Chapter XXIV

After king Edward had administered these two great acts of justice¹, he took new counsellors, the wisest and best beloved by his people. About a year after the coronation of king Philip of France, when all the barons and tenants of the crown had done him fealty and homage, except the young king, Edward, who had neither appeared, nor had even been summoned, the king of France, by the advice of his council, sent to him the lord of Ancenis, the lord of Beausault, and tow clerks learned in the laws, and of the parliament of Paris, named master Peter d'Orleans, and master Peter of Masiers. These four left Paris, and traveled on to Wissan, where they embarked, passed over and landed at Dover; there they remained one whole day, waiting for the disembarkation of their horses and baggage. They then went forwards and came to Windsor, where the king and the young queen resided. They sent to inform the king of the cause of their journey; when king Edward, to do honour to his cousin the king of France, invited them to his presence, and treated them with much favor. After they had delivered their message to the king, he replied, that he had not then his council with him, but he would send for them, and they might now return to London, where such an answer would be given to them as to be sufficient. Upon hearing this, and having dined, to their great satisfaction, in the kings apartment, they set out, and lay that night at Coldbrook: the next day they arrived in London.

The king did not delay long in following them, but came to his palace of Westminster, and ordered his council to assemble. They sent for the messengers from France, who, when they had told them why they were come, and had given the letters sent by the king their lord, withdrew. The king having asked of his council what was to be done, it was resolved to give an answer according to the ordinances and styles if his predecessors, and that the bishop of London should deliver it, which was done as follows:- "Gentlemen, who are come here by the orders of the king of France, I bid you welcome: we have heard your speech, and read your letters. We inform you, that we advise the king, our lord, to pass over to France to see his cousin, who so kindly has sent to him: you will tell the king, your lord, that our king and master will shortly be with him, and do all that is proper and right for him to do."

After the messengers had been well entertained, and received many rich presents and jewels from the king, they took their leave, and returned to Paris, where they found king Philip, to whom they related all that had passed. The king said, that he should be very happy to receive his cousin, king Edward, whom he had never seen. When this news was spread over France dikes, counts, and all the nobility made great and rich preparations. The king of France sent letters to king Charles of Bohemia and the king of Navarre to inform them of the day that the king of England was expected to appear, and to desire they would be present. Accordingly they cam in very great magnificence. The king of France was advised to receive the king of England in the city of Amiens. There were great preparations made to get apartments, houses, and provisions for him and his attendants, as well as for the kings of Bohemia and Navarre, who were provided for by him, and the duke of Burgundy. The dukes of Bourbon and Lorraine, and lord John of Artois, were to be there, with upwards of three thousand horse; and the king of England's suite was to consist of six hundred horse.

The young king did not forget, in this journey to France, to equip himself becoming his rank: he set out from England, accompanied by two bishops, with the bishop of London²; four earls - Henry, earl of Derby, his cousin-german, son of Thomas, earl of Lancaster, his uncle, surnamed Wryneck, the earl of Salisbury, the earl of Warwick, the earl of Hereford, and six barons - lord Reginald Cobham, lord Thomas Wager, the marshal of England, lord Percy, the lord of Manny, lord Mowbray, and more than fourty other nobles and knights³.

There were upwards of a thousand horse attending on and provided for by the king. They were two days in passing from Dover to Wissan. Then the king and his company rode to Boulougne, where he staid one day: - it was about mid-August when the king arrived at Boulougne.⁴

News being carried to king Philip, that the king of England was at Boulougne, he directly sent his constable, and a number of knights, to meet him; - they found him at Montreuil sur Mer. After many congratulations and professions of love, the king of England rode on, accompanied by the constable, and he and all of his company arrived at Amiens, where king Philip was in all pomp ready to receive him, attended by the kings of Bohemia, Majorca, and Navarre, and a number of dukes, counts, barons, and other nobles. The twelve peers of France were also present, as well to do personal honour to the king of England, as to be witness when he should perform his homage.

The king of England was most magnificently received, and he and his company remained there fifteen days, during which time many conferences were held and ordinances framed.

It appears to me, that king Edward at that time did homage by mouth and words, but without placing his hands in the hands of the king of France, or any prince, prelate, or deputy doing it for him. And the king of England, by the advice of his council, would not proceed further in this business, until he should be returned to England, and have examined the privileges of old times, to clear up this homage, and see by what means a king of England was a vassal to the king of France.

The king of France replied, "Cousin, we do not wish to deceive you; what you have hitherto done has been very agreeable to us, and we will wait until you have returned into your own country and seen, from the deeds of your predecessors, what you ought to do."

The king of England, taking a friendly leave of the king of France, and of the other princes who were present, returned to England. He journeyed on to Windsor, where the queen received him with much pleasure. She made inquiries after king Philip the uncle, and after her other relations in France. The king, her husband, related to her all that had passed, and the particulars of his magnificent reception, and the great honours that were paid to him in France; which were such that no other country could pretend to do the like.

It was not long before the king of France sent into England the following privy councillors, the bishops of Chartres and of Beauvais, the lord Louis de Clermont, the duke de Bourbon, the count de Harcourt, the count de Tancarville, and other knights and clerks learned in the laws, to attend the conference that was to be holden at London on the subject above mentioned, The king of England had examined in what manner his predecessors had done their homage, for what they held in Aquitaine, of which they were styled dukes. Many in England murmured, that thier king should do homage to Philip, who had not so near a right to the crown of France himself. Neither the king nor his council was ignorant of this; - however, a great parliament and assembly were holden on the subject of this homage. The ambassadors from the king of France remained all the winter, till the month of May following, without being able to obtain any definitive answer. At last, the king of England, in conformity with his privileges, in which he put much faith, was advised to write letters in the manner of patents, sealed with his great seal, acknowledging what sort of homage he owed, and ought to pay to the king of France, which letters were in the following terms:

"Edward, by the grace of God king of England, lord of Ireland, and duke of Aquitaine, to all by whom these present letters shall be seen and heard, greeting.

"We make known, that when we we paid our homage to our excellent and well-beloved lord and cousin, Philip, king of France, at Amiens, it was required by him of us, that we should acknowledge such homage to be liege, and that we, in paying him such homage, should promise expressly to be faithful and true to him - which we did not then do, as we were ignorant if they were due, and only paid him general homage in such terms, as saying, we entered into his homage in the same manner of our predecessors, the dukes of Guienne, had in former days entered into homage to the kings of France who for that time were, and being since better informed of the truth, acknowledge by these presents, that the homage, which we paid to the king of France in the city of Amiens, by general words, was, is, and ought to be considered as liege homage, and that we owe him loyalty and truth, as duke of Aquitaine, peer of France, earl of Poitou, and Montreuil; and we promise to bear him loyalty and truth.That from henceforward no more disputes may arise, we promise for ourselves and our successors, dukes of Aquitaine, that the above-mentioned homage shall be performed in the following manner.

"The king of England, as duke of Aquitaine, shall hold his hands in the hands of the king of France; and the person who shall address his speech to the king of England as duke of Aquitaine, and who shall speak for the king of france, shall say thus: You become liegeman to the king my lord, here present, as duke of Aquitaine, and a peer of France, and you promise to bear him faith and loyalty - Say Yea: and the king of England, duke of Guienne, as well as all their successors, shall say Yea: and then the king of France shall receive the king of England, duke of Guienne, by faith and mouth, saving any other their reciprocal rights.

"Moreover, when the said king and duke shall enter upon his homage to the king of France for the earldoms of Poitou and Montreuil, he shall put his hands into the hands of the king of France for the earldoms of Poitou and Montreuil; and the person who shall speak for the king of france, shall say thus: You become liegeman to the king my lord, here present, as earl of Poitou and Montreuil, and you promise to be faithful and loyal to him - Say Yea: and the king, as count of Poitou and Montreuil, shall say Yea: and then the king of France shall receive the said king and earl as leigeman by faith and mouth, saving any other his right. And in this manner shall all future homages be paid. Fot his cause we deliver over, for ourselves and our successors, dukes of Guienne, after homages done, letters patent, sealed with our great seal, if the king of France shall require it; and with this we promise to keep our on our faith the peace and concord most amicably between the kings of France and the above-mentioned kings of England, dukes of Guienne⁵."

These letters were carried to France by the aforesaid lords, and the king of France ordered them to be preserved in his chancery.

1: Lord Berners says "executions;" a fitter term. The death of the earl of Kent can scarcely be deemed an act of justice. The original reads - "ces deux grans justices," which the last word is properly rendered executions.

2: Dr. Stephen Gravesend, bishop of London; Dr. John Stratford, Bishop of Winchester; Dr. Henry Burwash, Bishop of Lincoln.

3: See Rymer, anno 1329, for the names of those who passed over to France with king Edward.

4: In Rymer, there is a memorandum that the king embarked at Dover for France, at mid-day, the 26th of May, 1329.

5: See the copy of the original instrument of the homage and the witnesses to it, in Rymer, anno 1329. Also another, of which this in Froissart seems a copy, signed at Eltham, march 31, 1331.

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The Chronicles of Sir John Froissart

King Edward pays homage to the King of France for the Duchy of Guienne.