- Arnaud Amanieu, Lord of Albret
.
In 1330,
Edward III of England sent men toGascony to negotiate with the nobles. Beranrd Ezi IV tried to negotiate a marriage between Arnaud Amanieu and a daughter ofEdmund of Woodstock ,Earl of Kent , but the plans fell through.In 1363,
Edward the Black Prince , thenDuke of Gascony , went to his province to procure the homage of his barons, chief among whom was Arnaud Amanieu. In the cathedral ofBordeaux on9 July , the lord of Albret was the first to kneel "sans" belt and cap before the Prince and swear an oath of fealty (save his allegiance to theKing of England ), then to kiss aBible and a cross, and finally to kiss the Prince on the mouth. However, good relations did not last long between Lord and Prince.In 1368, while preparing to cross the
Pyrenees to join in theCastilian Civil War , Edward demanded a contingent from Arnaud Amanieu, but the forces requested were more than the lord of Albret could suffice. Arnaud Amanieu refused, causing the Black Prince to say:Edward's Council also decalred a "fouage ", a new tax, which was bitterly resented by the great landholders.John I of Armagnac ,Peter-Raymond II of Comminges ,Roger Bernard of Périgord , and Arnaud Amanieu sent appeals toCharles V of France , appeals which are preserved to this day in the "Archives Nationales " inParis . They addressed him as the "sovereign lord of the "duchée de Guienne" and the other lands "baillées" to the king of England by the treaty of peace." [Ibid, 103.] Needless to say, the king of France readily received the Gascon rebels into his fold.On
30 June 1368 , after Arnaud Amanieu married Margaret of Bourbon, a secret treaty was signed between Charles V, Arnaud Amanieu, John, and Roger Bernard. Charles pledged aid in the event of war and he swore never to give up his claims of sovereignty over Gascony. The lords agreed to serve Charles — for pay — in Auvergne,Toulouse ,Berry , andTouraine , and to take an oath to him. The "fouage" was remitted for the next decade, unless the barons chose to reimpose it on themselves. A body of lawyers and barons was called to decide the sovereignty question and they unanimously affirmed that Charles was sovereign over Gascony.Amanieu remained close to the French monarchy until his death in 1401. His son, Charles I, became
Constable of France .Notes
References
*Lodge, Eleanor C. "Gascony under English Rule". Kennikat Press: 1926.
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