Yet, none of these lords knew anything of what was happening with the others until it was all over. Out of the fifteen thousand Flemings there, not one was left alive to beat retreat; all were slain or captured during three deadly clashes, with no-one leaving the place where they had started the fight. This happened in the year of grace 1328, on St Bartholomew's day.
In the wake of this defeat, the
French came to
Cassel over which they raised the banners of
France. The town surrendered to the
king, as did
Ypres and all those of the
castlery of Bergues and the inhabitants of
Bruges after that. They received
count Louis, their lord, cordially and in peace, pledging faith and loyalty to him for all time.
When
king Philippe of France had restored the
count of Flanders to his lands and all had sworn fealty and homage to him, he discharged his men and each returned to his own home. He travelled back into
France to stay in
Paris or in the area around the city. He was esteemed and honoured for this venture and for the service he had rendered to
count Louis, his cousin. He remained in great prosperity and honour, and amidst the finest royal pomp. There had never been a king in
France, so it was said, who held state as did
Philippe, and he had plentiful tournaments, jousts and amusements proclaimed.
We will leave him for now and speak of developments in
England and of the king's governance there.
SHF 1-43 sync
Of the judgements executed by the king of England, and how he came to France.
The young
king of England conducted himself for a long time, as you have heard, according to the guidance of his
mother, of the
earl of Kent his uncle, and of
Sir Roger Mortimer.
Eventually enmity began to develop between the
earl of Kent and the
lord Mortimer; this loathing became so intense that
lord Mortimer persuaded the
king, with the consent of the
queen, his mother, that the
earl of Kent wished to imprison him and have him killed before long if he was not on his guard, so that the kingdom should then fall to him by succession as the next in line, for the
king's younger brother,
Sir John of Eltham, had recently died.
The young
king readily believed that of which he was informed, as he would, and rather the bad than the good, and shortly afterwards he had his uncle, the
earl of Kent, taken and publicly beheaded, without wishing to hear anything in his defence, for which everyone in the country, noble and common alike, was deeply troubled and aggrieved and bore a grudge against
lord Mortimer from that point onwards, for they suspected that it was as a result of his council and instigation that the noble
earl of Kent had been executed, whom they all held to be a loyal man of great integrity. Never again was
lord Mortimer thought of with as much affection as he had been previously.
It was not long afterwards that a rumour got out regarding the
mother of the
king of England, and I do not know if it were true, saying that she was with child and that
lord Mortimer was to blame. This scandal escalated to the point that the
king was informed of it, and [of the view] that for reasons of unwarranted envy and not for treason he had had his dear uncle, the
earl of Kent, put to death,
pb 23 v