The chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Vol. 04 [of 13] — Inside the Classic

Siege and Storm: The Capture of Soissons

The account of the siege of Soissons in Chapter V exemplifies Monstrelet's method. The king of France marches his army from Compiegne to Soissons, which he besieges and takes by storm. The city is then pillaged and destroyed. Monstrelet offers no moral commentary; the event is presented as a fact of war. The brevity of the description—a single chapter heading and a few lines—contrasts with the violence it implies. This pattern recurs throughout: sieges are undertaken, towns are reduced, and the chronicler moves on.

What stands out is the mechanical repetition: the king marches, besieges, takes, and destroys. The reader is left to infer the human cost from the starkness of the prose. Monstrelet's focus is on the strategic outcome, not the suffering. This detachment is a feature of the chronicle, reflecting a worldview where such events are routine.

The Shifting Allegiances of the Duke of Burgundy

The duke of Burgundy is a central figure, yet his position is constantly negotiated. In Chapter II, he holds a grand conference at Arras, where his nobles promise to serve him against all enemies. Later, he is barred from entering Paris except in his simple state, and the Parisians mockingly call him 'Jean de Lagny' after his prolonged stay there. Monstrelet records these slights without emphasis, but they accumulate to show a duke whose power is real but circumscribed.

The chronicle also details the duke's movements: from Lagny to Dampmartin, through various regions to Douay and Lille, then to visit his nephews in Brabant. Each location is a node in a network of influence. The text notes that his men 'much oppressed the poor people on their march,' a rare glimpse of the commoners' suffering. The duke's authority is exercised through appointments and treaties, but also through the threat of violence.

Execution and Mercy: The Fate of Captured Knights

Chapter XXXVII recounts the capture of Sir Martelet du Mesnil and Ferry de Mailly by the king's forces. After being tortured, Sir Martelet and four other gentlemen are hanged on the gibbet of Compiegne, while Ferry de Mailly obtains his freedom through the intercession of friends. Monstrelet presents this as a straightforward sequence: capture, torture, execution or release. The asymmetry is striking—one dies, the other lives—and the reason is merely 'through the intercession of friends.'

This episode illustrates the personal nature of justice in the 15th century. The chronicler does not question the fairness of the outcome; he simply records it. The hanging on a public gibbet serves as a warning, while the release of Ferry de Mailly shows the power of patronage. Monstrelet's matter-of-fact tone underscores the precariousness of life for those caught between warring factions.

Monstrelet's chronicle rewards readers who attend to its details: the names of towns, the titles of officers, the dates of treaties. The work is a mosaic of small facts that together form a picture of a kingdom in turmoil. To read it is to follow the movements of armies and the machinations of princes, but also to glimpse the lives of those—like the hanged Sir Martelet—who are caught in the gears of history. Approach it as a primary source, not a narrative, and let the accumulation of evidence speak for itself.

The rain kept the light low, and Monstrelet’s sieges blurred into a single grey ache. Then I set the book down, and my hand wandered to the shelf, pulling out a weightier, older voice—one that traced a similar stubbornness in England’s own tangled succession. Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (04 of 12) Stephan Earle Of Bullongne — Reading Companion sat there, a quiet companion to the hour.