Jean Froissart

“ It seems that Sir Peter being handsome, accomplished, and rich, and of nearly the same age as the youthful Duke of Touraine, became a great favourite at Court, the Duke making him his constant companion, and causing him to dress in clothes of the same colour and device as his own, carrying him with him wherever he went, and intrusting him with his most secret thoughts. Froissart proceeds:—“The Duke, at that time young and amorous, much amused himself with the company of ladies and damsels, and, as I heard, was much attached to a young frisky lady of Paris [2] .” ”

“ Now consider, ye lords, dukes, prelates, and earls, how very changeable the fortunes of this world are. This King reigned twenty-two years in great prosperity, and with much splendour; for there never was a king of England who expended such sums, by more than one hundred thousand florins, as King Richard did in keeping up his state and his household establishments. I, John Froissart, canon and treasurer of Chimay, know it well ”

“ After the raising of the siege, the Saracens of Africa, Tunis, Morocco, Granada, and other places, formed an alliance for the purpose of making themselves masters of the Mediterranean, and revenging this siege of Africa. They succeeded so well in annoying the trade of the Venetians, Genoese, &c., that merchandise from the east and south was scarcely to be had for any money; and Froissart winds up the chapter by telling us, that “all sorts of spicery became enormously dear.” ”

“ We see the burghers in their towns, and the lords in their castles; we see them in the intimacy of their domestic life and habits; we see the very patterns of the hangings of their rooms, and every minute incident of their household arrangements, their banquets and their festivals, represented by an artist of no mean skill ”

“ In the Illumination there is a happy attempt at expression, though not of the most elevated kind; it is, however, highly characteristic, particularly the features of the Duke calling anxiously to the King, whose supercilious nonchalance, as he coolly rides off, is very happily portrayed. The back ground, however, does not very felicitously represent the sort of country where an ambuscade or surprise could be executed with very good effect, and looks exceedingly like the suburbs of a Dutch or Flemish village of the present day. [Pg 94]
Richard IInd setting out upon his invasion of Ireland. ”

“ In the picture, the Duke de Bourbon, in gilt armour, is seen following his standard-bearer into a boat; in the middle distance is the camp, about to be broken up; and farther off is seen the town, of course a mere imagination of the Flemish artist, for it represents all the characteristics of a Flemish town of the period. It is, however, beautifully pencilled, and reminds one of backgrounds of Flemish pictures of the best period. ”

“ The circumstances connected with the taking of this fortress by the troops of the Duke de Berri, are briefly as follows.
The wars between the French and English, which devastated a large portion of France during part of the fourteenth century, were aggravated in their ruinous effects upon the people by the Free Companies, a sort of land privateers who, under pretext of belonging to one or other party, pillaged small towns, captured castles when insufficiently defended, and, in short, preyed recklessly upon the defenceless; being, in fact, bands of robbers. ”

“ Peter’s.” Sigismond, king of Hungary, applied to Charles VI. of France for assistance, and many knights of France and other countries, with a considerable force, went to Buda under the command of John of Burgundy, then twenty-two years of age, and son of the duke Philip, to attack Bajazet, with the ultimate project of regaining the Holy Land. Soon after the arrival of the French force, there being no sign of the threatened approach of Bajazet, the king of Hungary held a council, in which were present the principal lords of France and the most influential Hungarian nobles [6] ”

“ These circumstances gave the French great hopes that they might detach them from their allegiance to the English, and they carried on many intrigues and secret negotiations with that view; but after the first effervescence of feeling was over, the people of the Bordelais took a calm view of the question, and decided, as Froissart quaintly narrates it, that as France was at that time oppressed with heavy taxes, it would be better for them to remain true to the English, who left them frank and free; saying, “If the Londoners have deposed king Richard and crowned king Henry, what is it to us? ”

“ The two personages on the right are the Dukes of Burgundy and Berri, the King’s uncles. The introduction of the Pages of the Duke of Brittany in the foreground is managed with good effect; and the design of the apartment, with its tapestries, &c. is very interesting, as exhibiting a system of colouring, in which the ceiling is the darkest feature, and the floor the lightest: a principle just resuscitated with great effect by some of our leading architects. [Pg 44]
The retaking and surrender of the strong Castle of Ventadour. ”

“ The feud that commenced, or rather recommenced, between Sir Oliver de Clisson and the Duke of Brittany, on account of the shelter afforded by the latter to Sir Peter de Craon, continued for a considerable time to harass the province; deadly engagements continually occurring, in which neither side showed any mercy. In this warfare, however, Sir Oliver had the advantage, as two-thirds of the country were in his favour. ”

“ The knights brought the money, but, having suspicions, had concealed a body of horse, during the night, within a short distance of the entrance, and soon perceiving that treachery was intended, they, as Froissart says, “made a signe to him who bore the horn to sound for their ambuscade;” these, putting spurs to their horses, galloped into the castle, the gate being open, and the nephews were instantly arrested in the king’s name.
The tower above-mentioned was found filled with armed men, who confessed the purport of their concealment there. ”

“ This simple colouring of the illuminator exhibits the general effect of polychromic architecture as well as if he had elaborated the intricate devices by which the effects were more generally varied and enriched, and is a sufficient proof, if any sceptics yet remain to require it, that the architects of the middle ages, as well as their ancient Grecian predecessors, considered colour just as essential as form in a grand architectural whole. ”

“ The Hungarian army, seeing the French enclosed on all sides and destroyed, were seized with panic, and fled; great numbers being slain by the Turks in pursuit: in short, the rout was most complete, and the King and the Grand Master of Rhodes barely escaped.
Among the few survivors, now prisoners to Bajazet, were the Count de Nevers, the Counts d’Eu and de la Marche, the Lord Henri de Bar, the Lord de Coucy, [Pg 88] and Sir Guy de la Tremouille; these had been set aside by Bajazet, on account of the richness of their dresses, as apparently men of note, who would pay large ransoms ”

“ The Duke, panic-struck on seeing himself thus betrayed, called loudly after the King, who, without turning his head, made off towards London, followed by his attendants. A boat was waiting in the river, and the Duke having been forced on board was carried over to Calais. Finding that he was closely imprisoned in the castle of Calais, he questioned the Earl Marshal as to the intentions of the King and the cause of his arrest. ”

“ Sir Peter de Craon having been disgraced by King Charles VI. and his brother the Duke of Touraine, and banished the court of France, imagined Sir Oliver de Clisson to be the remote cause of his disfavour. To revenge himself, therefore, he caused many men-at-arms to conceal themselves in his hôtel at Paris ”

“ But it appears by Froissart’s description that they were little more than savages. It seems, however, that our chronicler shared the common prejudices that existed then, and, unfortunately, exist still against poor Ireland; for he says, among other things, in treating of their mode of warfare, that “they have pointed knives, with broad blades, sharp on both sides, with which they kill their enemies; but they never consider them as dead until they have out their throats like sheep, and opened them and taken out their hearts, which they carry off with them ”

“ This illumination is a good example of the custom of taking out a portion of the wall, in order to exhibit an interior and exterior view at the same time. The grooms and attendants waiting in the castle-yard are full of character and spirit, and the interior of the apartment, exhibited to us by the bold excision of the illuminator, portrays very accurately the furniture and fittings of the time, and affords valuable hints to artists treating events of this period. [Pg 85] [Pg 84]
The payment of the ransom for the Count de Nevers and his fellow prisoners. ”

“ He says, “If the King of England had a good head, &c., &c., he would take some pains to recover the inheritance the French have so shamefully stolen from him, &c., &c.; but things are not so: we have an unwarlike king, who is indifferent to arms,” &c., &c. ”

“ Pope Clement of Avignon, on hearing of the death of Urban VI. of Rome, assembled a conclave of Cardinals of his party, and strong hopes were entertained that the schism in the Church would be put an end to; nevertheless the Cardinals at Rome immediately elected Perrin de Tomacelli, Cardinal of Naples, who was crowned with great solemnity in October 1389, and took the name and title of Boniface IX., Clement continuing to act as Pope at Avignon. The composition of this illumination is arranged with great simplicity ”

“ The Archbishop then recommended calling a council of his most intimate friends, which advice was adopted; and the council being unanimously in favour of accepting the proposals of the citizens of London, it was determined that he should immediately leave France by way of Brittany, under pretence of a visit to the Duke, who was his uncle by marriage. “To shorten the matter,” says Froissart, “the Earl managed his affairs with much discretion, and took leave of the King and all the Lords who were then at court ”

“ Without imitating the defects of these early practitioners of the art, a study of their earnest and unaffected simplicity of treatment might add much of that nobleness and repose of effect which is so deficient in modern historical pictures, and which ought to be one of their principal qualities. ”

“ In fact, the army of invaders amounted to upwards of one hundred thousand men. After an obstinate battle the Frieslanders were defeated with cruel slaughter; but in consequence of that want of continuity of plan and action which characterises nearly all the European wars of the middle ages, this victory led to no important results ”

“ And again: “The king raises heavy taxes on our merchants, who are greatly discontented, squanders the money no one knows how, and thus the country is impoverished [16] ;” with much more, all of which was too true. But our chronicler relates also, with less authority, that the duke actually proposed to his nephew, the Earl of March, to depose the king, and, with the help of the discontented Londoners, seize upon the government. ”

“ This illumination is coarsely executed in many respects, doing but little justice to the fine person of the great Count, who was considered one of the handsomest men of his time. It is, however, very interesting, as detailing accurately many interior domestic arrangements, which will be found not greatly differing from old country inns still remaining in remote parts of England, but more frequently in France and Germany. [Pg 64] [Pg 63]
The King of Hungary in council with his own Lords and those of France, before crossing the Danube towards Turkey. ”

“ This appears to be the moment depicted by the illuminator. The personage in the rowing-boat in the foreground appears to be the Duke de Bourbon. In the large vessel are several French knights, with probably the Count d’Eu in the centre; and in the vessel partly seen on the left is Henry de Beaufort (a natural son of the Duke of Lancaster) , who was in this expedition attended by many knights and squires of rank. ”