COVERED WAY TO PROTECT PIONEERS ADVANCING TO UNDERMINE WALLS. From Viollet-le-Duc's Essay on the Military Architecture of the Middle Ages. (For explanation, see List of Illustrations.) CHAP. XI. THE COUNTESS OF MONTFORT. 199 up quantities of great beams and faggots to fill up A.D. 1342. the ditches, so that they could get to the foot of the castle walls. The besieged flung down upon them stones, hot lime, and firebrands; notwithstanding which, their opponents advanced close to the walls, under cover of the large beams they had brought up, and were thus enabled to mine the walls in safety. The castle then soon surrendered, and the lives and effects of the garrison were spared. The invaders next advanced to Nantes, and, either and then besieges by treachery or mismanagement on the part of Henry and takes of Leon the governor, De Montfort's only early supporter, they succeeded not only in taking the town, (on November 1st), but also in taking prisoner De Montfort himself, who was carried off to Paris, and kept in prison there for nearly four years.1 Nantes, and takes fort pri De Mont soner to Paris. of the of Mont The blow thus inflicted on De Montfort's cause Heroic would have been overwhelming, but for the heroic efforts courage of his wife, who, as Froissart says, possessed Countess the spirit of a man and the heart of a lion. She fort. was at Rennes when she heard of the capture of her husband; but, instead of being thereby dispirited, she roused herself to greater exertions, and raised the courage of her friends and soldiers by presenting to them her infant son, saying, "Be not discomforted, nor amazed for my lord whom we have lost. He was but a single man; see here my little son, who, please God, will be his restorer, and who will do you much service." She then put Rennes in a state to stand a siege, and afterwards went to the strong castle of Hennebon, in order to be conveniently placed for the reception of the promised help from the English.2 1 Buchon's Froissart, vol. i. pp. 136-138. 2 Ibid. p. 138. A.D. 1342. Edward helping the Earl of Montfort, not considered as war It is singular that the promise of assistance given by Edward to De Montfort was not considered a breach of the truce just renewed between England. and France.1 The war about to commence was looked on as a private quarrel between two rivals by Philip for the Duchy of Brittany, in which Edward supported one side, and Philip the other; and it seemed convenient to consider that the royal interests were not concerned, for whether it was the Count of Blois who succeeded to the Duchy, or his rival the Count of Montfort, the successor would, in either case, be the feudatory of the King of France. with France. Edward delays to send the help. Edward, however, was in no hurry to fulfil his promise. He took no steps to support De Montfort, until promised the Countess sent Amaury de Clisson, entreating him to send the promised help, declaring that she recognised him as King of France, that she would open to him, as such, all the places which she held de Clisson in the Duchy,2 and proposing that her son should The Countess of Mont fort sends Amaury to Eng 2 Sismondi (vol. x. p. 200) states that Amaury de Clisson found Edward thinking of nothing but feasting the Countess of Salisbury with whom (following Froissart), he stated that the King had fallen in love. But Froissart (vol. i. p. 148), on the contrary, states that Edward was feasting the Earl of Salisbury (and not the Countess), who had just returned from prison, having been exchanged for the Earl of Moray in the summer of (probably in June) 1342. It is, however, probable, that Froissart utterly confused the sequence of events at this time, for it was impossible that Edward could have been feasting the Earl of Salisbury at the time of De Clisson's visit to England, unless indeed, which is not unlikely, De Clisson came twice to England, During his (first?) visit Salisbury was still in prison. Amaury de Clisson came to England in or before March, 1342. During that month Edward wrote the several orders mentioned in the text, specially referring to an agreement with De Clisson, which prove the time of his visit; but Salisbury was in prison then, and for at least two CHAP. XI. COUNTESS MONTFORT SENDS TO EDWARD. 201 marry one of the King's daughters, who should be A.D.1342. called the Duchess of Brittany.1 Edward yielded to months subsequently. On the 20th of May Edward made arrangements for his release (Rymer, vol. ii. p. 1195). It is probable, however, that De Clisson came twice to England, in consequence of Edward's dilatoriness, for on the 20th July, Edward refers to "other subsequent conventions" with De Clisson (Et postmodum aliæ conventiones inter Almaricum, &c., &c.), although Froissart mentions only one visit (Rymer, vol. ii. p. 1205). The siege of Rennes did not begin till some time after February, and it was after the siege had begun that, according to Froissart, De Clisson visited Edward, and, as Froissart says, he returned to Brittany with Sir Walter de Maunay. This must therefore have been his second visit. Edward also appointed Sir Walter de Maunay, "whom he loved much, for he had well and loyally served him in many perilous deeds," to return to Brittany with De Clisson, with 3,000 or 4,000 of the best bowmen of England; he gave him authority to take possession of all the castles in Brittany in his name, and so infatuated was Edward in his determination to prosecute the war with France, on any pretext, and at any cost, that he actually borrowed 1,000l. of De Montfort, to pay his own soldiers, whom he was sending to support De Montfort's claims to the Duchy (Buchon's Froissart, vol. i. p. 148; and Rymer, vol. ii. p. 1189). Froissart's story of Edward's falling in love with the Countess of Froissart's Salisbury seems to be entirely devoid of foundation; at any rate, error as to at the time and place he assigns to his romance. Buchon's Froissart (vol. i. p. 145) states that Edward fell in love with the Coun- Salisbury. tess, at the Earl's castle of Wark, just after David had besieged it, and he places the time of the siege immediately after King David's return to Scotland (pp. 140-142), and soon after he had taken and burnt the city of Durham (p. 142). He says that the besieged sent for help (p. 143) to King Edward, who had arrived at Berwick; that the Scots had decamped before his reaching the castle; that he remained there for one day, and fell desperately in love with the Countess. Now Bruce returned to Scotland, and landed at Innerbervie on June 4th 1342, when Edward was in the South of England, preparing for the invasion of Brittany, whither he went in the autumn of that year. It 1 Buchon's Froissart, vol. i. p. 149. the Countess of |