JOANNA OF NAVARRE,

Queen of Benry the Fourth.

CHAPTER I.

Joanna's parentage-Birth-Childhood-Marriage to the Duke of BrittanyHorrible death of her father-Her husband's jealousy of Clisson-Its consequences -Joanna's children-The Duke and Clisson at war-The Duke orders the ambassadors from the court of Paris to be seized-Joanna prevents his purpose, and prevails on him to do fealty to King Charles of France-He protects the murderer of Clisson-The King of France, whilst marching against his Duchy, goes madJoanna intercedes and again restores peace, which is soon broken-Marriage of Joanna's son John, and her daughter Mary-The Duke of Brittany visits England.

OANNA of Navarre, hostages for the future good conduct of a Queen scarcely their bad, bold father, who, to obtain mentioned by En- the disputed crown of France, resorted glish historians, was again and again to treachery, craft, and the daughter of crime, the foulest on record. After reCharles d'Albert, maining for a considerable period in not that King of Na- dishonourable nor rigorous confinement varre whose evil re- at Paris, they were released at the earpute obtained for him the surname of nest instance of John of Castile, a the Bad, and his wife, Joanna, daughter prince to whom Joanna had been beof the unfortunate John the First, King trothed in 1380, but who, for political of France. Joanna entered the world reasons, had broken his troth with her, about the year 1371, and whilst yet a and espoused a Princess of Arragon. laughing girl, she and two of her brothers were made captives, and detained as

His mother was Joanna, the only surviving child of Louis the Tenth of France. The Salic law prevented Joanna from ascending the French throne; but she married the Count of Evreux, and transmitted to her son, Charles, the kingdom of Navarre, and the counties of Bric and Champaigne, petty dominions which she possessed in her own right.

To obviate the advantages of an alliance with England, the Dukes of Burgundy and Berri, her maternal uncles, selected her as the third wife of Duke John the Fourth of Brittany, surnamed the Valiant. The marriage was negociated early in the year 1386, and solemnized on the eleventh of September, at Saillé, near Guerraud, in Navarre. All the leading nobility of Brittany and

Navarre graced the nuptials with their presence, and Duke John testified his joy by keeping an open house for a fortnight afterwards at Nantes, where all comers were sumptuously feasted and entertained with pageants, mummeries, jousts, and other sports and gaieties.

Joanna had been a wife but a few months, when her no less profligate than perfidious father met with a horrible death.

"At last," says Mezerai, "by a just punishment from heaven, Charles the Wicked, who had blown up so many flames, and burnt so many entrails with his deadly poisons, and who had long suffered from so many bodily maladies, was most cruelly burnt himself. He had caused the whole of his body to be wrapped in sheets, saturated with a solution of spirits of wine and sulphur, with a view to restore heat and vigour to his paralytic frame. By some accident this took fire, and burned him so dreadfully that the flesh fell from the bones, and three days afterwards he expired in excruciating agony, on the first of January, 1387."

see his newly-built castle of Ermine, After they had examined the chambers, the stables, and the wine-cellars with infinite delight, the constable incautiously went into the keep alone, where he was suddenly seized by four armed men, who loaded him with irons, and shut him in a dark, dank dungeon. As they closed the door upon him it was slammed with violence; Laval and Beaumanoir heard the noise, and suspecting a plot against the constable, accused the Duke to his face of treachery. Words ran highvillain, traitor, and other opprobrious epithets passed from mouth to mouth; and at length, the Duke, in a fit of fury, ordered Beaumanoir to be arrested, ironed, and locked up. The duke then called in his trusty servant, Bazvalen, and taking him aside, commanded him to see that Clisson was privately assassinated at midnight. Bazvalen, however, had not the heart to commit so brutal a murder; and on the next morning, when his anger had subsided, the Duke, right glad that his sanguinary mandate was unfulfilled, released Clisson and Beaumanoir for a ransom of one hundred thousand francs, and several castles.

Just previous to his death, which none but his relations moaned, Charles the Bad basely insinuated to Duke John The constable, incensed beyond meathat a criminal intimacy had taken place sure against the Duke of Brittany, now between his fair young bride, the hastened to Paris, and accusing him of Duchess of Brittany, and his wealthy treason, threw down his gage of battle, vassal, Clisson, the powerful Constable which, however, no one took up. The of France. This insinuation so excited French King, indignant at the arrogance the ire of the irrascible duke, that he and disloyalty of the duke, addressed to vowed to be revenged or die in the at- him several sharp reproofs; but so far tempt; and but for the wise counsel and from apologizing, John the Valiant restrenuous efforts of Joanna, who possess-plied that he regretted nothing so much ed great influence over his heart, he, to punish the guiltless Clisson, would, doubtless, have brought ruin on the heads of his friends and himself.

Not dreaming of harm, Clisson, in 1387, went to dispatch the fleet destined for the invasion of England, from Triguier in Brittany, to join the armament at Sluys.

On hearing that Clisson was in Brittany, Duke John resolved to be revenged upon him. For this purpose he invited him to dinner; and afterwards prevailed on him, together with the Lords Laval and Beaumanoir, to come with him and

as releasing Clisson, when he might have taken his life. The French monarch answered these insolent taunts by a declaration of war, which was met with bombastic threats and scornful defiances from the more valiant than discreet duke. The fury of the gathering storm was, however, averted by the tact and discretion of Joanna, who seconded the efforts of the council of Brittany so effectually, that in 1388, Duke John relented, restored to the constable his money and his castles; and by the favour of the Dukes of Burgundy and Berri, was received with kindness by his

king, to whom he performed a reluctant | tardly attempt upon the life of the conhomage at Paris. stable in the Place de St. Katherin, Meanwhile Joanna became enceinte. Paris, the French King again declared As the two former wives of her husband, war against him, and with a large army Duke John, had proved childless, he marched against the duchy. The ruin now longed for an heir; but, to his an- of herself and her family was now noyance, the infant proved a girl, who, fully anticipated by the sorrowing Joto the sorrow of her mother, died when anna. But by a singular turn of fortune, only a few months old. The Duke's de- the dreaded blow was arrested when sire for a successor was, however, soon just about to fall. The French King, gratified; in December, 1388, Joanna bent upon the ruin of the ancient House brought into the world a son, christened of De Montfort, collected a large army Pierre, but whose name was afterwards at Mans; the route lay across an arid changed to that of John. The birth of plain, the month was August, the heat the Princess Mary occurred shortly after-intense, the army proceeded slowly onwards, and Joanna became the mother of five other children by the Duke of Brittany, all of whom were born in quick

succession.

ward for several miles, when suddenly and with uncontrollable fury, the King, sword in hand, run at and maimed or killed all who came within his reach. For more than an hour he leaped in the air-writhed on the ground—gnashed his teeth-gnawed his clothes-and whilst foaming at the mouth, vented his passion in horrible oaths. His uncles were sent for, and when, by their orders, he was disarmed, it was discovered that he was raving mad. The army halted till the following day, when, as the King had not recovered his reason, he was conveyed home in a chariot, the troops were disbanded, and the expedition was abandoned.

In 1391, the Duke and Clisson were again at open war, and the King of France, to prevent the effusion of blood, summoned them both to appear before him. Instead of obeying this summons, the Duke renewed his ancient alliances with England; a step so repugnant to the court of France, that an embassy, headed by the Duke of Berri, waited upon him, and demanded a renewal of his fealty to his suzerain, the monarch of France. Believing that these ambassadors were only sent to humble him in the eyes of his subjects and strengthen Clisson and the duke now carried on the cause of Clisson against him, the fierce and murderous private warfare. haughty Duke John gave orders for From a petty feud the strife became getheir arrest. Fortunately, ere these neral; every Breton who could bear orders were put in execution, Joanna, arms took part in the contest; no quardreading the dangers to which so perfi-ter was shewn on either side; and at dious an outrage would expose the duchy, took her children in her arms, hastened to the presence of the Duke, and throwing herself at his feet, prevailed upon him, by the eloquence of her prayers and tears, to desist from his diabolical purpose, to receive the ambassadors with the honour due to their sacred. office, and to do the bidding of his liege lord by renewing his oath of allegiance.

But as the self-willed duke had obeyed the commands of his suzerain with reluctance, and as his hatred towards Clisson had so increased, that in defiance of his sovereign, he afforded a hidingplace to the outlawed Sir Pierre de Craon, who, in 1392, had made a das

length, the arts, trade, commerce, and the operations of husbandry were all suspended, and throughout the desolated duchy no sound was so audible as the din of arms; no cry so universal as the dying groans of the warrior, and the deep wailings of the famishing widows and orphans.

At length, however, Joanna, who was certainly a better politician than her hot-headed husband, succeeded in mediating a peace. The Duke, saith the Breton historians, was closely besieging Clisson in his castle of Josselin, when Viscount Rohan came to the duchess, and implored her to prevail on the duke to raise the siege, and take the rebel

Breton nobles again into favour. Towards Clisson, Joanna entertained no animosity, she therefore urged the duke so effectually that he raised the siege, and on Clisson agreeing to pay ten thousand gold francs, made peace with him and his confederates, who, in return, swore fidelity to the duke, the duchess, and their heirs. This treaty of peace was concluded in 1393 at Nantes, and being broken shortly afterwards, the duchy was again desolated by war.

In 1394, a marriage was proposed between the heir of Brittany and Joanna, the fourth daughter of the King of France, and shortly afterwards Joanna's daughter, Mary, was contracted to the Prince of Wales, afterwards Henry the

Fifth. This union was, however, prevented by the intrigues of France, and Mary of Brittany was subsequently married to John of Alencon. The marriage was solemnized in 1396, in which year the heir of Brittany was espoused to Joanna of France with great splendour at the Hotel de St. Pol.

It was in 1398, that John the Valiant visited England, and after doing homage to Richard the Second for his English possession, the Earldom of Richmond, gave him a receipt in full for all his debts to him: the English king gave the duke a similar acquittance, entertained him with great magnificence at Windsor, and on his departure presented him with a richly wrought golden circlet.

CHAPTER II.

Joanna's first interview with Henry of Lancaster-Her husband furnishes Henry with ships and men for his invasion of England-Death and burial of the Duke of Brittany-He names Joanna Regent during their son's minority-Inauguration of Duke John-Henry of Lancaster ascends the throne of England-He makes overtures of marriage to Joanna-She entreats the Pope-Is betrothed and married to Henry the Fourth-Her coronation-She endeavours to make peace between England and Brittany-Failure of her efforts-Her unpopularity-Her foreign attendants dismissed-Her dower and revenues-Her dress and the King's.

that his English friend only awaited his arrival to receive the standard of revolt. He therefore determined to return to England, and, to elude the suspicions of the French ministers, procured permission to visit the Duke of Brittany.

HE troubles in England now attracted the serious attention of the continental courts of Europe, and led to the first interview between Joanna By John the Valiant and his Duchess of Navarre and her Lancaster was cordially welcomed and second husband, Henry of Lancaster. honourably and magnificently enterWhen banished from England Henry tained. When he departed, he praised took up his residence in Paris, where he the beauty and accomplishments of Jowas hospitably entertained by the French anna, presented her with several valuable king, Charles. About December, 1399, jewels, and placed in her bosom a sprig he offered his hand to Marie, a daughter of that ancient emblematic flower the of the Duke of Berri. The jealousy of myosotis arvensis, or forget-me-not. LitRichard the Second took alarm, and the tle did the Duke John dream when he Earl of Salisbury hastened to Paris, pro- fitted out Lancaster with three ships full nounced Henry an English traitor, pre- of cross-bow men and men-at-arms to vented the match, and prevailed on the proceed on his venturous invasion of French king to order him to withdraw England, that before the close of the from Paris. At this juncture Lancaster year he would be numbered with the received intelligence that King Richard dead, that the crown of England would was in Ireland quelling a civil war, and be worn by Lancaster, and that that

crown would be shared by the widowed Duchess of Brittany, Joanna of Navarre. As Duke John was the sworn friend and faithful ally of Richard the Second, King of England, certainly nothing short of the all-powerful influence of his beloved Duchess could have prevailed upon him to receive his nephew, Henry of Lancaster, with open arms, and furnish him with the means of the invasion of England. But whether it was a presentiment that Lancaster would ere long be her husband, or any other less potent consideration, that induced Joanna to procure for him the friendship and support of the Duke of Brittany, is nowhere recorded.

Shortly after the departure of Lancaster from Brittany, Duke John died rather suddenly. His fatal illness, although short, was so severely painful, that the Breton chroniclers attribute his death to either poison or sorcery. He expired on the first of November, 1399, at the castle of Nantes, and in the presence of his affectionate wife Joanna, who soothed him in his dying moments, mourned his loss with bitter grief, and followed his remains to their final resting-place, the cathedral church of Nantes, where his effigy, in complete marble, may still be seen.

ferred on him the honour of knighthood, and immediately afterwards he knighted his younger brothers Arthur and Jules, the latter of whom was so young, that he could scarcely walk alone.

The inauguration of Duke John whilst yet a minor, startled the courts of Brittany and France. But Joanna's reasons for thus early relinquishing the regency could not long be kept a secret. Henry of Lancaster had succeeded in his bold enterprise, and ascended the throne of England as Henry the Fourth, and being a widower (death had deprived him of his first wife, Mary de Bohun, in 1394), he made proposals of marriage to Joanna of Navarre. These proposals were received with extreme pleasure by the widowed Duchess. Only a religious obstacle stood in the way of the match, and this was speedily removed by the tact and discretion of Joanna. Henry the Fourth, being a Wickliffite at heart, favoured the antipope, Boniface, and as Joanna supported the orthodox pope, Benedict, she kept the intended union a profound secret till she had obtained a bull from Benedict to marry any person she pleased in the fourth degree of consanguinity. This bull was obtained on the twentieth of March, 1402, and immediately afterwards the marriage articles were signed, By his will Duke John appointed Jo- and on the third of April Joanna was anna one of his executors, and regent betrothed by proxy to Henry the Fourth, during the minority of his heir, John de at the palace of Eltham. The betrothMontford. Immediately on assuming ment was performed in the presence of the regency, Joanna made overtures of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Earl peace to Clisson and the other malcon- of Worcester, the Lord Chamberlain, tent Breton nobles, and after much ne- and other court and state personages. gociation a reconciliation was effected, After the King, the Archbishop, and and Clisson and his partizans, together others were arranged, Joanna's proxy, with the other nobles and knights of Antony Ricze, entered, and taking his Brittany, swore allegiance to Joanna as place, read aloud a letter from the regent during the minority of their young Duchess, authorizing him to act for her; Duke, her son John. This arrangement he then took a solemn oath that Joanna was effected in January, 1400, and to- was free to marry whom she pleased, rewards the close of March in the subse-ceived the troth-plight from the King, quent year, Joanna put her youthful heir who placed the bridal ring on his finger, in possession of the duchy. The young and afterwards said: Duke, then only in his twelfth year, was solemnly inaugurated in the presence of a brilliant assemblage of magnates and prelates in the cathedral at Rheims. On the day before he was invested with the circlet and ducal sword. Clisson con

"I, Antony Ricze, in the person of my worshipful Lady, Dame Joanna, the daughter of the late King Charles the Second of Navarre, Duchess of Brittany, and Countess of Richmond, take you, Henry of Lancaster, King of England