THE DUKE OF

CHAPTER LXXIII. THE BISHOP OF UTRECHT DIES. BURGUNDY GOES TO HOLLAND TO PROCURE THE ELECTION TO THE BISHOPRIC FOR HIS BASTARD SON DAVID, THEN BISHOP OF THEROUENNE,

[A. D. 1455.]

In the year 1455 died the bishop of Utrecht, which is in Holland, bordering on Germany. Duke Philip of Burgundy had for a long time thought of obtaining this bishopric for his bastard son David, then bishop of Therouenne, and had even during the lifetime of the late bishop solicited the canons to elect this his son on the first vacancy. They, however, paid no attention to his solicitations, but elected the provost of their church, brother to the lord de Brederode, a great baron in Holland, and a relative to duke Philip. The duke was much dissatisfied at this conduct, and sent to Rome, and managed so well with the pope that he gave this bishopric to his bastard son: he had even promised him the succession before the death of the last bishop. The duke went, therefore, to the Hague in Holland, where he endeavoured, but in vain, to gain over to his interest the chapter of Utrecht by every kind means, that they might receive his son for their bishop; and for this purpose he remained in Holland from the feast of St. Remy †, in the year 1455, until St. John Baptist's day in the ensuing year.

CHAPTER LXXIV.-THE COUNT DE CLERMONT, THe lord de lOHEAC, MARSHAL OF FRANCE, AND OTHER CAPTAINS, ARREST THE COUNT D'ARMAGNAC AND DELIVER HIM UP TO THE

KING. THEY PUT THE ARCHBISHOP OF AUCH IN POSSESSION OF HIS ARCHBISHOPRIC.OTHER EVENTS.

In the month of May of this year, the king of France sent the count de Clermont, the lord de Lohéac, marshal of France, and other captains, into the county of Armagnac, and likewise the count de Dammartin, the bailiff of Evreux, and several others, against the count d'Armagnac, into Rouergue, because he had refused to put the archbishop of Auch in possession of his archbishopric, to which he had been duly elected, and had received his bulls from the pope. The count had wished, contrary to all right, to place therein one called De l'Estin, and had given him admittance into the city and possession of the archbishopric, contrary to the will and orders of the king. The king, much angered at De l'Estin having been installed by the count by force, ordered his men-at-arms to besiege his city of Lectoure‡, whither the before-named captains had marched, as well as into other parts of his possessions, in Armagnac and Rouergue. Thus did the count lose all his territories for his rebellion against the king; for, as the Scripture saith, it is hard to kick against the pricks. When this was done, these captains returned to the king according to his orders.

In this same year, king Henry of England, by the advice of the duke of Somerset, summoned a parliament of his great lords to consider the present state of affairs. For this purpose very many came to London; and the duke of York thought it would be advisable for him to make his appearance also,—and in fact he set out, accompanied by about a thousand armed retainers. He was, however, joined on his road by four or five thousand more, of which the king and the duke of Somerset were ignorant, they having knowledge of the duke being attended by only one thousand men. The king and the duke of Somerset held a council with the earl of Northumberland, and other lords, and determined to collect as large a force as they could in and about London, and march out to meet the duke of York, in the expectation of defeating him, as they were astonished he should come in arms to

* Adolphus of Diepenholt. Upon his death, the electors being solicited on one side by this duke for his son David, and on the other by the duke of Gueldres, for Stephen of Bavaria, in order to offend neither exasperated both, by choosing Guisbert, a brother of Reginald, lord of Brederode, for their bishop. But upon endeavouring to get their election confirmed by the pope, they found themselves anticipated by the duke, who had already obtained

the papal sanction in favour of his son. The matter was afterwards compromised as related in chap. 76, and David held the bishopric of Utrecht for forty years.-HEUTERUS, St. Remy. This feast is on the first day of October, and St. John's the 24th June.

Lectoure, a city in Armagnac, of which Auch is the capital, ten leagues from Auch,

attend the parliament. The two armies soon met, and instantly came to blows, when numbers were slain,—but victory remained with the duke of York. Among the slain were the duke of Somerset, the earl of Northumberland, and many other lords, and from four to five hundred common men. The king was wounded by an arrow in the neck, and was for some time in great danger. The duke of York made many prisoners, nobles and others, whom he led to London with the king,-where some were set at liberty, and others punished according to their deserts. The late government was entirely overthrown, and the whole power remained with the duke of York, as regent of the king and kingdom

At this time the count d'Armagnac, having lost all his possessions, retired into the kingdoms of Navarre and Arragon.

CHAPTER LXXV.-THE KING OF FRANCE IS DISCONTENTED WITH THE DAUPHIN FOR GOING TO THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY WITHOUT HIS CONSENT.-POPE CALIXTUS MAKES REGULATIONS RESPECTING THE CRUSADE AGAINST THE TURKS.

[A. D. 1456.]

In the year 1456, the king of France, learning that his eldest son had left Dauphiny and gone to the territories of the duke of Burgundy to consult with him, was very much displeased that he should have done this without previously informing him thereof. And because he doubted his being led away by bad advice and acting imprudently, he determined to take possession of Dauphiny, to avoid the inconveniences that might ensue, and also to reduce him to that obedience a son owes to a father. In consequence, he marched a powerful army into Dauphiny, and took full possession of all its rents and revenues, together with the castles and strongholds, to prevent his son from receiving any advantages from them, and to induce him the more speedily to return. The king sent also men-at-arms to guard the passages at Pontoise, Compiègne, in Brie, and other parts, and forbade the great towns to admit the dauphin or any of his partisans, unless they should be forced thereto. He did all this, from his opinion how headstrong and obstinate the dauphin was; as a convincing proof of which, when he left the king he had asked leave to be absent only four months, and had remained nearly ten years, to the great vexation of his father.

About this time, pope Calixtus III. made certain regulations respecting a crusade, and issued indulgences to all who should carry into execution the contents of the bulls that had been published by him, and had been promulgated by different preachers throughout Christendom.

Certain proposals were now sent by the duke of Burgundy to the king of France respecting the dauphin, and were laid before him by the duke's ambassadors.

In this season †, the Hungarians made a great destruction of the infidels in Hungary, by the counsel of sir John Capestrian ‡, an ancient disciple of St. Bernard, in conjunction with

This battle is called by the English historians the first battle of St. Albans, and was fought on the 22d of May, 1455. Besides Edmund Beaufort, duke of Somerset, and Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, there were slain on the king's side two lords, five knights, and many gentlemen of good account. Humphrey duke of Buckingham, and his son Humphrey earl of Stafford, were wounded beside the king. The victory, as appears by the text, was decisive in favour of opposition.

The duke of Somerset left issue (by his wife Eleanor, daughter of Richard Beauchamp, earl of Warwick), Henry duke of Somerset, beheaded in May 1464; Edward duke of Somerset after the death of his brother, also beheaded 1472; and John, killed at Tewkesbury: but none of these left any legitimate descendants. Henry alone left an illegitimate son, Charles Somerset, who was afterwards created earl of Worcester, and is the ancestor of the present duke of Beaufort.

The relation which follows is evidently that of the famous siege of Belgrade, at which Hunniades commanded,

and Capistranus acted as his lieutenant. The soldan of Persia here mentioned may very possibly mean the bashaw of Asia Minor (Basseus Asiaticus), who is spoken of by Bonfinius as having a high command in the Turkish army. He was killed in the siege. Hunniades was attacked by a fever, the consequence of his exertions, and with difficulty removed as far as Semlin, where he died on the 4th of September, 1456. His faithful companion, Johannes Capistranus, attended at his bed-side during his last illness, and supported him at the moment of his dissolution. His affection followed him beyond the tomb; for from that hour he was never seen to smile; and not many weeks after was summoned from the world himself. The great Hunniades left two sons, Ladislaus and Matthias Corvinus. The first, though deserving of a better fate, became the victim of state intrigues, and perished on a scaffold. The second was elected king of Hungary in 1458.

"Sir John Capestrian." John Capistrian, a celebrated Franciscan monk. Nicholas V. made him apostolic commissary in Hungary. He was greatly successful in

the aid of a wise and valiant knight called sir Guillaume Blanc *. By their means, the Turks, who were very numerous in Belgrade, were driven out of that city, and more than fifteen thousand were slain; indeed, none escaped being put to death. On the morrow, great armies of Turks advanced, and were valiantly fought with by the Christians, who again gained the victory, and slew one hundred thousand Turks between sunrise and sunset. The soldan of Persia †, commander-in-chief of the Turks, was there in person; and seeing the discomfiture of his army, he fled with a few of his men to a city called Boibe ‡, and thence into Greece. The chevalier Blanc pursued him, and won the city of Boibe, putting to death two thousand Turks; and by the aid of God, following up their success, the Christians won very many towns and strong castles, namely, the city of Bastiliance, Ulgaria, Fastigia, Emere, and a very handsome town called Angasta §: in the latter, fifteen thousand Turks were destroyed. The Christians lost, at this last attack, five thousand men, whom may God receive in paradise! "Quia dignus operarius mercede sua.”

The Christians afterwards gained St. Vincent ||, and the town and castle of Valence ¶ ;› and as they proceeded, the inhabitants were converted to the Christian faith. They continued successful, and won the town and castle of Flagis and Gaunaldalo, and Porrus, Stavengier and Chastouen **, where four thousand Turks were put to death, with the loss of one hundred Christians, whose souls may God pardon! The Christians now entered Greece with a large army, and conquered a great city called Glotuase ++, where they slew ten thousand infidels. They then left behind them all walled towns, and advanced to the province of Culdée ‡‡, which is near to Constantinople, having gained possession of the greater part of the lands in Greece, and to the westward of it, and also of the cities of Latheris and Glamus §§, with many other castles and towns.

The Turks that had been slain in these different battles were estimated at two hundred thousand, with the loss of eight-score cities and walled towns, four hundred castles, great and small. These victories have been thus detailed for insertion in the chronicles of the times, and asserted for truth on the Holy Evangelists, on the oath of their priesthood, by the following venerable persons: namely, sir John Valate, priest, sir Patrick Tournaille, priest also, and Andrew Valate, a layman; all three inhabiting the diocese of Umblanum in Dacia. The chevalier Blanc was grievously wounded by a lance in the last battle ||||; so that he was constrained to retire into the city of Augasta, where he died. God have mercy on his soul! he being well deserving thereof. In like manner was the Turk severely wounded, and forced to withdraw to Constantinople, where he remained for a long time very ill. These three persons having been interrogated by the chronicler of France on their oaths, how they knew what they had told to be true, deposed that they had been personally present in arms at all these battles and sieges, and had fought at them, and, in consideration of the very great perils they had escaped from, had vowed to make pilgrimages to the shrine of St. Denis, and to other places, which they intended to fulfil before they returned to their own country. They appeared to be well affected to the Christian faith. They said, that the Turk, when recovered, left Constantinople for Asia.

persons

On Saturday, the 4th day of December in this year, and about three hours before day, such an earthquake happened at Naples, in Puglia, and Calabria, as the oldest did not remember to have seen, from which great and numberless evils ensued, a few of which shall be mentioned. In the first place, the small city of Ariano ¶¶, in the kingdom of Naples, was so completely destroyed that eight thousand persons perished. Another city, called

assembling the army which, under the command of the great Hunniades, raised the siege of Belgrade in 1456. He died three months after. He was canonised in 1690, by Alexander VIII. See Aikin's General Biography, Moreri, &c.

§ Bastiliance, Ulgaria, Fastigia, Emere, Angasta. Q. St. Vincent. Q.

¶ Valence, Q. **Flagis, Gaunaldalo, Porrus, Stavengier, Chastouen. Q. ++ Glotuase. Q. ‡‡ Culdée. Q.

§§ Latheris, Glamus. Q.

This does not appear to have been the case. Bonfinius calls his disorder a fever brought on by excessive fatigue. See before.

¶¶ Ariano,—in the Principato Ultra of Naples. It never recovered the desolation caused by an earthquake, 1456. Another, more destructive, happened in 1732.

Crutwell's Gazetteer.

Padula was destroyed, with its three thousand inhabitants, for not one escaped.-Item, another town, called Boucherry, was overwhelmed, and no one who had not seen these places before this unfortunate event would have supposed they could have existed, so thoroughly changed was the whole face of the country. One half of the town of Troia was thrown down, and many people perished. The greater part of the castle of Canosa fell, with some of the town. The cities of Ascoli and Santa Agatha shared the same fate, as did the castle of Arpi and several others

In the country of Molise, the cities of Campo Basso, Laurentino, the castle of St. Julian, Macona, the castles of St. Lou, Castine, and La Rippe, were swallowed up by the earthquake, and many lands near to Altavilla, when upwards of twentyeight thousand persons perished. The city of Naples suffered some damage, but more in the churches than in the other buildings. The earthquake lasted for three days, and in some places more, namely, from the 4th of the month until the 7th inclusive; when, as reported by men of truth, more than one hundred thousand persons of both sexes were destroyed t.

This earthquake ruined in one night the castles of Sanguine, Presole, and la Roche Capoa, where neither walls nor houses were left standing. One half of the city of Sermone and the castle of Oliveto were destroyed: in which last five hundred persons were killed, and in the castle of Pesolo six hundred. In like manner, when the castle of Thoco was overthrown, its lord and all within perished. This accident ruined also part of the port of Ancona, and such damages were done to the buildings of Capua‡, Aversa, and Benevento, and to the castle of Lusano, as would have been incredible but to those who saw it. The account of this unfortunate disaster was sent in writing to the marquis of Ferrara by his brother Hercules §, then in the kingdom of Naples with the king of Arragon, and written at Rougia |, the 7th day of December, in the year 1456.

On the first day of this same year, while the king of France was at St. Prier, near to Lyon, Otho Castellan, a Florentine and treasurer of the king's household, was arrested on the bridge at Lyon by the provost of the palace, from informations the king had received that the said Otho had formed certain devices prejudicial to his personal safety. He had made certain images that, by diabolical arts, would assure him the government of the king, and cause him to do whatever the said Otho should please. Guillaume Gouffier was his accomplice, and was long detained in prison to obtain from him the truth of these charges. Otho was carried prisoner before the parliament of Toulouse, where he had long acted as the king's treasurer; and Gouffier was sent to Tours. In the ensuing year, Otho was condemned by the chancellor to banishment and confiscation of his effects; but the king pardoned him, so that he only lost the places he had held, and was banished to twenty leagues distant from wherever the king should be, and was compelled to pay a fine of a thousand crowns for the expenses of his suit. But Otho was then accused of sodomy, and brought back to Tours for trial, and thence sent to Paris, as it was said that he had appealed to the parliament; but I cannot say how this matter ended, for he was transported from one prison to another, so that I am ignorant of the conclusion.

* Padula, a town of Naples, in the Principato Citra.Bouchery. Q. Bocchianico? a town of Naples, in Abruzzo Citra.—Troia, a town of Naples, in the Capitinata.-Canosa, a town in the country of Bari. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1694.-Ascoli, in the Capitinata.-Santa Agatha, in the Principato Ultra. — Arpi, in the Capitinata.

+ Molise, a country of Naples. - Campo Basso is the capital.-Laurentino. Q. Perhaps Larina, the name of a town in the Molise.-St. Julian. St. Giuliano, in Molise. -Macona. Q. Ancona? This is hardly probable, for all the others are names of places in the Molise, or one of the Principati. Macchia has the nearest resemblance in sound of any town in the neighbourhood. - St. Lou. St. Lotiero, in the Principato Ultra. - Castine, Castigluini, Principato Ultra.-La Rippe, Ripa Limasara, in Molise.VOL. II.

Altavilla, in the Principato Citra, seventeen miles from
Salerno.

Sanguine. Q. Castel del Sangro, in Abruzzo? The river on which it stands is also called the Sanguine.— Presole. Q Presciano. Principato Citra.-La Roche de Capoa. Q. Rocca de Minolfa, Molise. Sermone. Q. Isernia, a bishopric in the Molise? or Sulmona, another city in Abruzzo? Oliveto. Q. Alifi, in the Terra di Lavoro ?-Pesolo. Pesola is a lake in the Basilicata.— Thoco. Q.-Capua, fifteen miles from Naples.-Aversa, ten miles north from Naples.-Benevento, in the Principato Ultra.-Lusano. Q.

§ Borso d'Este, marquis of Ferrara, was succeeded by his legitimate brother, Hercules d'Este.

Ultra.

Rongia. Q. Reggio? a seaport of Naples in Calabria

R

This was a great year of rain. The duke and duchess of Savoy * came this year to the king of France, and the prince of Piedmont, eldest son to the duke, was married to Yolande daughter to the king of France. An embassy now arrived in France from Spain, to confirm the alliances between the two kingdoms; and at the same time, the prince of Navarre came to demand from the king the duchy of Nemours †, and also the cardinal of Avignon from Brittany, on his return from canonising St. Vincent ‡, at Vannes. Shortly after, the cardinal waited on the king, to require a tenth from the clergy of his realm, to carry on the war, as he said, against the Turks.

CHAPTER LXXVI.—THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY WITH A LARGE ARMY ESCORTS HIS BASTARD SON INTO HOLLAND, AND PUTS HIM IN PEACEABLE POSSESSION OF THE BISHOPRIC OF UTRECHT.

HE BESIEGES DEVENTER §, AND FORCES ITS INHABITANTS TO OBEY

THE NEW BISHOP, WHICH THEY HAD BEFORE REFUSED.

WHEN duke Philip saw that he could not prevail by love and entreaties to make his son be accepted for bishop by the chapter of Utrecht, he sent to Picardy and Hainault for a body of troops, and he was soon joined by full thirteen thousand combatants. The chapter now changed their tone, and admitted his son as their bishop, under certain conditions; namely, that the brother of the lord de Brederode, who had been elected, should receive for his life an annual pension from the bishopric of Utrecht of four thousand francs, from the bishopric' of Therouenne two thousand francs; and, for the expenses he had been put to, fifty thousand lyons once paid. He was also to be made first counsellor to the duke in the affairs of Holland, with a salary of a thousand florins of the Rhine. In consideration of this arrangement, he resigned the bishopric, which was commonly said to be worth yearly fifty thousand mailles of the Rhine. When this had been settled, duke Philip entered Utrecht, with his company, on the 5th of August, and was most honourably received. On the morrow, his son entered in arms, grandly accompanied; and on the Sunday following he said mass in the cathedral.

much

Soon after, the duke left Utrecht, with his whole army, to besiege a considerable town in the diocese, called Deventer, because it had refused to acknowledge the new bishop. Those of the town sallied out against him; and a smart skirmish ensued, in which many were killed on both sides. In the end, they were repulsed and driven back into the town; and, on the fourth day, a strong bulwark they had erected in front of the gate was so battered with cannon that those within, foreseeing it must be taken, set it on fire, and burned it during the night. The siege, however, lasted until the end of September, when the townsmen sent offers to the duke to obey the bishop, as the other towns within his diocese had done.

While this treaty was carrying on, the duke of Gueldres, who had married the niece of duke Philip, by whom he had a fair son about sixteen years of age, after having promised his aid to the duke of Burgundy, quitted his country, and abandoned his places, but, nevertheless, made a hasty alliance with the Frizelanders, when they assembled a great army with the intent of overthrowing duke Philip. The duke of Burgundy would have remained in perfect ignorance of this treachery, had not his niece been told of the wicked

Lewis duke of Savoy (son of Amadeus the first duke) and Anne de Lusignan, daughter of James king of Cyprus. The prince of Piedmont was their son, Amadeus, afterwards duke of Savoy, the second duke and ninth count of the name. By this marriage with Yolande of France he had a numerous issue, but no descendants in the third generation.

This claim of Charles of Navarre, prince of Viana to the duchy of Nemours, must have been grounded on a grant made by king Charles VII. to his grandfather Charles the Noble, king of Navarre; which grant was held to have been only personal, and to have terminated with the death

of the donee. The prince was therefore unsuccessful in his application.

This saint is not the ancient deacon and martyr of that name, but St. Vincent Ferrier, a Dominican, of Valencia in Spain, and a great converter of Saracens and worker of miracles. He died in 1419, and was canonized by order of pope Calixtus, in 1455. He was buried at Vannes, the place of his death; and the miracles which were attested to have been wrought on his tomb were the occasion of the distinguished honours conferred on him. § Deventer, on the Issel, the capital of Overyssel.