FRANCE.

The unhappy Guy was taken and imprisoned, and Boniface excommunicated Philippe, who sent violent men to threaten the Pope in 1304, and thus drove him to a frenzied suicide. Through the French cardinals Philippe obtained the election of Clement V. in 1305, a miserable creature of his.

THE PAPACY IN BONDAGE TO FRANCE.

ENGLAND.

15

In 1307, Philippe demanded of Clement the suppression of the Order of the Temple, who had become dangerously powerful. The prosecution lasted seven years; the knights being accused of horrible crimes, tortured, and burnt for heresy.

In 1314, the Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was burnt at the stake only a few months before Philippe's death.

LOUIS VI. (Hutin) had a feeble, foolish reign of little more than a year, and was succeeded in 1316 by his brother PHILIPPE V. (le Bon), who reigned six years. On his death in 1322 his brother, CHARLES IV. (le Bel), succeeded, but showed little power or ability.

In 1328, the sons of Philippe IV. having all died without male heirs, the crown passed to Philippe, count de Valois, son to the brother of Philippe IV., after what was the supposed law of the Salic Franks, but Edward III. put in a claim through his mother, Isabel. He, however, did homage for Guienne, reserving his rights.

Philippe was an uncertain, violent man, with some flash of chivalry, but very unjust.

The Count-dauphin of Vienne left his county to Jean, son of the king, and thence "dauphin" became the title of the heir-apparent.

In 1308, Edward II. married Isabel, daughter of Philippe.

In 1305, ROBERT BRUCE, a half English, half Scots baron, with some Scottish royal blood, put himself at the head of the Scots outlaws, and was crowned.

In 1307, on his way to repress the rising, Edward I. died at Burgh-on-the-Sands.

In 1308, in the first year of Edward II., it became understood that a law was not valid without the assent of Parliament. EDWARD II., weak, licentious, and led by favourites, neglected the Scottish war. His first favourite, Piers Gaveston, was murdered by the barons in 1312, and he afterwards led an army to Scotland, but was utterly routed at Bannockburn in 1314.

In 1316, Edward II. took for his second favourite Hugh le Despenser, who was banished by the nobles, led by the Earl of Lancaster, in 1321; but Edward, recovering power in 1322, put Lancaster to death in 1323, and made peace with Scotland, and recalled the Despensers.

In 1325, on a summons to Edward to do homage for Guienne, Isabel offered to take her son to France to perform it in his stead. She there obtained an army of adventurers, with whom she returned to England, and with the aid of her lover Mortimer overcame the king, in 1327, seized and executed the

In 1330, Robert of Artois, misused by Philippe, took refuge in England, and Philippe was so displeased at his being there sheltered as to become Edward's bitter enemy, destroying merchant ships, fostering pirates, and stirring up the Scots to war.

Despensers, gave the crown to her son, EDWARD III., and in 1328 caused the deposed king to be murdered in Berkeley Castle.

After a marauding expedition of the Scots into Northumberland, which young Edward III. vainly opposed, he owned Robert I. as King of Scots in 1330. He soon after overthrew Mortimer, and reigned alone. He was brilliant and popular, though dissipated, and was regarded as a great promoter of commerce.

In 1333, after Bruce's death, the Scots broke the truce, upon which Edward set up Balliol's son as King of Scotland, and, while DAVID II. (son to Bruce) fled to France, endeavoured to subdue the country.

THE PAPACY AT AVIGNON.

17

FRANCE.

knight, Bertrand Duguesclin, collected and led them (in 1365) to Castile, to dethrone the tyrant Pedro IV. on behalf of his illegitimate brother Enrique.

In 1369, Duguesclin being ransomed defeated and slew Pedro at Montiel, and placed Enrique on the throne.

In 1378, Bertrand Duguesclin was made Constable of France.

In 1379, there was a great revolt of the Flemish towns, who expelled their Count, Louis le Mâle.

In 1380, Charles V. died, leaving his son, Charles VI, nine years old, to the guardianship of his uncles of Berry, Burgundy, and Anjou. Duguesclin died before the Castle of Rendom, and Clisson became Constable.

In 1382, young Charles was conducted to put down the revolt of the Flemings, who were overthrown at the battle of Rosbecque.

In 1367, Pope Urban V. moved the papal court back to Rome, but only remained there three years.

Charles V., skilfully avoiding open war, used his power as suzerain to undermine that of the Black Prince at Bordeaux. A hearth-tax was imposed by the prince in 1370. It excited much discontent, and was appealed against. Charles summoned the prince to answer the appeal; he was enraged, and renewed the war. He was carried in a litter to the revolted town of Limoges, which he caused to be sacked and cruelly treated. The policy of Charles was to allow no pitched battles with the English, but to take castle after castle and harass them out.

In 1375, Lancaster marched from Brittany to Bordeaux without once meeting an enemy, but arrived exhausted in men and money.

Pope Gregory V. again removed to Rome; but on his death two parties arose. One elected a pope willing to remain at Rome, the other one desirous to remain at Avignon. Thus arose the Great Schism. The English held with the Roman pope, the French with the antipope at Avignon.

In 1389, CHARLES VI. assumed the government, but was weak and violent. Montfort, duke of Brittany, was greatly hated for his English propensities, and quarrels ran so high between him and the Constable de Clisson, that he caused the Constable to be attacked in the streets of Paris. In 1392, the

Richard was inclined to peace, and this alienated the nobles, who regarded him as frivolous. At the Wonderful Parliament (in 1386) his uncle Gloucester seized his ministers, put Sir Simon Burley to death, and banished his favourite, Robert de Vere.

In 1388, the gallant chivalrous skirmish of Otterburn was fought between English and Scots.

In 1389, Richard tried to regain his power, but was too unpopular to succeed except by the support of Lancaster, who aided him against Gloucester's ambition. Gloucester stirred up the discontent of the country against the cessation of the war, and constantly browbeat his nephew the king.

D

18

INVASION OF FRANCE BY HENRY V.

FRANCE.

king, on his way to exact vengeance, was seized with an access of insanity, which returned at intervals all his life. His queen, Isabeau, was selfish and indolent; she intrigued with his brother Louis, duke of Orleans, and there was a perpetual feud between them and the Duke of Burgundy, while the king was cruelly neglected. Burgundy's magnificence made him all powerful at Paris.

In 1397, Richard II. married for his second wife Isabel, daughter of Charles.

ENGLAND.

In 1397, Richard seized and imprisoned Gloucester, who died in his hands.

In 1398, Henry, son of the Duke of Lancaster, accused Mowbray, duke of Norfolk, of treason, and offered to prove it by wager of battle; but Richard prevented the fight, and banished both.

In 1399, on his father's death, Henry returned, ostensibly to claim his inheritance; but, finding the great family of Percy and the people willing to join him, he obtained the crown, and deposed Richard, who perished in captivity, in 1400.

In 1402, the Scots were defeated at Homildon; but HENRY IV., demanding the custody of the prisoners, offended the Percys, who turned at once against him, taking up the cause of the direct heir, Edmund Mortimer, who had been set aside.

In 1404, Henry IV. defeated them at Shrewsbury; but his reign was full of plots and troubles. He captured the heir of Scotland on his way to be educated in France, and held him in captivity.

In 1404, Philippe, duke of Burgundy, died, and Louis of Orleans held the chief power, but with bitter enmity from Jean, duke of Burgundy. After an endeavour at pacification, Louis was murdered, in 1407, in the streets of Paris by order of Burgundy, and a friar preached a sermon in justification of the deed. The duke's great power and his influence in Paris bore him off unscathed.

In 1413, Louis the dauphin assumed the government, and in 1414 expelled Jean of Burgundy from Paris. The city was in a state of horrible disorder, divided into the parties of Burgundians and Armagnacs, as the enemies of Burgundy were called from the Count of Armagnac, who had great ascendency over the dauphin, and held the chief power in

In 1416, the dauphin Louis died, and next year the dauphin Jean; and the queen, who detested the Armagnac influence over her third son, Charles, fled and made common cause with Burgundy. Paris was given up to Burgundy by his partisans, who made a frightful massacre of the Armagnacs.

In 1419, Charles the dauphin, with some Armagnac chiefs, invited the Duke of Burgundy to a conference on the bridge of Montereau, and there assassinated him. They then retired into the south of France, where they continued a feeble resistance to

In 1414, a council of the Western Church met at Constance and put an end to the Great Schism. Henry V. asserted the old claim of Edward III. to the French crown, and was replied to in foolish bravado by the dauphin Louis. He landed (in 1415) in Normandy, took Harfleur, and gained a splendid victory over Louis and all the French nobility at Azincour, making prisoners young Orleans and half the nobles of France, whom he refused to ransom.

Henry continued his conque: of Normandy.

In 1419, Henry took the city of Rouen.

In 1413, Henry IV. died, prematurely worn out. HENRY V., full of vigour and enterprise, succeeded, and saw that war alone would keep the nobles from turbulence at home.

In 1415, Richard Plantagenet, who had mar ried the sister of Mortimer, plotted to obtain the crown, but Mortimer revealed the treason, and Richard suffered death, leaving a son, Richard, duke of York.

The English were in raptures with Henry's conquests, and supplied him with men and money.

FRANCE. Henry, chiefly supported by Réné and Charles, sons of Louis, titular king of the Two Sicilies, and Count of Anjou. The dauphin's wife, Marie, was their sister.

In 1421, Scottish warriors came in large numbers

to assist the French.

In 1422, Charles VI. died at Paris, and his son, CHARLES VII., was proclaimed at Bourges, but lived there in ease and dissipation, as if indifferent.

In 1433, the Duke of Lorraine died. The duchy was claimed by his sister, wife of Réné, but was seized by order of Philippe of Burgundy. The Duke of Burgundy was reconciled to Charles VII. and forsook the English. Réné was made prisoner while fighting for Lorraine.

In 1436, a brilliant chivalry began to grow up around Charles. The Count de Richemont was the ablest of his leaders, and many irregular enterprises were undertaken, usually to the profit of the French; but the lawlessness and insubordination were extreme, and the country was dreadfully pillaged and oppressed, until Charles, reviving from his sloth, modelled his army, brought the men under discipline, and put down the bands of marauders, in 1440.

Charles's able financier, Jacques Cœur, enabled him to consolidate his power, and win back his kingdom

Philippe, son and heir to the murdered Duke of Burgundy, joined Henry, in order to obtain vengeance, admitted him to Paris, and forced the queen and the helpless and imbecile Charles VI. to give him their daughter Catherine in marriage, and disinherit their son in his favour, making him regent during the king's lifetime. He held all the northern provinces, and the only reverse that befell him was that during his absence in England (in 1421) his brother Thomas was killed in the battle of Beaugé.

In 1422, the infant Henry was proclaimed at Paris king of France. The Duke of Bedford, brother to Henry V., was regent, continued the war with vigour, and obtained the great victories of Crevant in 1424, and of Verneuil in 1425.

In 1428, the English endeavoured to extend their conquests beyond the Loire, and besieged the city of Orleans, defeating the French, who tried to cut off their supplies, at the Battle of the Herrings, in 1429. The peril of the country roused high religious enthusiasm in a peasant girl named Jeanne d'Arc. She roused such a spirit in the army that she saved Orleans, and conducted Charles VII. in triumph to be crowned at Rheims; but the French king and nobles never really appreciated her, she was ill supported, was taken by the English and Burgundians, who put her to death at Rouen as a witch in 1431. In 1433, the Duke of Bedford died at Rouen from anxiety and toil.

The Parisians opened their gates to the troops of Charles and expelled the English. The Duke of York, under Gloucester's patronage, became regent in France, but the public service was impeded by jealousies between him and the Duke of Somerset, head of the Beauforts. Cardinal Beaufort made an attempt at negotiation in 1439

ENGLAND.

In 1422, Henry V. died of a short illness, at Vincennes; and his son, HENRY VI., nine months old, was crowned, and placed under the protectorship of his uncles, the Duke of Gloucester, and Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester (son to John of Gaunt). These two were continually disputing for the chief power, and hated one another bitterly.

In 1429, the rule was established that knights of the shire, i.e. members of Parliament, must be elected by freeholders.

In 1433, the Duke of Gloucester led the popular cry to continue the war, while Cardinal Beaufort would have concluded a peace; but the pride of the Beaufort family and their claims to royal blood made them very hateful to the nation. The king, now come to man's estate, was pious and gentle, but weak. He was desirous of peace, but Gloucester opposed it. The king founded Eton and King's College, Cambridge, and delighted in learning and devotion.