this, Sir Robert of Namur and his men leapt eagerly on board the Spaniard with their swords drawn. They attacked its crew so heartily that they killed them all and threw them overboard and captured.captured the ship, end quote. So this guy, Hannikin, while they're getting pulled away by this big ship, jumps onto the Spanish ship and cuts the ropes that hold the sails in place so the ship can't go anywhere anymore. So at least now they're not getting pulled away. And then the rest of the guys are encouraged by this and then they take over the ship. Continuing from the same spot, quote, "'I cannot describe all the brave deeds that were done there, but can only say that the battle was fierce and bitter as long as it lasted and that the Spanish gave King Edward plenty of trouble. But finally, the day was with the English. The Spanish lost 14 ships while the rest sailed on and escaped. When they had all passed and the English had no one left to fight, they sounded the retreat on their trumpets and set their course towards England, reaching land at Rye and Winchelsea a little after nightfall," end quote. So that was a long passage, but there was so much in it that was interesting that I just couldn't skip it. And it's also interesting, I didn't know that Rye was a place in England. And at a glance, it wasn't easy to figure out the connection to rye bread or rye whiskey, but there must be some connection. Later at the Siege of Brutay, Foncaen describes the construction and use of something that we would probably today call a siege tower. He writes, quote, the King of France also set numbers of carpenters to work at building a large belfry, or wooden tower, with three stories which could be moved about on wheels. Each story could hold a good 200 men with enough room to use their weapons. This tower was provided with loopholes and padded with leather as a protection against heavy bolts. Some called it a cat house, and others an assault machine. While it was being constructed and made ready, the peasants of the district were ordered to bring up great quantities of wood and unload them in the moats, then to spread straw and earth on top so that the tower could be wheeled against the walls to assault the defenders. It was a full month before the moat was filled at the place where the attack was to be made. When everything was complete, a large force of knights and squires who wanted to win distinction got into the tower, which was then wheeled up to the walls. Garrison had seen the tower being built and had formed a fairly clear idea of the French plan of attack. They had accordingly equipped themselves with cannons casting fire and big, heavy bolts of great destructive power. They made ready to assault the tower and defend themselves with great spirit. First, before using their cannons, they engaged in open combat with the men in the tower, fighting them hand to hand. Many fine feats of arms were performed. When they had had enough of this, they began to fire their cannons and to fling fire on top of the tower and inside it, and with it heavy volleys of their big bolts, by which many of the besiegers were killed and wounded and the others so harassed that they did not know which way to turn. The fire, which was Greek fire, set the roof of the tower alight, forcing the men in it to abandon it hurriedly to save themselves from being burnt to death. When the fighting men of Brutte saw this, they raised a great cheer and began to shout, "'St. George, loyalty in Navarre, loyalty!" And then they shouted, "'Well, you French, you didn't get us "'as easily as you thought you would!' "'What was left of the tower remained in the moat, "'and no attempt was made to man it again.'" But the French worked on it, filling the rest of the moat, using 1,500 men to do nothing else every day," end quote. So the French tried to use a siege tower and it didn't work very well. At the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, the king of France, John II, is captured, which is a big deal. And in the process of getting captured, the English soldiers are fighting over who captured him because capturing the king is a little bit like winning the lottery. You're not gonna get the whole ransom yourself, but there's gonna be a big ransom for him. And if you're the one who captured him, then you're gonna get a bigger portion of it. So there's a moment where it's not clear if the king himself is gonna be accidentally killed by the English soldiers who are fighting over him. But eventually he's brought safely back to the English camp where the Prince of Wales, the Black Prince, gives him quite literally the royal treatment. Fazon writes, quote, "'That evening the Prince of Wales "'gave a supper for the king of France "'and most of the captured counts and barons.'" He then lists off the French counts and barons with whom the king is eating, all of whom have French names that are difficult to pronounce and not terribly important for our purposes. Fazon writes that he seated them, quote, "'at a high table, lavishly provided, "'and the rest of the nobles at other tables. "'He himself served in all humility, "'both at the king's table and at the others, "'steadfastly refusing to sit down with the king "'in spite of all his entreaties. "'He insisted that he was not yet worthy "'to sit at the table of so mighty a prince "'and so brave a soldier "'as he had proved himself to be on that day. "'He constantly kneeled before him, saying, "'Beloved sire, do not make such a poor meal "'even though God has not been willing "'to heed your prayers today. "'My royal father will certainly show you "'every mark of honor and friendship in his power "'and will come to such a reasonable understanding with you "'that you and he will always remain firm friends. "'In my opinion, you have good cause to be cheerful, "'although the battle did not go in your favor, "'for today you have won the highest renown of a warrior "'excelling the best of your knights. "'I do not say this to flatter you "'for everyone on our side, "'having seen how each man fought, "'unanimously agrees with this "'and awards you the palm and the crown "'if you will consent to wear them.'"At these words, all those present murmured their approval, French and English remarking to each other that the prince had spoken nobly and to the point. Their esteem for him increased, and it was generally agreed that in him they would have a most chivalrous lord and master if he was granted life to go on in the same auspicious way." End quote. So the French lost the Battle of Poitiers, and the French king and a lot of the nobility were captured. But after the battle, the English crown prince, Prince Edward, who is himself a capable military commander, provides this lavish meal for the French king and the captured French nobility, and he himself helps to serve the food. And I think this is another example of chivalry, of showing people the necessary courtesy and honor, in this case even when you've defeated them, when you have it in your power to treat them basically however you want to. Meanwhile, back in Paris, the capture of the king creates a problem of government. How are they going to run the government in the meantime before they get the king back? On that, Froissart writes, quote, So all the prelates of the church, bishops and abbots, all the nobility, lords and knights, the provost of the merchants of Paris, and the burgesses, and the councillors of the French towns met together in Paris to consider how the realm should be governed until their king should be set free. They also wanted to find out what had happened to the vast sums which had been raised in the past through tithes, levies on capital, forced loans, coinings of new money, and all the other extortionate measures by which the population had been tormented and oppressed while the soldiers remained underpaid and the country inadequately protected. But of these matters, no one was able to give an account. It was therefore agreed that the prelates should elect 12 good men from among them, with powers, as representatives of the clergy, to devise suitable means of dealing with the situation described. The barons and knights also elected 12 of the wisest and shrewdest of their number to attend to the same matters, and the burgesses 12 in the same way. It was then decided by common consent that these 36 persons should meet frequently in Paris to discuss the affairs of the realm and put them in order. Questions of all kinds were to be referred to these three estates. Their acts and ordinances were to be binding on all the other prelates, nobles, and common people of the cities and towns." So I'm not sure, but it sounds like this is the origin of the French concept of the three estates. That when the French king was captured, they set up this little parliament of 12 representatives each from the clergy, the noblemen, and the populace, the burgesses. And the perception or reality that the third estate, the populace, was being abused would be a major factor in the revolution that began in 1789. It was also a major concept in the influential pamphlet from that period by Joseph Emmanuel Sieyès called, What is the Third Estate? But it seems likely that here reading Froissart, we have stumbled on the origin of that concept and organization, and maybe a very early step in French representational government. This next one is very short. There's just one point I want to make here. Froissart writes, quote, When the King of Navarre had been in Paris for a short time, he called together a variety of people, prelates, knights, clerks of the University of Paris, and any others who wished to attend and delivered a speech to them. Speaking at first in Latin with the Duke of Normandy present, he complained very temperately and reasonably of the wrongs and violence which had been done to him without good cause. End quote. So the King of Navarre gets a bunch of people together to tell them something and he begins by giving the speech in Latin. So this is in the 14th century. The noblemen and royalty are getting together and speaking and listening in Latin and apparently on the one hand that was unusual enough that Froissart felt it was worth specifying that they don't always speak in Latin. He mentioned it at this time, presumably because it was the exception. But also all of their Latin was good enough to be able to follow this speech. So there was a time when Latin was, under certain circumstances, a means of elite spoken communication in Europe. In this case, from the middle of the 5th century to the middle of the 14th century, nine centuries after the collapse of the Roman Empire. It's not only written but spoken. Writing about the sack of Limoges, Froissart describes the use of mining, of tunneling in a siege. He writes, quote, For about a month, certainly not longer, the Prince of Wales remained before Limoges. During that time he allowed no assaults or skirmishes, but pushed on steadily with the mining. The knights inside and the townspeople, who knew what was going on, started a countermine in the hope of killing the English miners. But it was a failure. When the prince's miners, who, as they dug, were continually shoring up their tunnel, had completed their work, they said to the prince, My lord, whenever you like, now we can bring a big piece of wall down into the moat, so that you can get into the city quite easily and safely. The prince was very pleased to hear this. Excellent, he said. At six o'clock tomorrow morning, show me what you can do. When they knew it was the right time for it, the miners started a fire in their mine. In the morning, just as the prince had specified, a great section of the wall collapsed, filling the moat at the place where it fell. For the English, who were armed and ready waiting,It was a welcome sight. Those on foot could enter as they liked and did so. They rushed to the gate, cut through the bars holding it, and knocked it down. They did the same with the barriers outside, meeting with no resistance. It was all done so quickly that the people in the town were taken unawares. Then the Prince, the Duke of Lancaster, the Earl of Cambridge, with all the others and their men, burst into the city, followed by pillagers on foot, all in a mood to wreak havoc and do murder, killing indiscriminately, for those were their orders." So they're laying siege to this walled city and in order to bring down a part of the wall, they dig a tunnel under the wall and at a certain time they start a fire or do something to trigger the demolition of a portion of the wall so that the soldiers above ground can get in. But what's also interesting about that is that the defenders, the French inside the city, try to do a countermine, which I've never heard of. They try to dig mines in order to find the mines that are being dug to take down the wall and kill the guys who are mining to try to stop it. But I guess they guessed wrong and they couldn't connect up with the English mines and so they weren't able to stop them. And at one point when he's describing the Scottish, he talks about the horns that they blow. Fauson writes, quote, I should explain that it is the Scottish custom when their men have gathered like this for all the foot soldiers to carry horns slung from their necks like a huntsman's. When they all blow them together, some high, some full, some on a middle note, and the others at their own choice, they make such a noise with the big drums, which they also have, that the sound carries at least four miles by day and six by night. It gives them a tremendous thrill and strikes terror into their enemies. Their leaders ordered them to play like this and meanwhile drew them up in excellent order, placing the archers and servants at the entry to the encampment in a strong posture of defense, end quote. So the Scottish were known for carrying battle horns that when blown all together could be heard for four to six miles. And now we've gotten to 1376, so we've covered some of the major events of the 50 years of Edward III's reign and Fauson writes, quote, In 1376 King Edward of England celebrated his jubilee, having ruled for 50 years, end quote. So it seems like that might be the original meaning of jubilee, being the celebrations or marking of 50 years of a monarch's rule. Continuing on, quote, The same year had seen the death of his eldest son Edward, Prince of Wales and of Aquitaine, the flower of the world's knighthood at that time and the most successful soldier of his age. This most gallant man and chivalrous prince died at the Palace of Westminster outside the city of London on Trinity Sunday, the 8th of June, 1376. He was deeply mourned for his noble qualities and on his deathbed he made a full repentance and professed his firm faith and humblest submission to God, end quote. And skipping ahead a little, quote, On 21 June 1377 the gallant and noble King Edward III departed this life to the deep distress of the whole realm of England, for he had been a good king for them. His like had not been seen since the days of King Arthur, who once had also been King of England, which in his time was called Great Britain. So King Edward was embalmed and placed with great pomp and reverence on a bier borne by 24 knights dressed in black, his three sons and the Duke of Brittany and the Earl of March walking behind him and carried thus at a slow march through the city of London, the face uncovered. To witness and hear the grief of the people, their sobs and screams and lamentations on that day would have rended anyone's heart, end quote. So this is a bittersweet part of this story. Edward III was celebrating 50 years of his reign in the same year that his son Edward the Black Prince, the Prince of Wales, this capable leader, died of some sickness. People now think it was some kind of dysentery, which was common in medieval Europe. And then a year later, almost to the day, Edward the Younger, who would have been Edward IV, died on June 8th, 1376, and his father Edward III died on June 21st, 1377. And so then the crown went to the Black Prince's son, Richard, who was crowned Richard II in 1377, but he was only 10 years old and his rule would be rather unstable. But there are only so many minutes in an hour and we got to stop somewhere. There were a lot more passages that I would have wanted to show you. Maybe someday I'll be able to spend more time on this podcast and give you two hours instead of just one. But as it is, this takes a lot of work and I would rather keep it focused on quality than quantity. I'd rather give you one good solid hour that's useful and beneficial and enjoyable to listen to than maybe two hours that are starting to get loose and are not as high-quality. But maybe someday I'll be able to give you two good hours. I really enjoyed this book in part because it was really a gem in that I had never heard of this writer, I'd never heard of this text, and I knew very little about the Hundred Years War and inReading this book. I looked up a lot of things and so I know a bunch more of the battles than what we looked at Today and some of the other leaders, but I still don't feel that I know very much of it And I would like to know a lot more this is a very complex period that as I mentioned to a great extent determined the Borders of England and France as they are today. We only got up to 1376 and the Hundred Years War is generally taken to have ended in 1453 so another 75 years or so after we stopped and it ends with England having essentially no holdings on the continent, even though they had had certain holdings there for hundreds of years Gascony and Aquitaine are both in what is now France but they were controlled from the middle of the 12th century to the middle of the 15th century by the English and There's nothing that necessarily guaranteed that England wouldn't today have some territories in what we now call France except for the result of the Hundred Years War and It's possible that some of your ears pricked up when I said 1453 because that's on the one hand the year of the Battle of Castillon this decisive defeat for the English that essentially ended the Hundred Years War and Between the death of Edward the third and the Battle of Castillon There's Agincourt and Joan of Arc and a dozen other interesting things, but just fast-forwarding to the end of it But that wasn't even the only decisive cataclysmic battle in 1453 the other one was on the other end of Europe it was the Ottoman capture of Constantinople the Battle of Castillon was July 17th of that year and the Siege and capture of Constantinople ended on May 29th So just six weeks earlier So while the English and the French were fighting each other on the western end of Europe at the eastern end of Europe the Byzantine Empire which had stood for nearly a thousand years after the fall of Rome was essentially being Decapitated though I've read that Fatih Sultan Mehmet Contrary to what Islamists will tell you actually viewed himself as Continuing Rome rather than overthrowing it he viewed himself as an heir of the Byzantine Empire in a certain way Though of course he was Muslim and not Christian though I don't want to speak too confidently about that because that detail is certainly counter to the conventional wisdom And I'm not so sure about it Just the detail about how the Ottoman Sultan at that time viewed himself and viewed his conquest of Constantinople the rest of it is all accurate but in exploring this Complex war and period I was amazed again at how Everywhere you turn in European history There's something interesting to study and something interesting to learn about the hundred years war is one of these topics that I think because it is complex is Overlooked as a meaningless medieval bloodbath and to some extent that might be a reasonable depiction But in another way it affected the course of European history and by extension the course of world history It may have in part contributed to a 16th century English Tudor worldview that instead of trying to fight on the continents got them to look westward and in a certain way There might be a line to draw from Castillon to Jamestown and Plymouth And if nothing else it's worth reading about because it's part of the story of Europe and if you enjoyed listening to this podcast I hope you will send it to a Thoughtful friend who you think will benefit from it and go over to my website Walrath publishing comm the link is in the description and order yourself a copy of the edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein that I printed I have it with original cover art 97 footnotes throughout the text that explains some of the historical geographical literary References the Mary Shelley uses some of the more difficult vocabulary words that she uses my edition has excellent print quality I have it at a good price with free shipping. It makes an excellent gift. If you're still doing Christmas shopping I hope you'll get a copy for yourself If you don't have one yet If you haven't read this book you should if you have but you don't own a copy You should get my edition if you have read Frankenstein and you own a copy You should get a copy for a friend or a family member for Christmas for a birthday just as a nice surprise It makes an excellent gift I know that my favorite gift to get is a nice book and Part of my goal in preparing this book was to make a book not only that I would enjoy having on my shelf But if I received it from somebody I would like it and I'm proud to say that I was able to do that And if you order it from me, you will have the added benefit of enjoying the feeling of having supported independent book publishing Which is important in its own way So I hope you'll go over to my website and pick yourself up a copy right now. Farewell until next time, take care, and happy reading.