The Annexation of Brittany
 |
| Charles V |
In 1378 it
became clear that Charles of Navarre was plotting with Jean V against Charles
V. French forces under the command of the Duke of Burgundy and Bertrand quickly
took control of the towns and castles of the two plotters.
The
exception was the town of Cherbourg, which was unsuccessfully besieged by
Bertrand. The Castilian navy thwarted an English attempt to raise the siege but
during an ambush Olivier du Guesclin and one of Bertrand’s cousins were taken
prisoner[i]. Bertrand then quarrelled
with Jean le Mercier[ii], the king’s treasurer.
Despite his
army having seen off an English attempt to retake St Malo, Charles V now
decided on the wholesale annexation of Brittany. As far back as the 11th
August 1373 the records show debate as to whether;
‘The King should
summon……..the lord Jehan, or not, in case he should want to confiscate the
duchy of Brittany.’[iii]
On 18th
December 1378 the Paris Parlement dispossessed Jean V of his duchy. It was not
until April the following year that Charles moved to implement the Parlement’s
verdict; he summonsed the Bretons under his command; Bertrand, de Clisson, the
Viscount of Rohan and the Lord of Laval[iv], to inform them that he
was sending Royal Commissioners in to take control of Brittany. Charles made
them swear on the true cross and the bible that they would support this
enterprise.
Rebellion in Brittany
Within days
a Breton league had established itself as a provisional government[v] and Laval and Rohan joined
it. The league decided to call Jean V back to Brittany and Laval and Beaumanoir
travelled to London to discuss the matter with Jean V. Support for Jean V came
from an unlikely source; the widow of his erstwhile opponent, Charles of Blois;
Jeanne de Pénthievre[vi]
supported the league against Charles.  |
| Saint Servan |
On 3rd
August the delegation returned from England accompanied by Jean V and an
English squadron. Jean V was welcomed on the beach at Saint-Servan by a large
crowd of Bretons of all ranks. Bertrand was based at Saint-Malo, but he failed
to move against his fellow Bretons. Although he did have a conversation with
the commander of the English squadron, Hugh Calveley, by means of yelling at
each other across the intervening waters.
Bertrand
kept Louis d’Anjou updated with regular bulletins, including details of Jean
V’s actions. Jean V had written to all Breton nobles asking for their support;
 |
| Olivier de Clisson |
Within weeks
of his return Jean V was already seeking a compromise with Louis d’Anjou. Jean
V had not got the money or manpower to see off a determined French invasion. On
the other hand who knew better than Bertrand that Brittany was ideal terrain
for guerrilla warfare? No-one on the French side wanted another war in
Brittany, bar de Clisson whose personal feud with Jean V threatened to tip the
balance on a number of occasions.
Jean V had
eschewed English help in holding his duchy, which removed one of the main
strategic reasons for French intervention. In his report to Louis d’Anjou
Bertrand expressed his doubts about Jean V’s ability to hold out without
English support. Bertrand’s troops were based at Avranches, with him were the dukes of Anjou and Bourbon, while de Clisson
threatened Nantes and Derval from the southern end of the Breton marshes. |
| Louis d'Anjou |
Diplomatic
channels were opened, but before the discussions could amount to anything Louis
d’Anjou got called away to deal with a tax revolt[ix] in the Languedoc where he was Lieutenant Governor. It was now that several of Bertrand’s
enemies[x] decried him to Charles V,
claiming that Bertrand was working on behalf of Jean V. A coolness in the
relationship between Charles V and his Constable followed this slander. But
Bertrand was supported by Louis d’Anjou and Bertrand wrote thanking him for
this support;
‘To the honour and praise of
myself, so that the King was well pleased…and so that I am now in his good
grace and shall be even more so.’[xi]
On 1st
March 1380 Jean V concluded a new alliance with Richard II. The threatened war
erupted with a chevauchée launched by Thomas of Woodstock[xii]. The fighting in Brittany was not
concluded until after the death of both Charles V and Bertrand.
 |
| Louis VII |
In 1376 one
of Bertrand’s men, a Sylvestre Budes, left him to form his own company.
Sylvestre was executed in 1380; either in Paris as a suspected traitor or in Maçon as a traitor to the
Antipope Clement VII. Budes’ men committed atrocities in Italy
in support of the Pope in Avignon. Froissart informs us that Bertrand lamented
the death of this old friend.
Insurgency in Languedoc
To avoid
straining the Constable’s loyalties, or perhaps because of the slurs against
him from the king’s counsellors, Bertrand was not required to command the
French forces in Brittany; many of Bertrand’s friends and relatives had rallied
to Jean V’s call. Instead Bertrand was ordered down to the Auvergne to make war on the Free Companies investing the area.
The leaders
of these groups were battle hardened men including Bertucat d’Albray, Pierre de
Galard and Pérrot de Béarn[xiii]. There were also
Bretons active in the area; Bernard de Garlan[xiv] and Geoffroi Tête-Noire
were well placed to threaten the rear of the French forces poised to attack
Brittany.
Louis
d’Anjou had been over-extended and his appointment as governor of Brittany had
distracted him from his duties in Languedoc. The tax revolt in Montpellier was one of the repercussions of this distraction. At Easter
1380;
‘Messengers came from the
Commons of Languedoc to Paris to see the King, and they explained to him the
state in which the country was…..and begged of him that he send them a captain
of his, to keep and defend the country against the enemies and the Companies
that were in it.’[xv]
The Commons
also undertook to subsidise the campaign and Charles gave them Bertrand,
charged with the retaking of the lands taken by the Companies.
Death of a Hero
 |
| Meung sur Loire |
Bertrand was
supported in his mission by the dukes of Bourbon and Berry. There was also
support from such towns as Le Puy[xvi] and Saint-Flour, suffering from the mismanagement of the companies. By 28th
May Bertrand and his troops were at Meung-sur-Loire en route to the Auvergne. By early June Bertrand was the
guest of the Duc de Bourbon at Moulins.
By the 10th
June Bertrand and his troops had reached Clermont where he joined forces with the Duc de Berry. From there
Bertrand sent to the Consuls of Saint-Flour, advising them to prepare for a
siege of the castle at Chaliers. He also planned to besiege Chateauneuf du Randon, held by de Galard, before attacking
the main Companies stronghold at Carlat, held by Bertucat d’Albret[xvii].
From May the
town of Aurillac was paying tribute to d’Albret’s
men; on 21st May Saint-Flour had purchased a three months truce from
the English holding Chaliers. The townspeople of Saint-Flour were ordered to
return their peace treaty to the English. This was done and on the 20th
June the French army invested Chaliers. There were 500 men from Saint-Flour
fighting with du Guesclin’s men. They also provisioned the army and provided
two trebuchets.
 |
| Death of Bertrand |
The walls
were bombarded for seven days and were then breached. The defenders immediately
surrendered. The royal army immediately moved on, leaving behind the Duc de
Berry and the men of Saint-Flour. They may have set up camp before the well
fortified and provisioned Chateauneuf de Radon as early as 28th
June. According to the Chanson de Bertrand;
‘Bertrand made an
assault before two weeks had passed
But he conquered naught, and
his people had a hard time of it.’[xviii]
The
defenders were aware that there was no likelihood of relief and de Galard
agreed to surrender if he did not receive help before Friday 13th
July. Hostages were sent to the besiegers and the fighting was suspended. But
on that day Bertrand fell died; feeling ill several days before, he had already
threatened the garrison with reprisals if they failed to surrender and they
took note. Chateuneuf de Radon duly surrendered.
 |
| Bertrand du Guesclin |
As befits a
hero of France Bertrand was laid to rest in royal mausoleum in the chapel of St Denis, buried with honours;
‘As though he had been the
King’s son.’[xix]
Bertrand’s
replacement as Constable was his companion in arms and rival Olivier de
Clisson. The post had been offered to Enguerrand VII de Coucy, but he declined
the honour. Bertrand’s royal master died two months later on 13th
September, to be succeeded by his son Charles VI.
The Chanson
of Bertrand ends;
‘And so ends the story of
Bertrand, may God be his friend!
God the Father give us peace
and Paradise,
And may He chastise all our enemies.’[xx]
Bibliography
Edward III –
Bryan Bevan, The Rubicon Press 1992
The Hundred
Years War – Alfred Burne, Folio Society 2005
Chronicles –
Froissart, Penguin Books Ltd 1968
Edward III –
WM Ormrod, Tempus Publishing Ltd 2005
The Monks of
War – Desmond Seward, Folio Society 2000
A Distant Mirror – Barbara Tuchman, Pan
MacMillan Publishers Ltd 1989
The Flower
of Chivalry – Richard Vernier, The Boydell Press 2003
[i]
Olivier was imprisoned in London until his ransom was paid
[ii]
Later, having amassed an enormous fortune, the hugely unpopular le Mercier was
accused of speculation and fell from power in 1392
[iii]
The Flower of Chivalry - Vernier
[iv]
His foremost Breton supporters to date
[v]
In opposition to Louis d’Anjou who had been made the king’s lieutenant in
Brittany
[vi]
Whose children were also dispossessed
[vii]
Who had a personal quarrel with Jean V
[viii]
The Flower of Chivalry - Vernier
[ix]
A number of royal officials were hacked to death in Montpellier by a mob
[x]
Including Bureau
de la Riviére and le Mercier with whom Bertrand had already quarrelled.
These courtiers may not have appreciated Bertrand’s habit of plain speaking
[xi]
The Flower of Chivalry - Vernier
[xii]
Earl of Buckingham and one of the new king’s uncles, later to be Duke of
Gloucester
[xiii]
All scions of reputable families; between 1317 and 1369 two members of the de
Galard family were Bishop
of Condom
[xv]
The Flower of Chivalry - Vernier
[xvii]
A cousin of de Galard, d’Albret came from Gascony and in the fifteenth century
a family member would inherit the throne of Navarre
[xviii]
The Flower of Chivalry - Vernier
[xix]
A Distant Mirror - Tuchman
[xx]
The Flower of Chivalry - Vernier
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