Link LinkThe English king was so active from the time of his landing in Brittany, that he advanced with his whole army before Vannes, and laid siege to it. At that time there was in Vannes Olivier de Clisson, sir Hervé de Léon, the lord of Tournemine, sir Geoffry de Malestroit, sir Guy de Loheac, who having imagined for some time that the king of England would come to Brittany, had amply provided the town and castle with men, and every kind of stores and provisions. When the king had quartered his men, he ordered an assault, and his archers to make good use of their bows. This lasted half a day; but he won nothing, though they laboured hard, so well was the town defended. As soon as the countess of Montfort knew of the arrival of the king of England, she set out from Hennebon, accompanied by sir Walter Manny and other knjghts and squires, and came towards Vannes to compliment the king, and entertain him and all the barons of his army. After a stay of four days, she and her suite returned to Hennebon.
We must now speak of the lord Charles of Blois, who remained in the city of Nantes. When he was informed that the king of England was come into Brittany, he signified it to the king of France, his uncle, in order to obtain assistance. The king of England perceiving that Vannes was strong, and well provided with every necessary, and hearing from his people that the country round about was poor, and so destroyed that they had difficulty in getting forage for themselves and horses, as they were very numerous, ordered the earl of Arundel, the baron of Stafford, sir Walter Manny, sir Yves de Tresiquidi, sir Girard de Rochefort, with five hundred men at arms and six thousand archers, to remain there. He himself, with the rest of his army advanced towards Rennes, burning and ruining the country on all sides, and was most joyfully received by his army, who lay before it, and had been there for a considerable time. When he had tarried five days, he learnt that the lord Charles was at Nantes, collecting a large force of men at arms. He set out, therefore, leaving those whom he had found at Rennes, and came before Nantes, which he besieged as closely as he could; but he was unable to surround it, such was its size and extent. The marshals therefore, and their people, overran the country, and destroyed it. The king of England drew out one day his army in battle array on a hill near Nantes, in expectation that the lord Charles would come forth, and offer him an opportunity of fighting with him: but, having waited from morning till noon in vain, they returned to their quarters: the light horse however, in their retreat, galloped up to the barriers, and set fire to the suburbs.
The king of England, in this manner, remained before Nantes: the lord Charles, who was within it, sent frequent information to the king of France of the state of his affairs, who had already ordered his son, the duke of Normandy, to his assistance, and which duke was then come to Angers, where he had fixed the rendezvous for his forces that came to him from all quarters. During this siege, the king of England made frequent skirmishes, but without success, always losing some of his men. When, therefore, he found he could gain nothing by his assaults, and that the lord Charles would not come out into the plains to fight with him, he established there the earl of Oxford, sir Henry Beaumont, the lord Percy, the lord Roos, the lord Mowbray, the lord Delawar, sir Reginald Cobham, sir John Lisle, with six hundred men armed and two hundred archers. He himself advanced into the country of Brittany, wasting it wherever he went, until he came to the town of Dinant, of which sir Peter Portebœuf was governor. He immediately laid siege to it all round, and ordered it to be vigorously assaulted: those within made a valiant resistance. Thus did the king of England, in one season and in one day, make an asault by himself, or those ordered by him, upon three cites in Brittany and a good town.
