St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers

  CHAPTER XXII.

  VICTORY AND DEATH.

  While the Black Prince was with difficulty governing his province ofAquitaine, where the mutual jealousies of the English and nativeofficers caused continual difficulties, King Edward turned all hisattention to advancing the prosperity of England. He fostered trade,commerce, and learning, was a munificent patron of the two universities,and established such order and regularity in his kingdom that Englandwas the admiration of all Europe. Far different was the state of France.The cessation of the wars with England and the subsequent disbandment oftroops had thrown upon their own resources great numbers of men who hadbeen so long engaged in fighting that they had no other trade to turnto. The conclusion of the struggle in Brittany after the battle of Aurayand the death of Charles of Blois still further added to the number, andthese men gathered in bands, some of which were headed by men ofknightly rank, and scattered through France plundering the country andextracting heavy sums from the towns.

  These "great companies," as they were called, exceeded fifty thousandmen in number, and as almost all were trained soldiers they set the kingand his nobles at defiance, and were virtually masters of France. Themost tempting offers were made to them to lay down their arms, and thepope sent legates threatening excommunication, but the great companieslaughed alike at promises and threats. At last a way of deliveranceopened to France. Pedro, named the Cruel, of Castile, had alienated hispeople by his cruelty, and had defeated and driven into exile hishalf-brother, Henry of Transtamare, who headed an insurrection againsthim. Pedro put to death numbers of the nobles of Castile, despoiled theKing of Arragon, who had given aid to his brother, plundered andinsulted the clergy, and allied himself with the Moors.

  His quarrel with the clergy was the cause of his ruin. The pope summonedhim to appear before him at Avignon to answer to the crimes laid to hischarge. Pedro refused to attend, and the pope at once excommunicatedhim. The King of Arragon and Henry of Transtamare were then summoned toAvignon, and a treaty of alliance was concluded between them, and thepope declared the throne of Castile vacant owing to the excommunicationof Pedro, and appointed Henry to it.

  These measures would have troubled Pedro little had it not been thatFrance groaned under the great companies, and the French king and thepontiff at once entered into negotiations with them to support Henry inhis war against his brother. It was necessary that a leader in whom thecompanies should have confidence should be chosen, and Du Guesclin,still a prisoner of Chandos, who had captured him at Auray, wasselected, and the pope, the King of France, and Don Henry paid betweenthem the one hundred thousand francs demanded for his ransom. DuGuesclin on his release negotiated with the leaders of the greatcompanies, and as the pope and king promised them large gratuities theyagreed to march upon Spain. They were joined by a great number of Frenchknights and men-at-arms.

  The expedition was under the nominal command of John of Bourbon, but thereal guidance was in the hands of Du Guesclin. As the army marched pastAvignon they worked upon the terrors of the pope until he paid them twohundred thousand francs in gold. France was filled with joy at theprospect of a riddance of the free companies which had so long been aprey upon them. They were, too, eager to avenge upon the cruel King ofSpain the murder of his queen, who was a princess of France. The samefeeling animated the people of Aquitaine, and Calverley, D'Ambrecicourt,Sir Walter Hewitt, Sir John Devereux, Sir John Neville, and severalother distinguished knights, with a large train of men-at-arms, joinedthe adventurers. The great army moved through Arragon, whose king inevery way facilitated their progress. As they entered Castile the wholepeople declared in favor of Henry, and Pedro, deserted by all, fled toBordeaux and besought aid from the Prince of Wales.

  Between Pedro and the English court a firm alliance had existed from thetime when the former so nearly married the Princess Joan, andimmediately the king heard of the expedition against him he issuedorders that no English knights should take part in it. The order,however, came too late. The English knights had already marched intoSpain with Du Guesclin. As for the English who formed no inconsiderableportion of the great companies, they had already declined to obey theking when, at the instance of the pope and the King of France, he hadordered them to disband.

  On Pedro's arrival at Bordeaux with his three daughters and his son,they were kindly received by the Black Prince, courtesy and kindness tothose in misfortune being among the leading characteristics of hisnature. Pedro, cruel and ruthless as he was, was a man of greateloquence and insinuating manners, and giving his own version ofaffairs, he completely won over the prince, who felt himself, moreover,bound in some degree to support him, inasmuch as he, an ally of England,had been dethroned by an army composed partly of English. Pedro made themost magnificent promises to the prince in return for his aid, cedinghim the whole of the province of Biscay, and agreeing to pay the Britishtroops engaged in his service when he regained his throne, the BlackPrince engaging to pay them in the mean time.

  King Edward aided his son by raising an army in England, which sailedfor Bordeaux under the command of the prince's brother, John of Gaunt,Duke of Lancaster. Walter formed part of this expedition. The king hadissued his writs to him and other barons of the southern counties, andthe Black Prince had himself written to ask him to join him, in memoryof their former deeds of arms together.

  As it was now some years since he had taken the field, Walter did nothesitate, but with thirty retainers, headed by Ralph, joined the army ofJohn of Gaunt.

  The Black Prince's first step was to endeavor to recall the Englishmenof the free companies, estimated to amount to at least thirty thousandmen. The news that he was taking up arms and would himself command thearmy caused Calverley and the whole of the other English knights toreturn at once, and ten thousand of the English men-at-arms with thegreat companies also left Don Henry and marched to Aquitaine. The roadled through the territory of the King of Navarre, and the Black Princeadvanced fifty-six thousand florins of gold to pay this grasping andtreacherous king for the right of passage of the army.

  By Christmas, 1366, the preparations were complete, but the severity ofthe weather delayed the advance for some weeks. Fresh difficulties wereencountered with Charles the Bad, of Navarre, who, having obtained theprice for the passage, had now opened negotiations with Don Henry, andthe governors of the frontier towns refused to allow Sir Hugh Calverleyand the free companions, who formed the advance, to pass. These werenot, however, the men to stand on ceremony, and without hesitation theyattacked and captured the towns, when the King of Navarre at onceapologized for his officers, and renewed his engagements. As, however,the Black Prince had received intelligence that he had formed a plan forattacking the English as they passed through the terrible pass ofRoncesvalles, he compelled him to accompany the army. The invitation wascouched in language which was friendly, but would yet admit of nodenial.

  On the 17th of February the English army, thirty thousand strong,reached the pass. It marched in three divisions, the first commanded bythe Duke of Lancaster and Lord Chandos, the second by the Black Prince,the third by the King of Majorca and the Count of Armagnac. Thedivisions crossed over on different days, for the pass was encumbered bysnow and the obstacles were immense. Upon the day when the prince'sdivision were passing a storm burst upon them, and it was with thegreatest difficulty that they succeeded in crossing. On the 20th ofFebruary, however, all arrived safe on the other side of the Pyrenees.Du Guesclin, who, seeing the storm which was approaching from Aquitaine,had returned to France and levied a French army, was nigh at hand, andkept within a few miles of the English army as it advanced, avoiding anengagement until the arrival of Don Henry, who was marching to join himwith the great companies and sixty thousand Spanish troops.

  Du Guesclin kept up secret communications with the King of Navarre, whowas still forced to accompany the English army. The latter accordinglywent out from the camp under pretense of hunting and was captured by adetachment of French troops.

  On the 1st of April, th
e Spanish army having joined the French, theBlack Prince sent letters to Don Henry, urging him in mild but dignifiedlanguage to return to obedience, and to resign the throne he hadusurped, offering at the same time to act as mediator between him andhis brother, and to do all in his power to remove differences andabuses. Henry, confident in his strength, replied haughtily and preparedfor battle.

  The forces were extremely unequal. The Black Prince had under him thirtythousand men; while under Don Henry were three thousand men-at-arms onmail-clad horses, twenty thousand men-at-arms on horses not soprotected, six thousand light cavalry, ten thousand cross-bowmen, andsixty thousand foot armed with spear and sword.

  The night before the battle the Black Prince lodged in the littlevillage of Navarretta, which had been deserted by its inhabitants.Walter had been his close companion since he started, and occupied thesame lodging with him in the village.

  "This reminds me," the prince said, "of the day before Cressy. Theyoutnumber us by more than three to one."

  "There were greater odds still," Walter replied, "at Poitiers, and Idoubt not that we shall make as good an example of them."

  "They are more doughty adversaries," the prince replied. "There are nightwenty thousand English in their ranks--all veterans in war--and theyare led by Du Guesclin, who is a host in himself."

  "Their very numbers will be a hindrance to them," Walter repliedcheerfully; "and never did I see a better army than that which you haveunder you. I would we were fighting for a better man, for Don Pedro isto my mind treacherous as well as cruel. He promises fairly, but I doubtif when he has gained his end he will keep his promises. He speaksfairly and smoothly, but his deeds are at variance with his words."

  "It may be, my lord," the prince replied, "that I am somewhat of youropinion, and that I regret I so quickly committed myself to his cruse.However, he was my father's ally, and having fulfilled all hisengagements had a right to demand our assistance. I am a bad hand,Walter, at saying no to those who beseech me."

  "It is so, Sir Prince," Walter said bluntly. "Would that your heart hadbeen a less generous one, for your nobleness of disposition is everinvolving you in debts which hamper you sorely, and cause more troubleto you than all your enemies!"

  "That is true enough," the Black Prince said with a sigh. "Since I was aboy I have ever been harassed with creditors; and though all Aquitaineis mine, I verily believe that there is not a man in my father'sdominions who is so harassed and straitened for money as I."

  "And yet," Walter said, smiling, "no sooner do you get it than you giveit away."

  "Ah!" the prince laughed, "I cannot deny it. It is so much pleasanter togive than to pay that I can never find heart to balk myself. I am eversurrounded by suitors. Some have lost estates in my cause, others haverendered brilliant services in the field, some have burdened themselveswith debts to put their retainers in arms--all have pleas to urge, andfor the life of me I cannot say them nay. I trust, though," he addedmore seriously, "that Don Pedro will fulfill his promises to pay myarmy. I have bound myself to my soldiers for their wages, besidesadvancing large sums to Pedro, and if he keeps not his engagements Ishall indeed be in a sore strait."

  "There is one thing," Walter said; "if he fail to keep his promises, wewill not fail to oblige him to do so. If we win a kingdom for him, wecan snatch it from him again."

  "We have not won it yet," the prince said.

  "We will do so to-morrow," Walter rejoined confidently. "I hope thefortunes of the day may bring me face to face with Du Guesclin. I amthrice as strong as when I fought at Cressy, and I should like to trymy hand against this doughty champion."

  The next morning the two armies prepared for battle, the Black Princedividing his army as before. The divisions were commanded as in thepassage of the Pyrenees, and each numbered ten thousand men.

  Don Henry had also divided his force in three parts. In the firstdivision, commanded by Du Guesclin, were four thousand veteran Frenchknights and men-at-arms with eight thousand foot soldiers; the secondwas led by the prince's brother, Don Tillo, with sixteen thousand horse;while he himself commanded the third, in which were a multitude ofsoldiers, making up the gross total of one hundred thousand men.

  As on the night preceding the battle of Poitiers, the English army hadlain down supperless. Soon after midnight the trumpets sounded, and thetroops soon moved forward. At sunrise the prince and his forces reachedthe summit of a little hill, whence was visible the approaching host ofSpain. The first division, under the Duke of Lancaster and Lord Chandos,immediately quickened its pace and charged the division of Du Guesclin,which received it with great steadiness, and a desperate conflictensued. The Black Prince charged the division of Don Tillo, which gaveway at the first attack, and its commander, with two thousand horse, atonce fled. The remainder of the division resisted for some time, but wasunable to withstand the steady advance of the English, who without muchdifficulty dispersed and scattered it from the field. The King ofMajorca now joined his division with that of the Black Prince, and thetwo advanced against the great division led by Don Henry.

  The Spanish slingers opened upon the advancing force and for a timeannoyed them greatly, but when the English archers arrived withinbow-shot and opened fire they speedily dispersed the slingers, and themen-at-arms on both sides advanced to the attack. The conflict was longand desperate, and both sides fought with great gallantry anddetermination. Don Pedro--who, although vicious and cruel, wasbrave--fought in the ranks as a common soldier, frequently cutting hisway into the midst of the Spaniards, and shouting to Don Henry to crossswords with him. Henry on his part fought with great valor, although, ashe had the burden of command upon him, he was less able to distinguishhimself by acts of personal prowess. Though fighting in the thickest ofthe press, he never lost his grasp of the general purpose of the battle.Three times, when his troops wavered before the assaults of the BlackPrince and his knights, he rallied them and renewed the fight.

  While this battle was raging, a not less obstinate fight was proceedingbetween the divisions of Lancaster and Du Guesclin. For a long timevictory was doubtful, and indeed inclined toward the side of the French.The ranks of both parties were broken, and all were fighting in aconfused mass, when, in the midst of the _melee_, a body of French andSpaniards poured in upon the banner of Chandos. He was struck to theground, and a gigantic Castilian knight flung himself upon him andstrove to slay him as he held him down. Chandos had lost sword andbattle-ax, but drawing his dagger, he held with one hand his opponent'ssword-arm, and at last, after repeated strokes with his dagger, he foundan undefended part of his armor and pierced him with his dagger to thehilt. The Spaniard relaxed his hold, and Chandos, throwing him off,struggled to his feet and rejoined his friends, who had thought himdead. They now fought with more enthusiasm than ever, and at last,driving back the main body of the French knights, isolated a body ofsome sixty strong, and forced them to surrender. Among these were DuGuesclin himself, the Marshal d'Audenham, and the Bigue de Vilaines.

  As these were the leaders of the division, the main body lost spirit andfought feebly, and were soon completely routed by Lancaster and Chandos.These now turned their attention to the other part of the field, wherethe battle was still raging, and charged down upon the flank of DonHenry's army, which was already wavering. The Spaniards gave way at onceon every side, and ere long the whole were scattered in headlong rout,hotly pursued by the English. The greater portion fled toward the townof Najarra, where they had slept the previous night, and here vastquantities were slaughtered by the English and Gascons. A number ofprisoners were taken and the palace and town sacked. The pursuit waskept up the whole day, and it was not until evening that the leadersbegan once more to assemble round the banner of the Prince of Wales.Among the last who arrived was Don Pedro himself. Springing from hischarger he grasped the hand of the Prince of Wales, thanking him for hisvictory, which he felt would restore him to his throne.

  "Give thanks and praise to God, and not to me," the prince replied, "forfrom
him, and not from me, you have received victory."

  About eight thousand men fell in the battle, the loss of the English,French, and Spaniards being nearly equal; but many thousands of thelatter fell in the pursuit, and as many more were drowned in endeavoringto cross the river Ebro. Don Henry escaped after fighting till the last,and reaching the French territory in safety took refuge in the papalcourt of Avignon.

  Upon the morning after the battle Don Pedro requested the Black Princeto give him up all the Castilian prisoners, in order that he might putthem to death. The prince, however, was always opposed to cruelty, andasked and obtained as a boon to himself that the lives of all theSpanish prisoners, with the exception of one whose conduct had beenmarked with peculiar treachery, should be spared, and even induced Pedroto pardon them altogether on their swearing fealty to him. Even DonSancho, Pedro's brother, who had fought at Najarra under Don Henry, wasreceived and embraced by Pedro at the request of the Prince of Wales.The city of Burgos at once opened its gates, and the rest of the countryfollowed its example, and resumed its allegiance to Pedro, who remountedhis throne without further resistance.

  As Walter had fought by the side of the Black Prince his desire to crossswords with Du Guesclin was not satisfied; but his valor during the daywon for him the warm approbation of the prince. Opposed to them weremany of the great companies, and these men, all experienced soldiers andmany of them Englishmen, had fought with great stubbornness. Walter hadsingled out for attack a banner bearing the cognizance of a raven. Theleader of this band, who was known as the Knight of the Raven, had wonfor himself a specially evil notoriety in France by the ferocity of hisconduct. Wherever his band went they had swept the country, and the mostatrocious tortures had been inflicted on all well-to-do persons who hadfallen into their hands, to extract from them the secret of buriedhoards or bonds, entailing upon them the loss of their last penny.

  The Knight of the Raven himself was said to be as brave as he was cruel,and several nobles who had attempted to oppose his band had beendefeated and slain by him. He was known to be English, but his name wasa mystery; and the Black Prince and his knights had long wished toencounter a man who was a disgrace alike to chivalry and the Englishname. When, therefore, Walter saw his banner in the king's division heurged his horse toward it, and, followed by Ralph and some thirtymen-at-arms, hewed his way through the crowd until he was close to thebanner.

  A knight in gray armor spurred forward to meet him, and a desperateconflict took place. Never had Walter crossed swords with a stouteradversary, and his opponent fought with as much vehemence and fury as ifthe sight of Walter's banner, which Ralph carried behind him, hadaroused in him a frenzy of rage and hate. In guarding his head from oneof his opponent's sweeping blows Walter's sword shivered at the hilt;but before the Gray Knight could repeat the blow Walter snatched hisheavy battle-ax from his saddle. The knight reined back his horse for aninstant and imitated his example, and with these heavy weapons the fightwas renewed. The Knight of the Raven had lost by the change, forWalter's great strength stood him in good stead, and presently with atremendous blow he beat down his opponent's ax and cleft through hishelmet almost to the chin.

  The knight fell dead from his horse, and Walter, with his band, pressingon, carried confusion into the ranks of his followers. When these hadbeen defeated Walter rode back with Ralph to the spot where the Knightof the Raven had fallen.

  "Take off his helmet, Ralph. Let me see his face. Methinks I recognizedhis voice, and he fought as if he knew and hated me."

  THE END OF A RECREANT KNIGHT.--Page 386.]

  Ralph removed the helmet.

  "It is as I thought," Walter said; "it is Sir James Carnegie, a recreantand villain knight and foul enemy of mine, a disgrace to his name andrank, but a brave man. So long as he lived I could never say that mylife was safe from his machinations. Thank God, there is an end of himand his evil doings!"

  Walter was twice wounded in the fight, but upon neither occasionseriously, and he was soon able to take part in the tournaments andgames which the Prince of Wales instituted partly to keep his menemployed, partly for the amusement of the citizens of Burgos, outsidewhose walls his army lay encamped.

  The prince was now obliged to remind the king of his promise to pay histroops; but nothing was further from the mind of the treacherous monarchthan to carry out the promises which he had made in exile. He dared not,however, openly avow his intentions, but trusting to the chapter ofaccidents, he told the prince that at Burgos he could not collect asufficient sum; but if the army would march into Leon and take up theirquarters near Valladolid, he himself would proceed to Seville, and wouldas soon as possible collect the money which he had bound himself tofurnish. The plan was adopted. Edward marched his troops to Valladolid,and Don Pedro went to Seville.

  Some time passed on without the arrival of the promised money, and theprince was impatient to return to Aquitaine. Don Henry had gathered aforce in France, secretly assisted by the French king, and had made aninroad into Aquitaine, where he obtained several successes, and wasjoined by many of the disinterested nobles of that province.

  "You were right," the prince said to Walter one day; "this treacherousking, who owes his kingdom to us, intends to break his plighted word. Iknow not what to do; my men are clamorous for their pay, and I am unableto satisfy them. Don Pedro still sends fair promises, and although Ibelieve in my heart that he has no intention of keeping them, yet I canhardly march against him as an enemy, for, however far from the truth itmay be, his pretext that the treasury has been emptied by his brother,and that in the disturbed state of the kingdom no money can be obtained,may yet be urged as valid."

  Scarcely had the army encamped before Valladolid when a terriblepestilence attacked the army. For a while all questions of pay wereforgotten, and consternation and dismay seized the troops. Neither ranknor station was of avail, and the leaders suffered as severely as themen. Every day immense numbers died, and so sudden were the attacks, andso great the mortality, that the soldiers believed that Don Pedro hadpoisoned the wells in order to rid himself of the necessity offulfilling his obligations.

  The Black Prince himself was prostrated and lay for some time betweenlife and death. A splendid constitution enabled him to pull through, buthe arose from his bed enfeebled and shattered, and although for someyears he lived on, he received his death-blow at Valladolid. Hispersonal strength never came to him again, and even his mind was dulledand the brightness of his intellect dimmed from the effects of thefever. When he recovered sufficiently to inquire into the state of hisforces, he was filled with sorrow and dismay. Four-fifths of the numberwere either dead or so weakened as to be useless for service again. Theprince wrote urgently to Don Pedro for the money due; but the king knewthat the English were powerless now, and replied that he had not beenable to collect the money, but would forward it to Aquitaine, if theprince would return there with his army. Edward knew that he lied, butwith only six thousand or seven thousand men, many of whom wereenfeebled by disease, he was not in a position to force the claim, or topunish the base and ungrateful king. Again, therefore, he turned hisface north.

  Charles of Navarre had now allied himself with Don Henry, and refused toallow the remnants of the army to pass through his dominions, althoughhe granted permission to the prince himself and his personal attendantsand friends. The southern route was barred by the King of Arragon, alsoan ally of Don Henry; but with him the prince was more successful. Hehad a personal interview with the monarch, and so influenced him that henot only obtained permission for his troops to pass through hisdominions, but detached him from his alliance with Don Henry andinduced him to enter into a friendly treaty with Pedro.

  A greater act of magnanimity was never performed. In spite of the baseingratitude with which he had been treated, and the breach of faithwhich saddled him with enormous liabilities and debts, which weighed himdown and imbittered the rest of his life, Edward remained faithful tothe cause of his father's ally, and did his best to maintain him i
n theposition which English valor had won for him. He himself with a fewcompanions passed through Navarre, and arrived safely in Bordeaux, wherehis wife awaited him, and where he was received with rejoicings andfestivities in honor of his glorious campaign in Spain.

  His health was now irreparably injured. Troubles came thick upon him inAquitaine, and he had no longer the energy to repress them. Risings tookplace in all directions, and the King of France renewed the war. Inaddition to his own troubles from the debts he had incurred and theenemies who rose against him, he was further shaken by the death of hismother Philippa, whom he tenderly loved. His friend Chandos, too, waskilled in a skirmish. Unhappily, while thus weakened in mind and bodythe treachery of the bishop and people of Limoges, who, having boundthemselves by innumerable promises to him, surrendered their city to theFrench, caused him to commit the one act of cruelty which sullied thebrightness of an otherwise unspotted career, for at the recapture of thetown he bade his soldiers give no quarter.

  This act, although common enough at the time, is so opposed to theprinciples of mercy and humanity which throughout all the previous actsof his life distinguished the conduct of the Black Prince that it cannotbe doubted that his brain was affected by the illness which was fasthurrying him to the grave. Shortly afterward he returned to England andbusied himself in arranging the affairs of the kingdom, which hisfather's failing health had permitted to fall into disorder. For theremaining four years of life he lived in seclusion, and sank on the 8thof June, 1376.

  Walter, Lord Somers, returned home after the conclusion of the campaignin Spain, and rode no more to the wars.

  Giles Fletcher and his wife had died some years before, but the goodcitizen Geoffrey the armorer, when he grew into years, abandoned hiscalling and took up his abode at Westerham Castle to the time of hisdeath.

  In the wars which afterward occurred with France, Walter was representedin the field by his sons, who well sustained the high reputation whichtheir father had borne as a good and valiant knight. He and his wifelived to a green old age, reverenced and beloved by their tenants andretainers, and died surrounded by their descendants to the fourthgeneration.

  THE END.