The chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Vol. 10 [of 13]

In Short

This narrative volume documents a volatile era of European history, focusing on the late Reign of Charles VII, the accession of Louis XI, and the escalations of the War of the Public Weal alongside the English Wars of the Roses. Through formal trial records, diplomatic reports, and battle accounts, the chronicle reveals the fragile nature of medieval governance. The text endures as a vital primary record of mid-fifteenth-century court intrigue, military strategy, and regional conflict, capturing how dynastic ambition systematically destabilizes entire realms from the royal court down to rural villages.

The Story

The chronicle opens during a period of intense legal and political maneuvering within the French crown. King Charles VII asserts absolute royal authority by countermanding noble gatherings and subjecting high-ranking aristocrats to strict judicial review. A prominent centerpiece of this early section is the trial of the Duke of Alençon. Brought before the assembled peers of France at Vendôme, the duke faces treason charges for secretly negotiating with the English, offering to yield Norman strongholds, and plotting to arrange strategic marriages to advance his standing. His conviction and sentence set a stern tone regarding royal intolerance for internal subversion.

Simultaneously, the narrative details the violent fracturing of England as the Wars of the Roses erupt in full force. The struggle between the house of Lancaster, represented by King Henry VI and Queen Margaret, and the house of York turns devastatingly bloody. Battles claim high-profile casualties, culminating in the capture and execution of the Duke of York, whose severed head is mockingly crowned with paper. Yet York’s son, Edward, Earl of Marche, quickly rallies forces with the aid of the Londoners, defeats the royalists, and claims the English throne, forcing Queen Margaret to seek Scottish aid.

Back in France, the death of Charles VII marks a major shift in the geopolitical landscape. His successor, King Louis XI, inherits a kingdom brimming with discontented nobles. The narrative turns toward the escalating feud between the crown and the powerful Duchy of Burgundy. Tensions flare between the aging Duke of Burgundy and his rebellious son, the Count of Charolois. Charolois asserts his authority, pushing out rivals like the Croy family, while resisting royal influence. This internal Burgundian friction eventually transforms into open war against the French crown under the banner of the War of the Public Weal.

Charolois leads a massive army into French territory, abolishing royal taxes in captured towns to gain popular support, and marches directly toward Paris. The city prepares for siege, maintaining tight security under local leaders while suffering food shortages and military blockades. Following tactical engagements and prolonged negotiations, the conflict yields the Treaty of Conflans. The king is forced to make sweeping territorial and financial concessions to Charolois to restore a temporary peace. The volume closes with the brutal revenge exacted by the Burgundian forces upon rebellious towns like Dinant, underscoring the relentless, unforgiving nature of late medieval warfare.

How It Unfolds

The fall of Alençon The King of France convenes the twelve peers at Vendôme to try the Duke of Alençon for treason. The duke confesses to plotting with English envoys, offering to open Normandy to invasion in exchange for dynastic support.

Dynastic bloodshed in England Civil war erupts between the houses of York and Lancaster. After initial Yorkist gains, Queen Margaret’s forces defeat and execute the Duke of York, but his son Edward retaliates, taking the crown as King Edward IV.

The death of Charles VII King Charles VII dies after a period of severe illness and paranoia over potential poisoning. His death triggers immediate shifts in court power, freeing political prisoners and bringing Louis XI to the throne.

Burgundian family discord The Duchy of Burgundy faces deep domestic strife as the Count of Charolois opposes his father’s councilors, particularly the Lord de Croy. Envoys and clerical leaders attempt to mediate the rift between father and son.

March on Paris The Count of Charolois leads his army across the Somme and Oise rivers, declaring himself lieutenant-general and lifting taxes in regional towns. He brings his forces to the gates of Paris, forcing Louis XI to organize an aggressive urban defense.

The Treaty of Conflans and Burgundian vengeance Faced with allied noble opposition, King Louis XI grants extensive lands and funds to Charolois to secure peace. Soon after, Burgundian forces ruthlessly crush and burn the defiant town of Dinant following severe insults against the Duke.

The People

• King Charles VII: The ruler of France whose late reign focuses on consolidating royal power, prosecuting treasonous nobles like the Duke of Alençon, and maintaining military readiness against England until his death.
• The Duke of Alençon: A powerful French noble convicted of high treason after secretly conspiring with English agents to surrender strongholds and encourage an invasion of Normandy.
• The Count of Charolois: The headstrong son of the Duke of Burgundy who consolidates control over his father’s realm, defies royal authority, and leads the rebel army to the gates of Paris.
• King Louis XI: The successor to Charles VII who must navigate complex noble rebellions, urban blockades in Paris, and difficult diplomatic concessions to preserve his crown.
• Queen Margaret of England: The formidable Lancastrian queen who aggressively fights to defend her husband’s crown and her son’s inheritance against the Duke of York.
• The Duke of York: The ambitious Yorkist leader who claims the English throne through civil war, only to be defeated, beheaded, and mockingly crowned with paper by his enemies.

In Its Own Voice

"While we were seated on our judgment-seat, the court being filled with the whole of its members, the said d'Alençon was brought before it, who, after having had the oath administered to him... confessed"

(Context: The official decree detailing the trial and confession of the Duke of Alençon before the royal court.)

"Shortly after, the queen had them beheaded, and their heads put on the points of three lances: and on the head of the duke was placed, by way of derision, a paper crown"

(Context: The tragic aftermath of the battle where the Duke of York lost his life to Lancastrian forces.)

"The smoke was so thick, and the fire so terrible, that it resembled a hell, and very many were killed by the balls."

(Context: The devastating bombardment of the defiant city of Dinant by Burgundian forces.)

What It's Really About

Beneath its sequence of battles and royal decrees, the chronicle explores the volatile nature of feudal authority and the high price of political ambition. It examines how centralizing monarchies clashed with entrenched ducal autonomy, transforming regional disputes into widespread warfare. The text highlights the extreme fragility of oaths, where royal alliances shift overnight and blood relatives turn into mortal enemies over land and jurisdiction.

Furthermore, the work illustrates the devastating impact of aristocratic rivalry on common populations. Whether through heavy taxation, crop destruction during sieges, or the complete annihilation of defiant towns, the chronicle continuously documents how broad political strategies exact a heavy toll on the townsfolk and peasants caught between competing lords.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers readers an unvarnished, detailed window into the raw mechanics of fifteenth-century European statecraft. Rather than offering a smoothed-over retrospective history, it delivers the immediate, grainy reality of medieval administration—complete with formal legal confessions, tactical military movements, and court diplomacy. Reading it feels like sifting through the primary intelligence reports of a kingdom in turmoil.

The text presents several challenges for the modern reader. The narrative structure relies heavily on sequential annals, official transcripts, and dense lists of noble names, requiring patience to track the web of relationships. Archaic spellings of regional locations and administrative titles can slow down initial reading. However, for those fascinated by the real-life political maneuvering that inspired modern dynastic fiction, the volume rewards effort with authentic historical drama, sharp psychological tension, and a visceral portrait of power struggles during the Hundred Years' War era.