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The succeeding two years were passed by the royal couple at Shene, a favorite summer residence because of the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
A.D. 1389.At the meeting of parliament in 1389the Duke of Gloucester, with his adherents, established a reign of terror that made fidelity to the king and queen an offence. Several members of Queen Anne's household were selected as victims, principally because they favored the cause of the Reformation and read the works of Wickliffe and Lollard. The queen spared no pains in trying to save her friends, ardasked them, "how old he was."
"Twenty-two," was the reply, whereupon he declared that his ancestors had been considered of age much earlier, and it was therefore his intention to submit to control no longer. A sort of recoronation then took place at St. Stephen's Chapel, when the nobility renewed their oaths to the young sovereign, who thenceforth governed the kingdom himself.
A splendid tournament was held in honor of this event, over which Queen Anne presided. Sixty of her ladies, mounted on fine horses, each led by a knight, rode, to the sound of the trumpets, and attended by a train of minstrels, through the streets of London. When they arrived at the tilting-grounds at Smithfield, they passed before the queen, who was already seated on a richly decorated stand, then placed themselves on either side of her. The prizes consisted of a richly jewelled clasp and a gold crown, which the queen presented to the victors with her own hands. At the close of the match, a fine banquet was served, succeeded by dancing, which was kept up until a late hour in the night.
A.D. 1392.In 1392 King Richard applied to the citizens of London for a loan of a thousand pounds. It was refused, but a wealthy Italian came forward and offered the whole of the sum, whereupon a mob set upon the unfortunate money-lender and tore him to pieces. Such a formidable riot was the result of this outrage that Richard took away the city charter and removed the law courts to York. This was a dilemma that had not been counted on, and occasioned so much distress and disturbance that Queen Anne was again called upon to act as mediator. This time she merely persuaded her husband to make a public
passage through London with her, trusting to the citizens to do their part, which she would follow up with her request at the proper moment.The king, with his escort, appeared first in the procession, then followed the queen and her ladies. She wore her crown, a robe of rich velvet, and a large collar of precious stones that blazed in the sunlight as she moved along. The procession halted at Southwark bridge, where it was welcomed by the lord-mayor and other authorities, followed by representatives of every branch of trade carrying various devices. There the king was presented with a pair of snow-white horses, covered with trappings of gold cloth to which silver bells were attached. The queen received a beautiful white palfrey, and after listening to a long speech by the lord mayor, the procession moved on. All the streets through which they passed were hung with flags, banners and rich tapestry, the public fountains flowed with wine. At different points bands of music and singers were stationed, the latter strewing the path with fresh flowers as the royal couple approached. Some rare and valuable gifts were presented, among which was a tablet set in jewels with the crucifixion engraved thereon. The king took it in his hand and said: "Peace be to this city!" Another was handed to the queen bearing a request that she would not fail to plead for the king's pardon. She cast her eyes over it and said, with a confident air, "leave all to me."
On arriving at Westminster Palace, the king entered first, and proceeding to the great hall, mounted the throne, sceptre in hand, and awaited the arrival of the queen and the rest of the procession. After all had assembled, her majesty knelt at the feet of her royal spouse and in a firm, clear voice made an humble and loving appeal that the charters and liberties of his penitent subjects might be restored.
"Be satisfied, dearest wife," answered Richard, taking her hand and raising her from her lowly position, "loth should we be to deny thee any reasonable request. Meantime ascend, and sit beside me on my throne, while I speak a few words to my people."His majesty then addressed the lord-mayor, thanked him for the exhibition of loyalty that had been made that day, as well as for the costly presents made to himself and his wife, bade him keep the peace of the city, and handed him back the key and sword of his office. This reconciliation cost the city ten times as much as the loan their sovereign had required. King Richard was preparing for a campaign in Ireland in the June of 1394 when his beloved wife was taken from him. She died at Shene, and in the bitterness of his grief, unable to bear the sight of the palace in which he had spent so many happy hours with his late companion, Richard had it destroyed.
The body of Anne of Bohemia was carried in grand procession to London and buried at Westminster.
King Richard went to Ireland shortly after, and frequently in the council-chamber of Dublin when anything recalled his "good Queen Anne" to his thoughts he suddenly would burst into tears and leave the room.
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It seems strange that when Richard II. reached the age of thirty he should have had a fancy to share his throne with a child of nine, yet that was the age of Isabella of Valois, when he married her.
She was the eldest daughter of Charles VI. of France and the wicked Isabeau of Bavaria; but fortunately she inherited nothing from her mother but her beautiful dark eyes and clear olive complexion; her goodness and lovely character she got from her father.
When Richard was told that Isabella was too young for him, he replied: "that every day would remedy the deficiency of age, and her youth was one of his reasons for preferring her, because he should educate her to his own mind, to the manners and customs of the English; and that, as for himself, he was young enough to wait for her."
A.D. 1396.When the English ambassadors waited on Isabella to solicit her hand for Richard, one of them dropped upon his knees and said: "Madam, if it please God, you shall be our lady and queen." Without any prompting, the little maid replied; "Sir, if it please God and my lord and father that I be Queen of England, I shall be pleased thereat, for I have been told I shall then be a great lady."
Her appearance and manners were very pleasing, andfrom the time when it was proposed that she should marry Richard, she began to practise how to behave as queen, though she could not prepare herself for the sad experience that awaited her in that exalted position.
King Richard went to Paris, attended by a retinue of the first noblemen of his realm, to claim his little wife. At a magnificent dinner given by the King of France, the last of a series of entertainments that had been held in honor of his royal guest, Isabella was presented to her future lord. Then, attended by her parents and the whole court, she was conveyed in a rich litter to Calais, where the marriage ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. "The little queen," as Isabella was called from that time, made a public entry into London a few days later, when many rich and beautiful gifts were presented to her.
The bride's marriage portion consisted of 800,000 francs in gold. Her trousseau was magnificent; among the garments was a robe and mantle such as had never been seen in England for costliness. It was composed of crimson velvet, embossed with solid gold birds, perched on branches of real pearls and emeralds. Down each side was a border of miniver, there was a cape and hood of the same fur, and the mantle was lined throughout with ermine. Another robe was light blue velvet, embroidered with pearl roses; the little lady had besides coronets, rings, necklaces, and buckles worth a large sum of money and beautiful enough to delight the heart of any girl. Her bedroom curtains were of red and white satin with embroidered figures. Isabella was crowned at Westminster in 1397, when she was just ten years old; then she went to reside at Windsor, where her education was continued under the guidance of Lady de Courcy.
King Richard made frequent visits to his little wife, each
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one being the occasion of a holiday from study, and of a great deal of pleasure to the child who anticipated the appearance of her lord with no little impatience. Richard was always courteous and gentle in his manners towards ladies, and had a lively disposition, which rendered him a very congenial companion; besides, he dressed with such exquisite taste that the admiration he inspired in the heart of Isabella warmed into an affection that she never ceased to entertain for him as long as he lived.
When King Richard went to France to claim his bride, he spent so much money that he found himself deeply involved in debt. This led to a fierce struggle with the party headed by his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Earl of Arundel. At last Richard would bear it no longer, so he managed to rid himself of both his opponents. This he did by having the duke treacherously murdered, and the earl illegally executed.
But Richard was not accustomed to such cruel deeds, and his conscience troubled him to such a degree that he would often start up from his bed at night and cry out in horror: "That his bed was covered with the blood of the earl." The sudden death of Roger Mortimer, lord deputy of Ireland, to whom Richard was warmly attached, called him to that country to quell the rebellion that ensued.
Before his departure he went to Windsor to bid farewell to Isabella; while there he dismissed Lady de Courcy on account of excessive extravagance, and appointed his widowed niece, Lady Mortimer, in her stead, as governess and first lady of honor to his young consort.
The parting scene between the royal couple was very touching, the king lifting his wife up in his arms and kissing her repeatedly while offering words of hope and comfort.
Henry of Bolingbroke, who had been absent from Englandfor several years, returned while Richard was away,—a most unfortunate circumstance for the royal cause. The Duke of York, who acted as regent in the king's absence, was alive to the little queen's position, and hurried her off to the fortress of Wallingford.
Attended by sixty thousand fighting men, Henry of Bolingbroke marched through England and presented himself before the very gates of Flint Castle, where Richard, with a handful of faithful knights, had fortified himself. Upon Henry's boldly demanding admittance the king agreed to allow him, with eleven others, to pass the wicket of the castle. But it was soon evident that any such precaution was unnecessary, for on looking out of the window the king beheld the army that had come to besiege him, and surrendered himself at once.
While King Richard and Henry of Bolingbroke stood in the courtyard of the castle waiting for their horses, Math, the beautiful greyhound that always accompanied the king when he rode out, and would never follow nor notice anyone else, suddenly dashed through the court, leaped upon Henry, and put both paws on his shoulders, as he had been wont to do to the king. Henry asked the meaning of his being thus selected for the animal's caresses. "Cousin," replied the king sadly, "it means a great deal for you, and very little for me; for the natural instinct of my favorite dog prompts him to fondle and pay his court to you as King of England, which you will be, and I shall be deposed."
Richard was taken to London and lodged in the Tower, where he suffered torment because he could get no information as to the fate of his Isabella. After a time he offered to resign his crown to Henry of Bolingbroke, now called the Duke of Lancaster, but received only taunts and reproaches in reply. Meanwhile "the little queen" had been removed from Wallingford to Leeds Castle in Kent.At the next session of parliament, the members remained seated at Westminster Hall, while Henry, with a number of priests, dukes, and earls rode to the Tower, dismounted in the courtyard and entered the Hall. Then King Richard, on being summoned, walked in with his crown upon his head and the sceptre in his hand, and addressed the assembly as follows: "I have reigned King of England, Duke of Aquitaine, and Lord of Ireland about twenty-two years; which royalty, lordship, sceptre, and crown, I now freely and willingly resign to my cousin, Henry of Lancaster, and entreat of him in the presence of you all to accept this sceptre." The king was then conducted back to his apartments in the Tower, and the crown and sceptre were safely locked away in the treasury of Westminister Abbey.
The following October, Henry of Lancaster assembled parliament, and was crowned with great ceremony as Henry IV. Isabella had been removed to Sunning Hill, where she was treated as a state prisoner, and kept in ignorance of the fate of her husband.
Shortly after the coronation of Henry IV. a plot against his life was discovered, and then the fate of poor Richard was sealed, as we shall see.
Henry's attendants kept constantly reminding him, by hints and insinuations, that as long as Richard lived he could not reign peaceably, until worn out with care and anxiety he wearily asked one day while sitting at table: "Have I no faithful friend who will deliver me of one whose life will be my death, and whose death my life?" After such a speech from the king it was not likely that Richard's life would long be spared. His attendants began to treat him with so little ceremony at last that the royal prisoner remarked upon it one day when he was dining; whereupon he was informed that King Henry had given new orders.
"The devil take Henry of Lancaster and thee together!"exclaimed Richard in a passion, striking the attendant who had answered with a carving-knife. At that instant eight armed men rushed into the room; Richard started up, seized the weapon that the one nearest to him, held, and defended himself so valiantly that four of the attacking party were slain outright. Then while he was fiercely warding off the blows of three others, the leader of the band jumped upon the chair Richard had occupied while dining, and dealt him a blow on the back of his head that killed him instantly.
A.D. 1339.Thus fell the son of the Black Prince at the early age of thirty-two, and Queen Isabella was made a widow before she was thirteen.
The King of France was suffering from an attack of insanity, therefore could take no steps for the restoration of his daughter, but the French council requested Henry IV. to allow her to return to her native land. He refused, saying "that she should reside in England, as all other queen-dowagers had done, in great honor; and that if she had unluckily lost a husband she should be provided with another who would be young, handsome, and in every way deserving of her love, that person being no other than the Prince of Wales." But Isabella mourned her murdered spouse so sincerely that she rejected the gallant Henry of Monmouth and no longer felt any pride in being Queen of England.
When Charles VI. recovered, he sent ambassadors to inquire into the condition of his daughter in England, and to make arrangements for her return. But it was not until late in July, eighteen months after the death of Richard II. that his widow was restored to her parents. Henry had seized her jewels and dower, and refused to give them up.
A.D. 1402.The goodness and amiable disposition of the youthful queen had won the affection of her English ladies, and when she parted from them they wept so much
that she was obliged to comfort them, though she, too, was in tears.
In 1406 Henry IV. again proposed for the hand of Isabella for the Prince of Wales, declaring that if the marriage could be brought about he would abdicate the English crown in favor of his son. But the little queen had meanwhile promised to marry her cousin, Charles of Angoulême, sun of the Duke of Orleans. An unfavorable answer was therefore given to the English ambassadors, who were very much displeased at their failure.
Isabella was not married to her cousin until the murder of his father by the Duke of Burgundy made him Duke of Orleans.
A.D. 1410.She loved him dearly, and lived happily with him for nearly two years, but she was only a little more than twenty-one when her death occurred. This Duke of Orleans was a celebrated poet, whose compositions are still read in France. We quote one written shortly after his sad bereavement, but it is much prettier in the original French:—
"Alas!
Death, who made thee so bold,
To take from me my lovely princess?
Who was my comfort, my life,
My good, my pleasure, my riches.
Alas! I am lonely, bereft of my mate
Adieu, my lady, my lily!
Our loves are forever severed."
It was to the Duke of Bretagne, Joanna of Navarre's first husband, that Henry IV. was partly indebted for his elevation to the throne of England. Henry was an exile when Richard II. was obliged to go to Ireland, and finding that a clear field was thus left for his return, he applied to the Duke of Bretagne for advice and assistance, and was unhesitatingly provided by him with vessels, soldiers, and arms. The use he made of them is recounted in the last reign.
Joanna, the duke's wife, met Henry of Bolingbroke, the first time when he was making his preparations for this expedition to England, and was very much pleased with his beauty and attractive manners.
A.D. 1401.When she had been a widow for two years, and Henry was established on the throne, she willingly accepted an offer of his hand in marriage. He had then been a widower since 1394, when Anne of Bohemia, his first wife, died.
Joanna of Navarre agreed to marry Henry IV., but she had a family of children, and before going to England she had to provide for them. She knew that it would be unwise to take her sons with her, and as the eldest had succeeded to his father's title, the people of Bretagne would naturally object to his making England his home, so she entered into a treaty with her uncle, the Duke of Burgundy,
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who faithfully swore to preserve the laws, liberties and privileges of the Bretons. Thereupon the little duke and his two brothers, Arthur and Jules, were placed under his care, and taken to Paris to live.
A.D. 1402.The two daughters accompanied their mother to Winchester, where King Henry awaited her. The marriage was publicly solemnized at the church, of St Swithin, and afterwards there was a splendid feast. The citizens of London made costly preparations to receive the bride, whose coronation took place Feb. 26, 1403, nearly three weeks after her landing in England.
Joanna was thirty-three years old at that time, but she was still handsome, majestic, and graceful; she was, besides, a woman of excellent common sense, but excessively avaricious. Indeed, this besetting sin not only prompted her to make unjust demands on her subjects, and to accept unlawful bribes, but also prevented her from performing those deeds of charity that one reasonably expects from people in lofty positions.
The festivities that succeeded the coronation were rudely interrupted by an attack of the Bretons on the merchant shipping along the coast of Cornwall. This made the queen distasteful to her new subjects at once, though as her own son, the Duke of Bretagne, was then entirely under the influence of the Duke of Burgundy, it was the French who were responsible for the attack. Then followed the Percy rebellion and the battle of Shrewsbury, where the king so nearly lost his life.
A.D. 1404Joanna further increased her unpopularity by filling her palace with her former subjects, an error that many Queens of England had made before her. But in this instance it was soon rectified, for the House of Commons took the matter in hand and cleared the royal household of nearly all the Breton servants. As the kingwas well aware that the voice of the people had secured for him his position, he dared not interfere.
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Three years after she had ascended the throne of England, Joanna was called upon to part with her daughters, because their brother, whose subjects they were, claimed them.
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He had a husband provided for each, and they were married soon after their return to France.
A.D. 1413.The death of Henry IV., which occurred in 1413, left Joanna again a widow. His interview with the Prince of Wales, during which he resigns his crown and offers most excellent advice, is correctly given in the fifth act of Shakespeare's Henry IV.
When the new king, Henry V., ascended the throne, he treated his stepmother with every mark of attention and respect, so much so that when he started on his expedition against France she was appointed regent in his absence.
A.D. 1415.The Duke of Bretagne took no part in this contest; but Queen Joanna's second son, Arthur, made the first attack on Henry's camp, at the head of two thousand French cavalry, near Agincourt. It was midnight on the eve of St. Crispin's day and a violent storm was raging when the assault was made. It resulted in victory for the English; Arthur was wounded and taken prisoner.
It was with an aching heart that Queen Joanna was called upon to receive the royal victor when all England rejoiced at his return; for her son-in-law and her brother had both been killed at the battle of Agincourt, and her son, Arthur, was brought to her kingdom in chains. She had been separated from the boy for twelve years, and now she was only permitted to give him a fond embrace, and then see him consigned to the gloomy Tower. Although Henry continued for a time to treat the queen with consideration, he would listen to no proposition or entreaty of hers for Arthur's release.
A.D. 1419.At last, on an accusation of witchcraft, preferred against Joanna by her confessor, who declared that she was planning with two sorcerers who were dealing with the powers of darkness for the destruction of the king, shewas committed to Pevensey Castle as a prisoner. Henry V. gave the queen no opportunity of justifying herself, but no attempt of hers on his life was ever proved.
A.D. 1422Her money was all appropriated by King Henry, and she did not regain her liberty until his death was at hand; then his conscience smote him, and he did his utmost to make amends.
Joanna lived many years to enjoy her restored liberty and kept her court chiefly at Havering Bower, surrounded by all the luxuries that wealth could procure.
She died in 1437, and was buried at Canterbury Cathedral beside Henry IV.
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Charles VI., King of France, and his wife, Queen Isabeau of Bavaria, had eight children, three sons and five daughters, of whom Katherine was the youngest. The boys became in turn Dauphins of France; Isabella, the eldest of the family, was married to Richard II. when she was only eight years of age, and had an experience throughout her short life such as has never been recorded of so young a girl. But she proved herself a devoted wife, and bore her sufferings with true heroism. She died when Katherine was only nine years old. Two of the daughters of Charles VI. became duchesses, Marie entered a convent, and the two little ones, Michelle and Katherine, at the respective ages of three and five, we find shut up in the dismal Hôtel de St. Paul with their brothers and their infirm father.
Queen Isabeau was one of the most wicked women that ever lived, for she not only joined her brother-in-law, the Duke of Orleans, in stealing the revenues of the royal household, thus leaving her husband and children with no means of support, but she neglected them most criminally, and then, for a long time, deserted them. The poor king was insane, which fact in itself would have kept any true wife at his side, but his guilty, wretched consort deserved neither the title of wife nor mother, for she neglected her duty as both. Her daughters inherited her splendid, large, dark eyes, as veil as her clear, brilliant complexion, but,fortunately for themselves and others, none of her wickedness.
While at the Hôtel de St. Paul these poor little children were almost starved to death, and as their mother had left them without a change of linen they ran about in filthy rags. Some of the inferior attendants of the palace had compassion enough to give them a little food, but the servants of the royal family were left without money, consequently they neither could nor would provide for the children. Their condition must have been pitiable, indeed, but God watched over them, and as by a miracle their father's reason suddenly returned to him one day. For a long while he had been totally unconscious of the misery that surrounded him. What must have been the agony of the good man when he beheld his own plight and that of his innocent, forsaken little ones? It makes one shudder at the thought. But it had a different effect on the cruel, infamous Isabeau; for no sooner did she hear that her husband's reason was restored than she began to tremble for her own safety, as well she might. She therefore hurried away to Milan, and ordered her brother Louis, who was as bad as she, to bring the children to her.
He obeyed, and not only carried off the five royal children but also those of the Duke of Burgundy. Their absence was soon discovered, and the duke sent a troop of armed men after them, who overtook them before they had got very far. After securing the children of both families the men turned respectfully to the Dauphin Louis, then only ten years old, and asked him "whither he would please to go."
"I will return to my royal father," replied the boy. He was eagerly obeyed and carried back to Paris with his companions.
Later, Isabeau got possession of the little Katherine, but her conduct became so infamous that she was imprisoned,
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excellent education. At the age of ten he played the harp well, and was extremely fond of music. Later in life he performed on the organ and composed sacred airs. After his mother's death, Richard II. took possession of the boy, who then lived at the palace, until he was placed at Oxford to complete his studies.
He was only sixteen years old when he fought at the barand the child was sent to a convent to be educated. We will leave her there for a while to tell something about Henry V., who became her husband.
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A.D. 1387.He was born in 1387, and was a very sickly infant, but he had a devoted mother, who took such good care of him that he soon grew strong. She gave him his first lessons in Latin, and he was afterwards blessed with an titleof Shrewsbury, where he proved himself a brave prince. He advanced too rashly on the enemy, and received a serious wound in the face that left a scar to the end of his life. On being advised to retire that the point of the arrow might be taken out, "To what place?" he asked, "who will remain fighting, if I, the prince, a king's son, retire for fear at the first taste of steel? let my fellow-soldiers see that I bleed at the first onset; for deeds, not words, are the duties of princes who should set the example of boldness."
Henry V. was extremely poor while he was Prince of Wales; but that did not prevent his enjoying himself, even though his dissipations, and recklessness forced him into company far beneath him in rank. He was at times so pushed for money that he would disguise himself as a highwayman, and lie in wait for the collectors of the rents due the crown and rob them. Sometimes he got soundly beaten himself, but he always rewarded those officers who made the boldest fight. He knew how to appreciate faithfulness, even when it told against himself.
He performed some of the wildest pranks when he lived at a manor near Coventry. On one occasion he and some of his friends were arrested by the mayor of that town for raising a riot, and this was not the only time that he was locked up in jail. The young nobles found that they could have so much liberty and fun at "Prince Hal's" house that they preferred it to the king's court. This made Henry IV. quite jealous at times, but it did not prevent their flocking to the manor and enjoying their mad frolics. During one of these, a favorite servant of the prince was arrested and taken before Judge Gascoigne. No sooner did Henry hear of it than he rushed to the court of justice, where the servant stood awaiting his trial. Walking boldly up to the man he endeavored to remove his chains; the judge interfered, whereupon the prince boxed his earssoundly. Such an outrage caused great indignation on the part of Gascoigne; who not only reproved the young man as he deserved, but actually had him locked up in the prison of the King's Bench. No doubt the prince regretted that he had allowed his temper to get the better of his common sense; for, after he had taken time to reflect, he submitted with a good grace to his well-merited punishment. When Henry IV. heard of this occurrence, he said: "he was proud of having a son who would thus submit himself to the laws, and that he had a judge who could so fearlessly enforce them."
For a long time the king had been trying to get a wife for his wild son, no doubt with the hope that marriage would improve his bad behavior. Several ladies had been proposed, but in each case something happened to prevent an engagement. At last both father and son seemed determined on obtaining the fair Katherine for the lofty station of Princess of Wales. The Duke of York was sent on a private mission to demand her hand in marriage for Prince Henry, and while he was absent the king died.
A short but fierce civil war had to be fought before Henry V. could take possession of the throne, because somebody raised a report that Richard II., who would have succeeded, was still alive. In order to restore peace, Henry was obliged to have Richard's corpse paraded through the streets. It was carried in a chair of state adorned with regal ornaments, Henry walking by its side, and all the court following. After a solemn ceremony it was safely laid away in Westminster Abbey, and tranquillity returned.
Then the new king made another application for the hand of Princess Katherine, at the same time demanding the enormous dowry of two millions of crowns and all the southern provinces of France.
Charles VI. tried to compromise,—and offered 450,000crowns. This the English lover refused with disdain. In fact, he wanted an excuse for invading France, so resolved to fight for Katherine the Fair, and to win her, as well as the gold and the provinces he had demanded, at the point of the sword. In order to raise money for this expedition he had to sell or pawn all the valuables he owned, but his ambition was aroused and he never doubted that "the game was worth the candle."
From Southampton Henry V. sent a letter to the King of France warning him of his intended invasion, and adding that if the southern provinces and the hand of Katherine were not bestowed on him at once he would take them by force.
The king replied: "If that was his mind he would do his best to receive him; but as to the marriage he thought it would be a strange way of wooing Katherine, covered with the blood of her countrymen." This answer might have had a favorable effect on the young king had not the Dauphin Louis excited his anger by sending him a cask of tennis balls, saying, "that they were fitter playthings for him, according to his former course of life, than the provinces he demanded."
"These balls," replied Henry, making an angry pun, "shall be struck back with such a racket as shall force open the Paris gates."
A.D. 1415.He left Southampton in August, 1415, and after a furious battle took possession of Harfleur in October. In the winter he finished his campaign by the victory of Agincourt, which shed everlasting glory on his name. But it was a sad day for the enemy. France was thrown into a dreadful panic by the number of her nobles and princes that were slain at that battle. The Dauphin Louis is said to have died of grief on account of it; but when, shortly after, his death was followed by that of his brother, there was a report that the unnatural Isabeau had poisoned both her sons.The malady of poor King Charles returned with so many misfortunes, and his wicked wife, taking advantage of the confusion in the country, made her escape from prison. She then joined the Duke of Burgundy, took the reins of government in her own hands, and obtained control of her beautiful daughter Katherine.
Strange to say, although this woman had so shamefully neglected her children when they most required her care, she became quite proud of Katherine when she saw her such a lovely young woman, and soon exercised a surprising influence over her. The young princess had set her heart on becoming Queen of England, and in this her mother heartily seconded her.
When Henry V. was laying siege to Rouen Isabeau sent him a picture of Katherine by an ambassador, who was to ask him, "whether so beautiful a princess required such a great dowry as he demanded with her?" The king gazed long and earnestly on the portrait, and acknowledged that it was suprisingly fair, but refused to diminish his demands in the least.
A.D. 1418.At last the city of Rouen fell. France was in a state of despair, and the queen resolved to try what effect Katherine herself would have on the proud heart of the conqueror, since her picture had failed to satisfy him. A truce was therefore obtained and a conference appointed at a town called Pontoise.
The poor crazy king, with the queen and Katherine, came to the place of meeting in a richly ornamented barge. There was a large enclosure made with planks on the banks of the river Seine; outside were tents and pavilions covered with blue and green velvet worked with gold. Some of these were occupied by the King and Queen of France, the Princess, the Duke of Burgundy, his council and a thousand soldiers. Then the King of Englandarrived with his two brothers and his escort of men-at-arms, and took possession of the remaining tents.
When the conference was about to commence the queen entered the enclosure from the right side followed by Katherine. The King of England entered from the left, advanced towards the queen, whom he saluted with profound respect, and kissed her as well as the princess. He then took his seat opposite, while the Earl of Warwick made a long speech in French. Some time was spent in discussion, when the parties took leave of each other and separated, leaving everything as unsettled as before. Three weeks later the same personages, with the exception of Katherine, met for another conference on the same spot. Finding that her daughter's beauty had not induced the conqueror to lower his demands, Queen Isabeau would not permit Katherine to be present the second time. This arrangement displeased Henry very much, for he was desperately in love with the handsome dark-eyed princess. Still he remained firm, and the second conference ended as unsatisfactorily as the first had done.
Hoping that the family of his beloved would send some flattering messages, Henry waited a few days; but losing patience at last he demanded a third interview. He had now made up his mind that he would be satisfied with something less than he had at first required, and felt certain that he would only have to open his arms to receive his pretty lady-love. But lo, to his great surprise and disappointment, on arriving at Pontoise he found the tents removed, the fence that marked the enclosure torn down, and all the planks taken away, showing plainly that the marriage treaty was supposed to be at an end. It served him right, but he looked upon himself as the injured party, and flew into a perfect rage. He now loved Katherine more than before, and turning to the Duke of Burgundy,the only member of the royal family of France who was present, he said; "Fair cousin, we wish you to know that wewillhave the daughter of your king, or we will drive him and you out of his kingdom." The duke replied angrily, and many high words passed between the two men before they separated.
Henry continued his war in France, conquering at every step, until, reduced to dire distress, the royal family were forced to pocket their pride, and beg to have the marriage treaty renewed. Henry was even asked to name his own terms. He haughtily replied: "That he had been deceived so often that he would treat with no one but the Princess Katherine herself, who, he was sure, would not try to deceive him." This message was carried to the queen, who returned a love-letter written by the princess, and a request that Henry would come to Troyes for the ceremony of espousal. He consented with pleasure.
Henry V. had not been modest in his demands, for with the hand of Katherine he was to receive not only the provinces he had named in the first instance, but also the regency of the whole of France, thus disinheriting the older children of the royal family.
A.D. 1420.On his arrival he was conducted with great ceremony to the Hôtel de Ville, where apartments had been provided for him, and the next day he met Queen Isabeau and his lady-love at the church of Notre Dame, where, before the high altar, the articles of peace were read and signed. Henry's tall, handsome figure was well set off that day by the magnificent suit of burnished armor in which he appeared. In his helmet was a fox's tail ornamented with precious stones. A flowing plume would have been much prettier, but he liked to dress oddly sometimes, and no doubt thought that a little surprise of this sort would excite Katherine's interest.After the treaty was signed, King Henry requested an interview with his lady-love, which was granted, nobody besides being present excepting one female attendant. Katherine could speak little English, and Henry's knowledge of French was slight, which made their love scene, as Shakspeare has represented it, quite laughable. When he asks her: "Do you like me, Kate?" she replies: "Pardonnez moi, I cannot tell vat is—'like me?'" But when he tells her she is like an angel, her knowledge of English serves her very well, though she modestly refers to her attendant, who speaks worse than she does, to have it explained.
Henry makes a long speech, assuring her of his love, and asking for hers in return, and this she understands so well as to say: "Is it possible dat I sould love de enemy of France?"
"No," he replies, "it is not possible you should love the enemy of France, Kate; but in loving me you should love the friend of France; for I love France so well that I will not part with a village of it: I will have it all mine; and, Kate, when France is mine and I am yours, then yours is France, and you are mine."
That puts her head all in a whirl, and she says, with a slight frown: "I cannot tell vat is dat." But the lover soon explains all that he wants her to understand and receives her promise to marry him. Placing a superb ring of great value upon her finger, Henry kisses his lady-love and thus ends the ceremony of betrothal.
The following month they were married; but this event did not put an end to the war, for the honeymoon was passed amidst a series of sieges and bloodshed, and there is no account of Katherine's once interceding with her husband for her wretched country. If she had not been selfish in her happiness she might have spared much misery to others.After the siege of Melun, Henry had Queen Isabeau proclaimed regent of France, so that he might visit England to show off his pretty bride and have her crowned. First they made a triumphal' entry into Paris, where rich presents were offered to the youthful queen, and the rejoicings were on a most magnificent scale. The young couple spent Christmas in that city, and went on the 1st of February to Calais, where they embarked for England.
A.D. 1421.Towards the end of the month Katherine was crowned at Westminster Abbey and then conducted to the great hall, where a feast was served to a large party of noble ladies and gentlemen. But this feast had to be prepared without meat of any kind, for it was Lent, and called for a great deal of ingenuity on the part of the caterers. Each course was contrived to express some political meaning, the motto of explaining it being always attached to the most prominent dish.
The only instance of active benevolence that we hear of Katherine took place at this feast, when she asked her husband to give James I. of Scotland, who was a prisoner and sat at the table, his liberty. Henry consented on condition that the king would go with him to fight in France.
Then the young queen went to live at Windsor, where her husband would have joined her, but he was compelled to go back to France to fight.
It was during the siege of Meaux that news was brought him of the birth of a son. "Where was the boy born?" he asked eagerly, and when he was told "at Windsor," he repeated the following prophetic verse, which shows not only that he must have been very superstitious, but that he was a wretched poet:—
"I, Henry, born at Monmouth,
Shall small time reign and much get;
But Henry of Windsor shall long reign and lose all;
But as God will, so be it."
Henry requested that the child should not be born at Windsor, because he had some mysterious belief that bad luck hung over that palace, but Katherine had not chosen to obey him.
The following spring she wrote a loving letter to her lord, declaring that she longed to see him, and he immediately wrote her to join him in France.
She landed at Harfleur with an army of twenty thousand men, who were to assist in fighting against her unhappy country. Her father and mother advanced with Henry V. to meet her, and the reunion was a source of great joy to them all. No doubt the king wanted to see his little baby, but it had been left in England, and he was never to have that great pleasure. His health had been failing for a long time, but amidst the excitement of war he would not allow himself rest until he could no longer stand. Shortly after his wife's arrival he was carried on a litter to the castle in the wood of Vincennes, where she was stopping, and where he spent his last hours on earth.
A.D. 1422.When he was dying, he said to the Duke of Bedford: "Comfort my dear wife, the most afflicted creature living."
Katherine was not twenty-one years old when her husband died, and her grief was most violent, for she loved him devotedly. She made all the funeral arrangements herself, and they were conducted with great pomp.
The body was laid on a chariot drawn by four black horses. Above it was a bed on which lay a figure made of leather, and painted to resemble the dead king. On the head of this figure was a crown of gold and precious stones, and around the body a purple robe lined and trimmed with ermine. In the right hand was a sceptre, in the left a globe of gold with a cross rising from it. The face was uncovered, and a canopy superbly decorated was held above it. The