Henry Knighton, a canon at the Augustinian abbey of St. Mary of the Meadows in Leicester, chronicled English history from the tenth century to 1396 in his work, of which only two manuscripts survive today. His chronicle relies on earlier sources up to 1337, but beyond that point, it offers original accounts, including significant events from the Hundred Years’ War and other conflicts.
One such episode is the military expedition led by Sir Henry Despencer, Bishop of Norwich, ostensibly a crusade to support Pope Clement VII against a rival claimant to the papacy. This campaign, however, devolved into an offensive against French and Flemish adversaries of England and their allies. Despencer’s forces landed at Calais on May 17, 1383, and within a month laid siege to the city of Ypres. The siege ultimately failed, and the English forces withdrew by the end of the year, leaving the region to fall under French control.
Sir Henry Despenser, bishop of Norwich, departed on a crusade against the supporters of Pope Clement [VII]. For France, Scotland, Flanders, and many other countries favoured and supported the aforesaid antipope. The bishop had raised an incalculable and unbelievably large sure of money, in gold and silver, and in jewels, necklaces, rings, dishes, plate, spoons, and other ornaments, and especially from ladies and other women, for it was said that one lady gave him £100, and others likewise, some more, and some less.
And it was believed that very many gave more than they could afford, in order to secure the benefit of absolution for themselves and their devoted friends. And thus that hidden treasure of the kingdom which is in the hands of women was put at risk. That was done by both men and women, rich and poor, according to what they possessed, and beyond, that they might secure absolution for their friends who had died, as well as for their own sins, for they could not be absolved unless they contributed according to their ability and means.
And many provided men-at-arms at their own charges, many others paid for archers, and many went themselves at their own expense. For the bishop had wonderful indulgences, with absolution from punishment and from guilt, granted to him for the said crusade by Pope Urban VI, by whose authority both he and his agents absolved both the living and the dead on whose behalf a sufficient contribution was made. It was even said that some of his commissaries asserted that angels would descend from the skies at their bidding, and snatch souls in purgatory from their places of punishment, and lead them to Heaven without delay.
The bishop therefore first led his army in formation into Flanders, and when he arrived he attacked the towns of Gravelines, Bourbourg, with its castle, Bergues, Dunkerque, the castle of Dringham, the castle of Cassell Nieuport, Diksmuide, Poperinge, the fortified church of St George at Veurne, and many other places unfortified, and took them and held them. And when he was at Dunkerque, the men there gathered to fight him, and he beat there, and put them to flight, and took many prisoner, and killed some 3,000.
And he besieged the town of Ypres for a long time, and attacked it, and made many assaults, but was always beaten off. At last, precipitately and without consulting his army, he withdrew from the siege and fled. He had installed a great siege tower with a trebuchet, and a heavy gun called the Canterbury gun, against a tower by one of the gates, and those he abandoned there, together with two carts laden with his utensils and other supplies, and he fled with his men amid the jeers of the townsmen, who raised a great clamour against him. The bishop therefore, withdrawing from the siege, lodged himself in Dunkerque with many of his troops.
Sir Thomas Trivet had quarters with many others in the town of Bourbourg, and fortified the town with a fence and ditch. Thereupon the king of France suddenly appeared, with his royal power, and came to Bourbourg and pitched his camp to besiege it. And he shot fire into the town, and set it ablaze. While the town was burning he threw his force against the defences until the evening, but being well beaten the French then withdrew. In the morning the king of France sent to those inside the town inviting them to surrender it, and it is said that Sir Thomas Trivet made answer saying that if the king of France and his men wished to continue the assault against them as he had begun it, at the end of fourteen days he would find a smaller number of Englishmen enclosed within a smaller space, ready to repel him and his men in their rough English way. He was grateful, he said, that so noble a king, with so powerful an army, should have done such honour to a handful of Englishmen as to grant them the favour of a battle.
However, when some days had passed in negotiation, and they could not reasonably expect to beat off or withstand such numbers, they agreed to surrender the town upon the condition, which the king granted to them, that they should be free to leave unharmed with their horses and arms, and other possessions.
The duke of Brittany, a most faithful friend of the English to the limits of his power, was there with the French king, and quietly used his influence to persuade him that he should allow them to leave safely. If he had not done so, scarcely one of the English would have survived, for there were few of them left: yet later he lost his earldom to the king of England for having fought with the French king against the English. The duke of Brittany had the earldom of Richmond in England.
The bishop took his crusade into Flanders in June, and after Michaelmas [29 September 1383] he started to return to England, having failed to achieve his purpose. King Charles of France carne into Flanders and gained the town of Damme by trickery, and beheaded all the great men of the town, as he wished to wipe out the Flemish language in that place. For after the withdrawal of the bishop of Norwich from Flanders, all the Flemish towns surrendered to the king of France except the town of Ghent, which had already become French the previous year.
Now the citizens of Ghent sent to the king of England for help against the king of France, who had laid siege to the town, and the king with the agreement of parliament granted them the help of a force of men-at-arms and archers, at a cost of 6,000 marks, but by the fault of the chancellor, Michael de la Pole, they were cheated of it. For he delayed the payment until they had been forced to surrender the town, upon condition however that they could live under their own ancient laws, and that the king should not enter the town with more than a stated number of men-at-arms.
The previous section is from: Knighton’s Chronicle, 1337-1396, edited and translated by G.H. Martin (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995)
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