The memoirs of Philip de Commines, Lord of Argenton, volume 1 (of 2)

About this eBook

Author

Commynes, Philippe de, 1447?-1511

Title

The memoirs of Philip de Commines, Lord of Argenton, Volume 1 (of 2) : Containing the histories of Louis XI. and Charles VIII., Kings of France, and of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. To which is added the Scandalous chronicle, or, secret history of Louis XI., by Jean de Troyes.

Original Publication

London: H.G. Bohn, 1855, pubdate 1856.

Credits

Tim Lindell, Turgut Dincer and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

Language

English

LoC Class

DC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: France, Andorra, Monaco

Subject

France -- History -- House of Valois, 1328-1589

Category

Text

Project Gutenberg

eBook-No. 77950

Release Date

February 16, 2026

Copyright

Public domain in the USA.

Contents

1. 1.Untitled
2. 2.Untitled
3. 3.INTRODUCTION.
4. 4.LIFE OF PHILIP DE COMMINES.
5. 5.CONTENTS.
6. 6.Dedication.
7. 7.THE MEMOIRS OF PHILIP DE COMMINES, LORD OF ARGENTON. — BOOK THE FIRST. — Chapter I. —The Occasion of the Wars between Louis XI. and the Count of Charolois, afterwards Duke of Burgundy.—1464.
8. 8.Ch. II. —How the Count of Charolois and several great Lords of France raised an Army against King Louis XI., under pretence of the Public Good.—1464.
9. 9.Ch. III. —How the Count of Charolois encamped with his Army near Montlhery, and of the Battle fought in that place between him and the King of France.—1465.
10. 10.Ch. IV. —Of the imminent Danger to which the Count of Charolois was exposed, and the manner of his being rescued.—1465.
11. 11.Ch. V. —The King’s Brother the Duke of Berry, and the Duke of Bretagne, join with the Count of Charolois against the King.—1465.
12. 12.Ch. VI. —The Count of Charolois and his Allies with their Army pass the Seine upon a Bridge of Boats; after which, being joined by the Forces of John, Duke of Calabria, they invest Paris.—1465.
13. 13.Ch. VII. —A Digression concerning Salaries, Offices, and Ambition, illustrated by the Example of the English.—1465.
14. 14.Ch. VIII. —How King Louis entered Paris, whilst the Lords of France were tampering with the Citizens.—1465.
15. 15.Ch. IX. —How the Count of Charolois and the King cannonaded each other near Charenton; after which Action, the Count of Charolois laid a second Bridge of Boats over the River Seine.—1465.
16. 16.Ch. X. —A Digression concerning some of the Virtues and Vices of King Louis XI.
17. 17.Ch. XI. —How the Burgundians, being drawn up near Paris, and in Expectation of a Battle, mistook high Thistles for a Body of Lances.—1465.
18. 18.Ch. XII. —How the King visited the Count of Charolois, and talked with him concerning their Quarrel; and of the Importance of wise Councillors to a Prince.—1465.
19. 19.Ch. XIII. —How Rouen was delivered into the hands of the Duke of Bourbon to be kept for the Duke of Berry; and the Conclusion of the Treaty of Conflans.—1465.
20. 20.Ch. XIV. —Of the Peace that was concluded at Conflans between the King and the Count of Charolois and his Allies.—1465.
21. 21.Ch. XV. —How the King recovered into his hands whatever had been given to his Brother, by the Division between the Dukes of Normandy and Bretagne.—1465.
22. 22.Ch. XVI. —The new Duke of Normandy retires into Bretagne very poor and disconsolate, upon account of his having miscarried in his Design.—1465.
23. 23.BOOK THE SECOND. — Ch. I. —Of the Wars between the Duke of Burgundy and the Liegeois; and of the taking, plundering, and razing the town of Dinant.—1466.
24. 24.Ch. II. —How the Liegeois broke the Peace with the Duke of Burgundy, before called Count of Charolois, upon which he engages and defeats them in a set Battle.—1467.
25. 25.Ch. III. —How the Liegeois quarrelled among themselves about surrendering their Town, some agreeing, others refusing to do it; while, in the meantime, the Lord of Humbercourt found a way to enter and take possession of it for the Duke of Burgundy.—1467.
26. 26.Ch. IV. —Of the Duke of Burgundy’s triumphal Entry into the City of Liege; and the Submission of the Gantois, who not long before had treated him disrespectfully.—1467.
27. 27.Ch. V. —How the King of France made War in Bretagne upon the Duke of Burgundy’s Allies, upon Intelligence of what had happened to the Liegeois; and the Interview and Conference of these two Princes at Peronne.—1468.
28. 28.Ch. VI. —A Digression concerning the Advantage which the Knowledge of Letters, and more especially of History, is to Princes and great Lords.
29. 29.Ch. VII. —The Occasion of the King’s being seized and secured in the Castle of Peronne by the Duke of Burgundy.—1468.
30. 30.Ch. VIII. —A Digression, demonstrating that when two great Princes meet in order to adjust their Differences, such Interviews are generally more prejudicial than profitable.
31. 31.Ch. IX. —How the King renounced his League with the Liegeois, to be released out of the Castle of Peronne.—1468.
32. 32.Ch. X. —How the King accompanied the Duke of Burgundy in his Expedition against the Liegeois, who were formerly his Allies.—1468.
33. 33.Ch. XI. —Of the King’s Arrival in person with the Duke of Burgundy before the City of Liege.—1468.
34. 34.Ch. XII. —How the Liegeois made a desperate Sally upon the Duke of Burgundy’s Quarter, where both he and the King were in very great Danger.—1468.
35. 35.Ch. XIII. —Of the storming, taking, and plundering the City of Liege; together with the Ruin and Destruction of the very Churches.—1468.
36. 36.Ch. XIV. —How King Louis returned into France by the Consent of the Duke of Burgundy; and how the Duke treated the Liegeois and the People of Franchemont afterwards.—1468.
37. 37.Ch. XV. —Of the King of France’s Subtilty, by which he prevailed with his Brother Duke Charles, to accept of the Duchy of Guienne, in lieu of Brie and Champagne, and contrary to the Duke of Burgundy’s Intention.—1468-69.
38. 38.BOOK THE THIRD. — Ch. I. —How the King took an occasion of making a new War upon the Duke of Burgundy; and of his sending as far as Ghent to summon him to appear, by a Serjeant of the Parliament.—1470.
39. 39.Ch. II. —Of the Delivering up the Towns of St. Quentin and Amiens to the King; and upon what grounds the Constable and others fomented the War between the King and the Duke of Burgundy.—1471.
40. 40.Ch. III. —How the Duke of Burgundy took Picquigny; and the means he found out to make a Truce with the King for a Year, to the great Dissatisfaction of the Constable of France.—1471.
41. 41.Ch. IV. —Of the Civil Wars between the Princes in England, during the Difference between Louis XI. and Charles, Duke of Burgundy.—1470.
42. 42.Ch. V. —How the Earl of Warwick, by the Assistance of Louis, King of France, drove King Edward IV. out of England, to the great Displeasure of the Duke of Burgundy, who received him into his Countries.—1470.
43. 43.Ch. VI. —How the Earl of Warwick released Henry VI., King of England, out of the Tower.—1470.
44. 44.Ch. VII. —How King Edward returned into England, where he defeated the Earl of Warwick in Battle, and the Prince of Wales afterwards.—1471.
45. 45.Ch. VIII. —How the War was renewed between King Louis and the Duke of Burgundy at the Solicitation of the Dukes of Guienne and Bretagne.—1471.
46. 46.Ch. IX. —How the final Peace which was negotiating between the King and the Duke of Burgundy, was broken off by the Duke of Guienne’s Death and how those two great Princes laboured to circumvent one another.—1472.
47. 47.Ch. X. —How the Duke of Burgundy having encamped before Beauvais, and finding he could not take it, raised the Siege, and marched with his Army to Rouen.—1472.
48. 48.Ch. XI. —How the King concluded a Peace with the Duke of Bretagne, and a Truce with the Duke of Burgundy; and how the Count of St. Paul very narrowly escaped a Plot, that was laid for him by these two great Princes.—1472-4.
49. 49.Ch. XII. —A Digression, not altogether improper in this place, concerning the Wisdom of the King and the Constable, with useful Remarks for those who are in authority with Princes.—1474.
50. 50.BOOK THE FOURTH. — Ch. I. —How the Duke of Burgundy, having seized upon the Duchy of Guelders, attempted farther Inroads upon the Germans, and besieged Nuz.—1474.
51. 51.Ch. II. —How the Town of Nuz was relieved by the Germans and the Emperor; and of other Enemies whom the King of France stirred up against the Duke of Burgundy.—1474.
52. 52.Ch. III. —How the King took from the Duke of Burgundy the Castle of Tronquoy, with the Towns of Montdidier, Roye, and Corbie, and the Endeavours he used to persuade the Emperor Frederick to seize upon such Towns as belonged to the Duke in the Empire.—1475.
53. 53.Ch. IV. —How the Constable fell again under the Suspicion both of the King and of the Duke of Burgundy.—1475.
54. 54.Ch. V. —How the King of England passed the Sea with a powerful Army to assist his Ally, the Duke of Burgundy, against the King of France, to whom he sent a Defiance by one of his Heralds-at-arms.—1475.
55. 55.Ch. VI. —Of the Trouble and Perplexity of the Constable, and of certain Letters he wrote to the King of England and the Duke of Burgundy, which afterwards were partly the Cause of his Death.—1475.
56. 56.Ch. VII. —How the King of France disguised one of his menial Servants in a Herald’s Coat, and sent him with a Message to the King of England, who gave him a favourable Answer.—1475.
57. 57.Ch. VIII. —How a Truce for nine Years was negotiated between the Kings of France and England, notwithstanding the Difficulties and Impediments interposed by the Constable and the Duke of Burgundy.—1475.
58. 58.Ch. IX. —How the King entertained the English in Amiens, and of the Place appointed for the Interview of the two Kings.—1475.
59. 59.Ch. X. —Of the Interview between the two Kings, and of their swearing to the Truce which had been concluded before; and how some fancied the Holy Ghost descended upon the King of England’s Tent in the Shape of a White Pigeon.—1475.
60. 60.Ch. XI. —How the Constable endeavoured to excuse himself to the King of France, upon the Conclusion of the Peace with the English; and how a Truce was likewise made for Nine Years between the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France.—1475.
61. 61.Ch. XII. —How the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy swore the Death of the Constable, who, retiring into the Duke’s Country, was, by his Command, delivered to the King, and publicly executed.—1475.
62. 62.Ch. XIII. —A Digression concerning the Duke of Burgundy’s Error in delivering up the Constable to the King, contrary to the Safe-conduct which he had given him; and what happened to him afterwards.—1475.
63. 63.BOOK THE FIFTH. — Ch. I. —How the Duke of Burgundy, making War upon the Swiss, was defeated by them at the Foot of the Mountains, near Granson.—1476.
64. 64.Ch. II. —How, after the Defeat near Granson, the Duke of Milan, René, King of Sicily, the Duchess of Savoy, and others, abandoned their Alliance with the Duke of Burgundy.—1476.
65. 65.Ch. III. —How the Duke of Burgundy was again defeated by the Swiss, near the Town of Morat.—1476.
66. 66.Ch. IV. —How, after the Battle of Morat, the Duke of Burgundy seized upon the Duchess of Savoy, and how she was delivered by our King, and sent back into her own Country.—1476.
67. 67.Ch. V. —How the Duke of Burgundy lived in a solitary manner for some weeks at La Rivière, and how the Duke of Lorraine retook Nancy in the meantime.—1476.
68. 68.Ch. VI. —Of the Count of Campobasso’s great Treachery, and how he prevented the Duke of Burgundy from hearing a Gentleman who would have revealed it to him before his Execution, and how the Duke also rejected the Information that was sent him by the King.—1476.
69. 69.Ch. VII. —How the Duke of Lorraine with a powerful Army of Germans took the field, and encamped at St. Nicholas, whilst the Duke of Burgundy lay before Nancy; and how the King of Portugal, who was in France at that time, paid a visit to the Duke in his Camp before that Town.—1477.
70. 70.Ch. VIII. —How the Duke of Burgundy, by rejecting the Counsel of several of his Officers, was defeated and slain in a Battle between him and the Duke of Lorraine, not far from Nancy.—1477.
71. 71.Ch. IX. —A Digression concerning the Virtues of the Duke of Burgundy, and the Time of his House’s Prosperity.
72. 72.Ch. X. —How the King of France received intelligence of the Duke of Burgundy’s last Defeat, and managed his Affairs after the Duke’s Death.—1477.
73. 73.Ch. XI. —How the King of France seized upon Abbeville after the Death of the Duke of Burgundy, and the Answer he received from the Inhabitants of Arras.—1477.
74. 74.Ch. XII. —A Digression (not altogether foreign to my principal Design) concerning the King’s Joy at being delivered from most of his Enemies, and of the Error his Majesty committed in the Reduction of the Duke of Burgundy’s Countries.—1477.
75. 75.Ch. XIII. —Of the Delivery of Han, Bohain, St. Quentin, and Peronne, to the King, and how he sent his Barber, Monsieur Oliver, to treat with the Citizens of Ghent.—1477.
76. 76.Ch. XIV. —How Master Oliver, the King’s Barber, not succeeding in his Designs upon Ghent, found out a way to secure Tournay for the King.—1477.
77. 77.Ch. XV. —Of the Ambassadors whom the Lady of Burgundy, Duke Charles’s Daughter, sent to the King, and of the Delivering up of Arras, Hesdin, Boulogne, and the City of Arras, to the King by the Assistance of the Lord des Cordes.—1477.
78. 78.Ch. XVI. —How the Citizens of Ghent, having usurped Authority over their Princess upon the Death of the Duke of Burgundy her Father, sent Ambassadors to the King of France in the Name of the Three Estates of their Country.—1477.
79. 79.Ch. XVII. —How the People of Ghent, upon the Return of their Ambassadors, put the Chancellor Hugonet and the Lord of Humbercourt to Death, against their Princess’s Consent; after which they, in conjunction with some other Flemish Troops, were defeated before Tournay, and the Duke of Guelders, who commanded them, was slain; and the Duchy of Burgundy was placed in the hands of the King of France.—1477.
80. 80.Ch. XVIII. —A Digression, serving to demonstrate that Wars and Divisions are permitted by God for the Punishment of wicked Princes and People, with various Arguments and Instances which happened in the Author’s Life-time, chiefly intended for the Instruction of Princes.
81. 81.Ch. XIX. —On the Character of the French People, and the Government of their Kings, with Reflections on the Misfortunes which occur to both great and small.
82. 82.Ch. XX. —Examples of Misfortunes that have happened to Princes, and Revolutions that have been brought to pass in States by the Judgment of God.
83. 83.FOOTNOTES

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