Chapter V (2)

The following account is given in _Mémoires de la Marche_[158] of the _pas d’armes_ held by King Edward IV of England in the year 1467, at West Smithfield, in which the Bastard of Burgundy took a leading part. The narration is here much condensed. King Edward had caused lists of unusual magnificence to be prepared for the occasion, and costly galleries were erected at the sides. The stand for the accommodation of the king and his court, his knights and others, was in three stories, a flight of steps leading up to the umpire’s tribune. The knights occupied the first story; the esquires, the second; and in the third were posted the royal archers of the guard. The second erection, lower than the other, was occupied by the mayor and aldermen of London, the judges, and other persons in authority: and pavilions, richly decorated, were pitched for the use of the combatants. In due time the king ascended the steps of the tribune, preceded by his sword-bearer, an earl; his majesty was clad in a purple robe and wore the insignia of the order of the garter; and in attendance was a score or more of his counsellors. Chairs were provided for the constable and marshal, and the king took his seat on the tribune as judge. The constable’s guard of eight men-at-arms then entered the lists and took up their positions, when a knocking was heard at the gate. It was a knight who knocked, and the constable asked to know his purpose. “My name,” said the knight, “is Escallis,[159] and I am come to accomplish a deed of arms with the Bastard of Burgundy, and demand entrance into the lists to do my _devoir_.” Permission having been accorded, the knight entered the lists in full armour, and was followed by ten or a dozen horses, richly caparisoned, led by pages; and after making his obeisance to the sovereign he retired to his pavilion. The Bastard of Burgundy then entered the lists in a like manner, accompanied by the Duke of Suffolk, who had been deputed by the king to attend him; and in his train were twelve horses, trapped in cloth of gold and velvet, with the arms of Burgundy and the bâton of illegitimacy embroidered upon them. After paying his compliments to the king he also retired to his pavilion. Both knights re-entered the lists for battle, their lances were handed to them, and they took up positions for their careers. The onset being sounded they placed their lances in rest and charged towards each other, meeting in the centre of the lists, without injury to either party; then drawing their swords they attacked each other with great fury. Lord Scales, spurring up his horse, dashed violently against that of his adversary, the shock of the collision bearing the Burgundian and his charger to the ground, where the Bastard lay with his horse upon him. The officials of the lists raised up the fallen champion, when it was found that he had not sustained any serious injury. The king was annoyed at this incident; Lord Scales, however, pleaded that it was the freshness of his horse which had caused the accident. This put an end to the fighting for the day, and the Bastard retired to his lodgings, where he was afterwards visited by the constable with a message of sympathy and enquiry from the king, and an expression of regret at the accident. “Thank the king,” replied the bastard, “and tell him that to-day I have fought with a beast, but to-morrow I will engage a man.”

The champions joined in a combat on foot the next day, with spears, axes and daggers, the fight to continue until one or other should be disarmed or borne to the ground. It had been arranged that spears should be cast, but on the king objecting that part of the proceedings was omitted. The fight then began. Lord Scales dealt the Bastard some heavy strokes with his axe, and the Bastard, attacking with great violence, seriously fractured the armour of his adversary, at which stage of the combat the king cast his bâton.

De la Marche was present at the fight.

Other contests took place on the following day; but on intelligence arriving of the death of Duke Philippe le Bon, of Burgundy, the meeting broke up.

Monstrelet states that the lists were 370 feet long by 250 feet broad, and gives a somewhat different account of the mounted combat. He says that the jousting was with pointed lances, and further that the chamfron of the horse of Lord Scales was garnished with a long steel spike, which, being thrust into the mouth of the Bastard’s charger, caused the animal such pain that it reared and at length fell, with its rider, the Burgundian, underneath.

Holinshed’s version[160] is as follows:—

“The first daie they ran togither diurse courses with
sharpe speares, and departed with equall honer. The
next day they turneied on horsseback. The lord Scales
horsse had on his chafron a long sharpe pike of steele,
and as the two champions coped togither, the same
horsse (whether through custome or by chance), thrust
his pike into the nosethrils of the bastard’s horsse;
so that for verie paine he mounted so high, that he
fell on the one side with his maister, and the lord
Scales rode round about him with his sword in his hand,
vntill the King commanded the marshall to helpe vp the
bastard, which openlie said ‘I cannot hold me by the
clouds, for though my horse faileth me, surelie I will
not fail my counter-companion.’”

The king would not suffer them to do any more that day. On the morrow the champions fought with pole-axes, when at length the point of the axe wielded by Lord Scales was thrust into the sight of the Bastard’s helm with such force that it brought him to his knees, on which the king cast his bâton. The Bastard wished to fight again, but the umpire ruled that should the encounter be continued it could only recommence at the stage reached at the termination of the last combat, with the Bastard on his knees. On hearing this judgment the Bastard relinquished his challenge.

An Ashmolean MS. (111-3b) furnishes the following[161]:—“A demonstracōn by John Writh alias Garter, to King Edward the Fourth, touching three Knyghtes of high Almayn wch came to do arms in England, with the instruccōns by them geven unto the saide Gartr and the articles of their feates and enterprise.” The year must have been 1473.

The blending of the tourney with the pageant, mummeries and buffoonery continued to gain ground, and the sumptuous and costly fêtes held at Bruges in 1468, on the occasion of the marriage of Charles of Burgundy with Margaret of York, sister to King Edward IV of England, afford an excellent example of these combinations. All is minutely described at great length by de la Marche.[162] He gives details of the dresses, ceremonial and armour, and full particulars of each joust; he also names the historic personages taking part. The plot of the leading pageant, if it can be called a plot, is inconsequent, though staged with great splendour and elaboration. There were tableaux of the Twelve Labours of Hercules, and many allegorical representations.

Lists were erected in the Grande Place, and just within them stood _l’arbre d’or_, a great fir-tree, the trunk of which was gilded over, and it was this tree which lent its name to the fête. The Bastard of Burgundy and Adolf de Cléves, Seigneur de Ravastain, cousin-german to the duke, assumed the rôle of Chevaliers de L’Arbre d’Or, and they were to hold the _pas_ in its defence. The fêtes were arranged to extend over ten days. On the first day the duke took his seat on the tribune, and a “poursuivant-at-armes,” clad in the livery of _l’arbre d’or_, handed him a letter from the princess of an unknown isle, in which she proffers her favour to any knight who would deliver a certain giant from captivity, whom she had placed under the guardianship of her dwarf. The dwarf, gaily dressed in crimson and white satin, now entered the arena, leading in the giant by a chain, and, binding him to the golden tree, took up a position on a flight of steps, with a trumpet and sand-glass in his hands. The dwarf then sounded a note on his trumpet, and turned the sand-glass, which was timed for half an hour, at the expiration of which Adolf de Cléves, as Chevalier de L’Arbre d’Or, who was to open the _pas_, knocked at the gate of the lists, and the pursuivant demanded his name and errand. “I am come,” said he, “to accomplish the adventure of the giant, and demand admission.” The blazon of his arms having been submitted to the judge it was hung suspended on the tree, and the dwarf admitted him. De Ravastain was borne into the lists in a litter, carried on the backs of two black horses, and made a brilliant entrance with his team of drummers and trumpeters on the march; his robe was of velvet, the colour of leather, trimmed with ermine, and on his head was a cardinal’s hat. His handsome charger, richly caparisoned, bore a pair of panniers on his back, between which a court fool was seated, and it followed the litter, led by a varlet. The duchess was seated on her tribune, and the chevalier, throwing away his hat, knelt down before her and set forth the details of the rôle he had assumed, praying for her permission to carry out his plan. This being graciously accorded, he retired to his pavilion to arm him, re-entering the lists on horseback. The dwarf then gave the signal for the jousting, and the venans, sumptuously arrayed and brilliantly attended, were successively disposed of. After they had been dealt with, the dwarf again blew his trumpet and the prize was presented to de Cléves. The cavaliers then jousted each with a _gros planchon blanc_, but without touching each other; and the first day’s proceedings finished with a banquet. Jousts of different kinds, dinners and entertainments continued over each succeeding day of the fêtes. On the sixth day the Bastard of Burgundy had his leg nearly broken; on the eighth the Sire Philippe de Poictiers was wounded; and on the ninth day Duke Charles jousted with his kinsman, de Ravastain, breaking eight spears to eleven by his opponent. The prize was a _destrier_, richly accoutred, provided with panniers, and in them was an entire jousting equipment of the Bastard of Burgundy. The prize was won by the Sire de Arguel, who had broken thirteen lances on the third day of the fêtes. In keeping account of the splintered lances, the _articles du pas_ determine how they shall be broken:—“_car nulles lances ne furent tenues pour rompues, s’il n’y avoit quatre doigts de franc au-dessous du roquet, ou devant la grape_.” The lances for every contest were always carefully measured before being used, so that they were of equal length.

The lists were cleared of the tilt and stands, and the _mêlée_ began, there being twenty-five cavaliers on each side. They fought with rebated swords, and with such ardour that all signals to stop were disregarded, and it was only when the duke rode in among them unhelmed, sword in hand, that they could be induced to cease fighting and go and prepare for the banquet which was to follow.

Philip de Commenes was present and tilted with Jerom of Cambrai. The banquet was served on a splendid scale, and the side tables were curiously embellished. On one of the dishes was the figure of a unicorn the size of a horse, with a leopard on his back waving the banner of England in one hand, and holding in the other a _fleur de marguerite_. The unicorn was trapped in silk, on which were embroidered the arms of England. A _fleur de marguerite_ was presented to the duke by the hand of a little female dwarf belonging to Marie of Burgundy. The dwarf was dressed as a shepherdess, in cloth of gold, and was mounted on a huge lion, bearing the arms of Burgundy, which opened its mouth by means of springs, and chanted a poem in honour of the beautiful shepherdess. There were many more mechanical contrivances; and on the last day of the fêtes a whale sixty feet long entered the hall, escorted by two giants. The whale wagged its tail and fins; its eyes were great mirrors, and when it opened its mouth sirens issued from it, chanting most melodiously. After further conceits the two giants were swallowed by the whale.

A copy of a very quaint manuscript, portions of it written at different times in the reign of Edward IV and up to that of Henry VIII, is given in _Archæologia_ of the year 1846. It describes the marriage ceremony and the pageants, remarking as to the latter:—“the pageantes wear so obscure, that I fere me to writ or speke of them, because all was cuntenaunce and no wordes.”

As to the excitement of the _mêlée_ and the disregard of the signals and commands to cease fighting, the MS. says:—“the Duke unhelmed hyme, and with a great staffe his person charged pece in paine of deth, and soe wt great labore he droffe the parties asounder.”

There was not much tourneying at the court of Burgundy after this, for Duke Charles was too busily and constantly engaged in military enterprises against his neighbours; and, indeed, his ambitious, predatory and headstrong career was fast drawing to a close, ending, in fact, in 1477 on the fatal field of Nancy. The jousting traditions of his house passed over through his daughter, his only child, to the Austrian and German courts, under Maximilian: and it is to these countries, more especially, to which we must now turn for the history of the tournament in its decline.

In the same year as the fêtes at Bruges, 1468, a joust was held in front of the king’s hotel at the Tournelles, Paris; the challengers against all comers being four gentlemen of the company of the Seneschal of Normandy. John Raquier hastened from Rouen to take part, and he broke five lances with distinction; then came Marc Senamy and two sons of Sir John Sanguin, who all acquitted themselves well, after whom Charles de Louviers, cup-bearer to the king, jousted successfully, and the prize of the day was adjuged to him. After all these encounters the tenans were much bruised, two of them carried their arms in slings and a third was severely wounded in the hand; so that the honours of the meeting lay with the venans.[163]

“At the marriage of Richard, duke of York, son of
Edward IV, with Ann Mowbray, daughter to the duke of
Norfolk in 1477, six gentlemen challenged all comers at
the _Just Roial_, with _helme_ and _shield_,
in manner accustomed.

“Secondly, To runne in _Ostling[164] harneis_ alonge
a tilte.

“And thirdly, to strike certaine strokes with swoards
and guise of _torney_.”[165]

A narrative by an eye-witness of this marriage and “of the grand justing then celebrated” is given in the Ashmolean MS. No. 856, 94-104,[166] which is at least as curious as the account of the jousting of Anthony Lord Scales with the Bastard of Burgundy. It was published by W. H. B. in the _Excerpta Historica_, in June, 1830.

“In the reign of Henry VII certaine gentlemen who
stiled themselves servants of Ladie Maie, in honour
of that month, gave a challenge to be performed at
Greenwiche; the articles run thus:—

“_Imprimis_, The fourteenth daie of Maie, shall be
redye in the field certaine gentlemen, perteyning to
the Ladye Maie, armed for the tilt, in harneis therunto
accustomed; and there to kepe the fielde (in such place
as it shall please the kynge to appoint) from 2 of the
clocke, til 5 at the afternoone, to run with every
commer 8 courses; and thus the answerers all answered
and served, that than if there be any that desireth for
their Ladyes sake other 4 courses, it shall be granted,
so the hower be not past, if it be then at the queenes
pleasure.

“The second day, to shoot Standart Arrowe and fighte,
with all commers; he that shootes the standart furthest
to have a prise, and so in like case of the arrows of
the flight.

“The third day with swordes rebated (without points
or edges) to strike with any commer 8 strokes in way of
pleasure; and four strokes more for any of the commers
mistress sake, under the above restrictions, (and the
queen’s pleasure).

“The fourth day to wrestle all manner of ways.

“The fifth day, armed to fighte on foote, with
speares in their hands rebated, and then swordes by
their sides for the battle; and then with speare and
sworde to defend their barriers; that is to say, with
spears 8 strokes, whereof two with foyne (thrusts) and
6 strokes; and that done, to drawe their swordes and
strike 8 strokes every man, to his best advantage, with
gripe or otherwise; and four strokes for a lady, under
the above restrictions.

“The sixth day to cast the barre on foote, and with
the arme both heavie and light.

“At these _tournois_ the challenger doth engage
to come in _harneis_ for the tilt, without targe or
brockett, _woalant piece over the head_,[167] rondall
over the garde, rest of advantage, fraude, deceit, or
other malengine.

“And some time after four gentlemen challenged all
commers at Greenwich: To the feate called barriers,
with the casting speare, and the targatt and the
bastarde sworde.[168] And one cast with the speare
hedded with the morn (coronal), and 17 strokes with
the sworde, point and edge rebated; without close or
griping one another with handes, upon paine of such
punishment, as the judges for the tyme being should
thinke requisite.”

“The tilts, we find, were performed with long tilting spears, on horseback; and when their lances were broken, they often took to their swords as well as axes”: see the method of challenge in the description of the plates in the life of Earl Warwick, and the manner of performing, Plates 35, 36, ＆ 37, etc.[169]

Caxton, writing in the reign of Edward IV, in his epilogue to _The book of the Order of Chyvalry and Knyghthode_, says:—

“I wold it pleasyd our soverayne Lord that twyes or
thryes in a yere, or at least ones, he wold do crye
_Justes of pees_, to thende that every knyght shold
have hors and haryneys, and also the use and craft of
a knyght, and also to torneye one ageynste one, or ij
ageynst ij; and the best to have a prys, a dyamond,
or jewel, such as shold please the prynce. Thys shold
cause gentylmen to resorte to thauncyent customes of
chyvalry, to grate fame and renōmee, and also to be
alway redy to serve theyr prynce when he shalbe calle
them or have nede.”

A superb representation on tapestry of a _mêlée_ which took place late in the fifteenth century, worked at Malines, is now at Valenciennes; and it is remarkable for its technical accuracy. The jousting is over; and a combat with sharp swords in progress. Broken lances, a helmet, a broken helm, fragments of crests, _grelots_ and other debris shed in the contest lie on the ground among the horse’s hoofs. The helmets are armets of the older form, of which there are existing examples spread over the collections of Europe. This type has hinged side-pieces and opens out from the middle for inserting and withdrawing the head of the wearer; and it is fastened together with a leathern strap. There is a small circular disk projecting from the back of the helmet, as well as a collar in front and over the neck behind, to which a necklet of chain-mail is fixed by a line of rivets. The comb of the helmet is holed for the attachment of a crest and the visor projects in a sort of beak. The disk is fixed to one side of the back of the head-piece by a thin iron connecting pin or bar. Its use or purpose is difficult to imagine and has given rise to much controversy, but none of the explanations advanced are at all convincing, for the bar or connecting pin is too slender to protect the neck from a sword stroke or even to shield from injury the strap at the back which holds the helmet together. This type fell into disuse at the commencement of the sixteenth century. The armour shown on the figures is fairly uniform. A long mail shirt with sleeves is worn, and it is much less covered with plate than might be expected at the end of the fifteenth century. The forms of the pauldrons, neck-guards, globose breastplate, “bear-paw,” or “cow-mouth” sollerets (as they were called), tuilles, tassets, and bases all mark the period, which other historic features on the tapestry confirm. Motons appear on only one of the figures, and they are pear-shaped; in the case of the other front figures there is no defence for the armpits beyond the chain-mail shirt. The lances are both grooved and plain, the vamplates, circular. An unusual feature is the presence of three long, narrow, label-shaped plates or bars, ridged down the middle, with small circular eyes at the tops, through which screws or rivets are passed, attaching them to the back rim of the armet. The back-plates are low, reaching but half-way up, and these three plates or bars form the only defence for the upper back outside the mail shirts. They appear to be adjustable to a certain extent. The middle plate is the longest of the three, extending down the spine of the wearer to over the top of the low back-plate; while the side-bars, equal in length, reach well over the pauldron wings. The horses are all barded in leather, with chamfrons and crinets apparently of iron; and none of the animals are trapped. The bridles are of chain-mail, framed in iron. The tapestry measures 4·70 m. to 5·60 m. in size, and part of it is shown on Plate I (2).

In the year 1487 Johannes, Duke of Saxony, ran in _Gestech_ with Cuntz Metzschen at Jena, and both riders kept their seats. They wore armour such as described in Plate IX (1): the motons were very ornate. On the duke’s helm were two small black flags, on which the letter “M” was embroidered, in honour of his wife, Sophie of Mecklenburg. His trapper and shield were black, with violet, yellow, and white stripes.

A “Solemne Triumphe” was held at Richmond, which lasted a whole month, at which Sir James Parker was killed, in 1494.[170]

The two most important armouries are those at Vienna and Madrid; but for the study of the tourney that at Dresden is the best. Indeed, much of the armour there has remained, practically _in situ_, since it was in use, and many of the harnesses can be attributed with certainty, both as regards wearers and makers. In the _Tournierwaffensaal_ several of the mounted models have sat their horses since the year 1591. At Dresden may be seen examples of the saddles, horse muzzles, weapons, bards and trappers; and even the textile costumes worn over and under the armour, as well as the small accessories and tools, may be studied. Besides these armouries, those at Paris, Berlin, Turin, Nuremberg, the Tower of London, and the Wallace Collection, are large and comprehensive.

The German _Turnierbücher_ and jousting in Germany will be dealt with in the next chapter.

FOOTNOTES:

[139] _Mémoirs de la Marche_, Liv. I, Chaps. VIII and IX.

[140] A short thrusting sword.

[141] A stout foining sword.

[142] “Double ou single.” _Chroniques de Monstrelet_, Liv. II, 835. This would imply an option to use reinforcing pieces or not; for some of the foreign cavaliers might not be provided with them at this time.

[143] The Vamplate.

[144] The italics are ours.

[145] See Appendix B.

[146] _Mémoires de la Marche_, I, Chap. XVI; and _Histoire Des Ducs De Bourgogne_, II, 63.

[147] See Appendix A.

[148] Sainte-Palaye in _Mémoires sur L’Ancienne Chevalerie_, Vol. 1, 15, defines and describes the different grades and sorts of esquires.

[149] MS. 506. Rights due att the Tournay. “Firste the Kinge of Armes....” See Appendix A.

[150] _Arch. Journ._, XLVI, 135.

[151] Hist. de, Ch. VII, p. 568.

[152] Class XVI, No. 5.

[153] The Armouries of the Tower of London, p. 440.

[154] _Mémoires D’Olivier De La Marche_, I, chap. XVIII.

[155] _Mémoires de la Marche_, I, Chap. XIV.

[156] Histoire des Ducs De Bourgogne, II, 90.

[157] Monstrelet’s _Chronicle_, (Continuation) Johnes’ II. Chap. LXIII.

[158] Liv. I, Chap. XXXVII.

[159] Anthony Woodville, Lord Scales, brother to the Queen of England.

[160] _Chronicles_, III, 286.

[161] See Appendix A.

[162] Liv. II, Chap. IV.

[163] Monstrelet, _Continuation_, Chap. CLXIX.

[164] Easterling.

[165] “Certaine Triumphes,” a MS. in Bib. Harl. insig., No. 69. See Appendix B.

[166] See Appendix A.

[167] The Italics are ours.

[168] Hand and a half sword.

[169] MS. in Bib. Harl. insig., Cod. 69. See Appendix B.

[170] _Archæological Journal_, LV, 299.