The History of the Chateau de Ranton

The main sections

1. From the romans to the middle ages : 54BC to 1340

· Roman remains

· St Hilary

· St Martin of Tours

· The Merovingians

· Charles Martel and Charlemagne

· The Plantagenets

· Loudun becomes a royal city

2. The Hundred-years war

· Preparations

· Crecy

· Jean de la Jaille

· The battle of Nouailles

· The defence of Loudun

· A fighting family

· Tristan IV

· Agincourt

3. Rennaisance

· Bertrand de la Jaille

· Pierre de la Jaille

· Bertrand II de la Jaille

· Rene I de la Jaille

· Rene II and the court of Catherine de Medici

· A death foretold

4. Wars of religion

· The reformation

· “Hic Terminus Heirat”

· War around Loudun

· The peace of Loudun

· The destruction of Loudun

· Urban Grandier

· Cardinal Richelieu

· The Plague in Loudun

· Demonic possessions

5. The revolution to today

· Ranton 1650-1793

· The revolution

· Abbe Aubineau

· The 20^th century

From the romans to the middle ages : 54BC to 1340

Roman remains

Its almost impossible to dig around in western Europe and not find Roman remains. The Romans were present in the area of Loudun from the conquest of Gaul in 54 BC until the fourth century. Loudun was already an important Celtic settlement; it probably took its name from the Celtic god Lud, but became an Roman settlement. The straight line of the road through Loudun from Poitiers to the old ford of the Loire north of Fontevraud is evidence of its importance. The valley of the Dive was also important. It was good farmland and controlled the access to the west. The village of Curcay has Roman roots; all the village names ending in "-ay" or "-ais" have roman origins, and Curcay seems to have been quite a significant town. In 1953, excavations identified the remains of a roman villa between the church of St Pierre and the Dive. The remains of a forum, a processional way and of villas were excavated in 1964 in the same area.

The settlements were important because they lay on the route west from Loudun across the river Dive. This passage through the marshy valley was always hazardous, and an altar to the Roman god Jupiter has left its trace in the name of the neighbouring village; the Latin Pas-sus-Jovis being corrupted to Pas-de-Jeu.

St Hillary

Roman and classical influence came under challenge already in the fourth century. At this time, a Gaelic school of Christian writers began to flourish, initially in western France and later in England, Ireland and Scotland. One of the first was Hillary of Poitiers. He was the son of high-ranking, but pagan parents, and his education included the study of Greek philosophy as well as of Latin classics. He was born about 315 and was converted to Christianity about 350. By 353 he was the first Bishop of Poitiers - one of the first centres of Christianity in France. The first church, the oldest Christian building in France, still stands. It is now the Baptistery of St John; a sturdy brick structure near the Cathedral of St Peter in Piotiers.

Hillary soon became embroiled in the disputes about the Arian Heresy. This belief in the separate divinity of God the Father and of Christ struck at the heart of the Christian belief in the unity of God, but it had considerable popular support in recently pagan areas. Its originator, Arius of Alexandria, was a talented composer of hymns. They served as good propaganda for his ideas - perhaps the devil always has the best tunes. Hillary retaliated with his own compositions and the region witnessed one of the first hymn-book battles of western Europe. If they were as inspiring as his writings now seem today, it is not surprising that none of Hillary's compositions have survived.

The church of Saint Hillary le Grand, in Poitiers, was built in the 11th century, over the chapel housing his tomb.

St Martin of Tours

Alongside the intellectual re-birth of Christianity in the fourth century, and as a reaction against the growth of materialism and urban sophistication of church leaders, a new fashion developed for the simple life. It first became popular in Egypt and the middle-east. The spiritual attractions of a solitary life in the desert were publicised through accounts of the life of Saint Anthony. While the spiritual benefits could be universal, it was more difficult to reproduce all the attractions in the chilly forests of Gaul. New ideas were necessary. Saint Martin provided them.

He was born about 316, in Pannonia, a region of south Germany. His parents were solidly middle class, and were clearly annoyed by the rebellious and fanatical religion of their son. At the age of 12 he tried to join one of the loosely organised orders of Hermits, but was dragged home. As soon as he was old enough for military service, at 15, his father enrolled him in the Roman army. No doubt he felt a little army discipline would settle his son's predilection for holiness. If so, he was to be disappointed. One chilly winter day, on campaign near Amiens, he gave half of his army cloak to a beggar. That night, in a vision, he recognised the beggar as Christ. The next day, when the Emperor Julian assembled his troops for battle, Martin refused to fight and volunteered to stand unarmed between the armies. He wasn't put to the test, but was discharged from the army.

He came to Poitiers, drawn by the reputation of Hillary. There he was appointed as exorcist; the second lowest office in the clerical hierarchy of the time, but one that suited Martin's missionary zeal and fondness for the recently Pagan peasantry. Martin was at ease with the illiterate farmers and his combination of "rough and ready miracles" and common sense was immediately popular. He cut down sacred trees, banished hail, cast out demons from cows, dogs and pigs and re-dedicated pagan shrines. It was at this time that the altar to Jupiter at Pas-de-Jeu was re-dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and it is likely that St Martin himself was responsible. The shrine of La Bonne Dame de Ranton existed as a focal point for pilgrims until the French Revolution and its location is still marked by the Pilgrimage church of La Bonne Dame de Ranton.

With the support of Hillary, Martin founded the first monastery in 360, at Ligugé, just to the south-east of Poitiers. It was a first attempt to organise hermits and seekers of a simple life dedicated to prayer into a sustainable organisation. There is no record now of any rules, but the monastery church was the centre of the life of the monks. There are still the churches of the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries and the abbey, reconstructed in the 16th century, is now home to Benedictine monks from Solesmes.

In 372, Martin was elected, by popular acclaim, as Bishop of Tours. This was not without some misgivings in the Church hierarchy. Some of his more urbane colleagues distrusted Martin's resolute informality. He was always scruffily dressed, his torn cloak an early sign of his disregard for appearances. Even in Tours, he pursued his monastic ideals. He founded the monastery of Marmoutier. There, the Loire flows close to a wooded hillside. The site he chose for the monastery could only be reached by a scramble up the rocks. The life there was truly simple. The monks lived in huts of branches or in shallow caves in the rocks. They lived alone, in silence, and dressed in camel-hair tunics in imitation of St John the Baptist. One can understand the concern of less hardened Bishops that Martin was setting an example they were not keen to follow!

Martin had a particular dislike for the worship of relics. It was already popular in the fourth century - perhaps because they were more tangible objects of worship in a society still used to pagan spirits and gods. Bodies and bits of dead saints were already the focus of popular religion, and Martin was a determined exposer of fakery. He would have been horrified if he could have known how his own remains would be fought over and revered. His body was hardy cold before the people of Poitiers and Tours were fighting for it. The night he died, while the representatives of Poitiers guarded the door of the room where he lay, those of Tours slid his body through the window. Within a century he was the most revered Saint in France. He is still the Patron Saint of France, as Saint George is for England.

The Merovingians

Clovis Ist, the founder of the Merovingian dynasty of "long-haired" Kings in France, united most of present-day France. He had been converted to Christianity in 485 and was a seasoned campaigner, having already subdued the German tribes in northwest France and in Burgundy. By 507, he was ready to confront the Visigoths. From their base in Northern Spain, the Visigoths controlled much of southern and southwestern France, as far north as the Loire. They were Christian, but subscribed to the Arian Heresy. At the time, this aroused strong feelings. Clovis could therefore claim both a political and moral duty to break their influence north of the Pyrennees. He could also call on the help of St Hillary and of St Martin, both renowned opponents of the Arians.

As soon as the Frankish army entered the Touraine, Clovis forbade the usual pillage so as to not "offend St Martin". He sent his favourite horse as a gift to the Saint - he bought it back again after his victory! - and he adopted the cloak of St Martin as his battle standard. It was to remain the battle flag of the Merovingian Kings and of Charlemagne. St Hillary's support was shown by a column of fire over his sanctuary in Poitiers. The armies met at Voire, to the west of Poitiers. Fortified by this supernatural support, Clovis was more than a match for the 23 year-old leader of the visigoths. He is reputed to have killed him with his own hands.

After the battle, Clovis rested his army in Bordeau, and the next spring captured Toulouse. This was the capital of the Visigoths north of the Pyrennees. In the ruins of the town, Clovis found the treasure Alaric I had looted in Rome a hundred years before. His victory established the Catholic religion throughout Frankish Gaul, even through the Salic law remained as the basis for the civil administration during the Merovingian dynasty. It also established Clovis as one of the recognised successors of the Roman emperors; on his return north, Clovis was consecrated as a Patrician and Consul of the Roman Empire in the new Basilica dedicated to St Martin in Tours. Saint Martin remained the Merovingian's guardian Saint, and the remnant of his cloak their holiest relic.

Clovis established a new authority in Frankish Gaul. For the first time, he allied the civil power to that of the Bishops and codified the "lex salica", the Salic Law. This was the traditional law of the German tribes. This law, by its disqualification of inheritance through the female line, would later return to haunt Aquitaine as one of the causes of the hundred years war between the French and English Kings. We are now so used to law based on Roman and Christian precepts that the Salic law appears barbaric. It was essentially a penal code, defining a criminal's liability to his victim and to the Community. It set down a graduated series of punishments and fines for all imaginable crimes. The size of the fines were proportional to the grossness of the crime, the sex, age, status and usefulness of the victim. At the top of the scale was murder of one of the King's councillors; worth 2400 solidi (one solidi was similar in value to a cow). A Frankish freeman was worth 200 solidi, a priest 600, a bishop 900, a serf 100 and a slave 30. To insult a freeman, for example by calling him a fox, was worth 3 solidi, and to call a woman a harlot was worth 9, unless she was one. A woman's virtue was respected; rape was worth 62.5 solidi and adultery 200. Trial was often by oath or ordeal. In both cases with the expectation that divine intervention - to strike down the guilty or to save the innocent - would determine the outcome.

Clovis left a newly united kingdom to his four sons, but it was soon fragmented and weakened by their incessant quarrels.

The site of the Chateau de Ranton, dominating the passage through the Dive Valley, was already a stronghold during the Merovingian period. Little stone was yet used for building, and any fortifications would have been of wood. There were many such forts in the area; one at Loudun itself and another is known to have existed at Pouant; the high point between Loudun and Richelieu. At Ranton, the beginnings of the moat may already have been excavated. In fact, the earliest of the extensive network of rooms and passages excavated in the limestone around the moat date from the Merovingian period and traces of the characteristic architecture still exist: the sloping stone roofs at weak points in the rock are typical of this period.

Charles Martell and Charlemagne

The 8th century saw the rise of Islam and the invasions of Spain and France by the Saracens. In 713, Moorish invaders crossed the Pyrenees for the first time. That expedition marked the beginning of a series of invasions, each pushing a little further north. In 721, Toulouse was besieged, but was saved by the army of Aquitaine reinforced by troops of Charles Martell, the King of the Franks. Ten years later, the Saracen army, stronger than ever, crossed the pass of Roncevaux again. This time, Bayonne, Oloron, Aires, Auch and many other cities were pillaged and burnt. In the spring of the next year, it was the turn of Bordeaux, Blaye, Bourg, Montagne and Royan. The threat to all of France was now so great that Charles Martell himself marched south with his army. He confronted the Saracen army at Moussias, between Chatellerault and Poitiers, about 45 kilometres south-east of Ranton. Caught between the Franks in the north and the army of Aquitaine in the south, the Saracen army was destroyed. The battle was the turning point in the fortunes of the Islamic and Christian forces in Western Europe. It marked the most northerly point of the Arabic invasions. Forty five years later, Charlemagne pushed the Saracens back across the Pyrenees. Charlemagne himself donated lands at Curcay (probably including Ranton) to the Abbey of St Martin in Tours in 775. This is the first written record of Curcay.

In the 10th century, the estates on Curcay and Ranton belonged to the Delancay family. Stone built fortresses were beginning to appear: One existed at Mirebeau, since replaced, and they were all characterised by a strongly build square tower, of austere appearance, and accomodating only public spaces: Halls and defensive features- They notably had no fireplaces, so must have been bitterly cold in the winter.

The Plantagenets (1000 A.D. to 1206 A.D)

Loudun dominates the main routes from north to south and east to west. The "Square tower" of Loudun was built in 1040 by Foulques Nerra, the first "Plantagenet". This name, which became such a part of English history, has its origins in the area: According to local legends, while hunting in the forest north of Loudun, Foulques Nerra surprised a unicorn in a clearing full of yellow gorse; "genêts" in French. He caught the unicorn, which in his arms turned into a beautiful princess. He immediately fell in love with her and proposed marriage in the nearby chapel. However, when the shadow of the cross on the altar fell on the princess, she fled. Foulques Nerra mobilised his serfs, soldiers and vassals to find his lost love, but in vain. In desperation he had all the gorse gathered from the clearings and paths of the forest to tempt the unicorn back. Even this attempt failed, but it earned him the nickname of "Plante a genêt". Gorse became the family emblem.

The link between the region and England was established in the 12th century, largely through the lives of two remarkable people; Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henri Plantagenêt. She did more to unite England and France, and to sow the seeds of war between the two countries than any other woman until Mary, Queen of Scots. Eleanor was born in 1122, in Poitiers, and at the age of 15 married Louis, Prince of Aquitaine. Within six months she was Queen of France and her new husband Louis VII of France. It was not a happy marriage; Eleanor was ambitious for power and her relations with Louis steadily deteriorated. At the instigation of Louis, the marriage was annulled in 1152. Eleanor married Henri Plantagenêt at Poitiers eight weeks later. He was Count of Maine, Anjou and Normandy, a great grandson of William the Conquerer, and the adopted heir of King Stephen of England; (known as Etienne de Blois in France). A year after her marriage to Henri, King Stephen died. Eleanor and Henri rushed to London despite terrible weather in the Channel and Henri was crowned Henry II of England and Eleanor his Queen.

Eleanor established Poitiers as a major centre of political influence. The Cathedral of Notre Dame la Grande is a magnificent example of romanesque architecture of the early 12th century, and that of Saint Peter, built by Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England is an imposing reminder of the splendour of their reigns in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Palais de Justice contains the old palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine, including the Great Hall with a magnificent 16th century roof.

20 kilometers north of Loudun, the abbey of Fontevraud was founded in 1099 by Robert d'Arbissel. It rivalled Cluny for dominance for 700 years. He preached for the first crusade and assembled his followers at Fontevraud. The abbey was protected and enriched by the Plantagenets; Eleanor of Aquitaine retired and died and is buried there. From 1155 to 1793, an unbroken succession of abbesses ruled over the foundation.

Throughout her reign, Eleanor played a major part in establishing alliances between the European monarchies. She was frequently involved in disputes and skirmishes and even when she had retired to the Abbey at Fontevraud she was drawn into the action. In 1202, she was forced to flee from Fontevraud before an army of the Duke of Brittany, supported by the French King, Philippe Auguste. She took refuge in the walled town of Mirebeau, which was immediately besieged. Fortunately her son, King John, was with his army at Le Mans. In a forced march, he reached Mirebeau within a day and captured the besieging forces. King John was no better liked by his Barons in France than by those in England and his barbaric treatment of his captives did nothing to improve his reputation. Eleanor died in 1204 at Fontevraud. Her husband, Henry II, and her son, Richard the Lionheart, are buried with her there.

The ECU

In 1157, Henri II of England instituted the practice of ‘Ecuage”, a tax paid by his vasals in place of military service. This allowed him to recruit and maintain a permentant professional army; a feature of British military tradition which still exists. This tax was the origin of the French currency unit, the ECU, subsequently re-inveted in the 1980s as the European Currency Unit (now re-baptised as the EURO).

In 1162, in a new innovation in military architecture, Poitiers was the first European city since Roman times to be completely surrounded by defensive walls. They were over 6.5 Kms long and incorporated semi-circular towers able to cover the adjacent walls with arrow fire. Other fortresses were modernised in the same style: Mirebeau, Montreuil Bonnin and Haut Clairvaux (by Richard Lionheart). This is the sytle used at Ranton

Loudun becomes a Royal city

In 1206, Loudun and its surrounding area was re-attached to the French crown by Phillippe-Auguste. He made Loudun into one of the strongest fortresses in France, dominated by an enormous round tower, thirty metres high. It was 17 metres in diameter at its base, with walls nearly six metres thick. This unfortunately only left a small inner space, 4 metres 60 wide so it was not exactly a palace. The walls were of squared blocks on the outside and inside, with a filling of pink flint - a formidable construction. It was eventually demolished by Richelieu in 1633.

The town was protected by a wall over ten miles long, inside a water-filled moat. He also made Loudun the seat of a Royal "bailliage"; a Royal charter which made Loudun the property of the King, rather than that of a Feudal lord, and ruled by an official of his court. This status brought Loudun great prosperity: a Royal court of justice, civil servants, accountants and lawyers. The rope-makers (cordelliers) of Loudun gained the monopoly of supply to the Royal court; prospered enormously and gained a national reputation. They even built their own church.

On the death of Phillipe Auguste, Louis IX was only 14. His mother, Blanche of Castille, acted as the Regent, but was faced with the opposition of a group of powerful barons, led by the Duke of Thouars. In 1227, Blanche of Castille opened negotiations from the base of a camp at Loudun, and in 1228 she and Louis IX held a parliament for about 20 days at Curcay. She was no stranger to the area, being the grand-daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the daughter of her elder daughter of her first marriage with Louis ?. The boundary between the area loyal to Louis IX and that loyal to the rebel dukes was the Dive. As in 1215 at Runnymead in England, the relative powers of the King and the Barons were in dispute. After long and difficult negociations, an agreement was reached that allowed the rebel Barons to accept Louis IX as their legitimate King. He held court, and exercised his Feudal rights of justice for the first time at the bridge over the Dive which still stands. Further privileges were granted to Loudun by Louis IX. In 12.., Loudun became a self governing Commune, exempt from the billeting of soldiers, exempt from being garrisoned, and with its own security forces.

The Dive was still a major political and physical boundary and its defence was of strategic importance. In 1228, the Maulevier family obtained the King's permission to fortify the bridge-head over the Dive at Curcay. The tower that kept the family name was build. The fortress at Curcay was of major military importance and was much more extensive than the remains now suggest. The main walls encompassed most of what is now the village.

Preparations for the 'Hundred years war'

The area around Loudun was again the focus of attention in the Hundred Years war. In January 1340, Edward III of England formally claimed the title of ‘King of France’. In June, the English fleet decimated the French fleet at the mouth of the Zwyn in what is now Holland. The war had begun. It was initially fought in the north of France and the Netherlands, but it was Aquitaine that was at stake. After four generations of peace in the area, the castles and town walls were in a poor state of repair. In 1340 the Châteaux at Ranton and Curçay-sur-Dive were re-built; that of Ranton by Guilaume de Bois Gourmont and that at Curcay by Huet Odart, both under instruction from the King; They were part of an elaborate network of fortresses that ensured that the area remained under French control, although the English were allied to the Duke of Thouars and controlled the valley of the Dive for many years. The Chateau at Ranton was only one of those rebuilt by Guillaume de Bois Gourmont; the largest was that at Bois Gourmont, near Veniers, just north of Loudun. Only the Keep now remains and it is ruined. The style is the same as that at Ranton and it was probably built be the same Architect/masons. Machiolations, the overhanging part around the top of the towers was a recent innovation in military architecture of the time. They made it even more difficult to scale the walls. The change from square to round towers also gave better resistance to cannon balls. Many of the excavated rooms off the dry moat also date from this time. They served as a refuge for the village.

At Curcay, the 11th century castle was extended and strengthened; The Keep was linked to three other new circular towers, one of which still stands, and to the old Maulevrier tower. The Arms of Huet Odart, the nephew of Huet de Curcay, are still visible, although partly defaced: They represent a cross with five shells, all symbols of the pilgims to St Jacque de Compostella in northern Spain.

Guillaume de Gourmont

Guillaume came from a self-made Breton family, and rose to positions of great power in the French court. He was the nephew of Guillaume de Ploermel, squire, and procurer for the King in Tours. This position was passed on the Guillaume de Gourmont in 1335, from which he rose to be the Baliff of Senlis in 1337 to 1339and Provost of Paris in 1339 to 1349. He was Knighted in 1346 and became Master of the Royal accounts in 1349; Councillor to the Parliament in 1354 and 1355.

Crecy

1346 saw the devastating defeat of the French army at Crecy. The French forces met in the first direct confrontation with the English under the command of Edward III. The army of Philippe forced the English forces to battle after catching them just north of the Somme. Such was the enthusiasm of the French cavalry that they cut their way through their own lines of Genoese crossbowmen to attack. The superiority of the Welsh longbow quickly became apparent; its rapidity of fire (up to six arrows a minute) and lethal range of up to 200 metres soon devastated the French cavalry, already hampered by the mud. Edward of Woodstock, prince of Wales, later known as the Black Prince, was in the thick of the fighting. Although only 16 at the time, his father refused to send him reinforcements with the remark "let the boy win his spurs". The extraordinary spirit of the armies was demonstrated by the blind King of Bohemia. Allied to the French Forces and commander of the advance guard, he insisted on joining the cavalry charge. He was led into battle by two of his knights, their horses bridled together. All three died, their mounts still bridled, but in recognition of his courage, the prince of Wales adopted his badge of feathers and his motto "Ich dien" still the badge of the prince of Wales over 600 years later.

The battle began late in the day, and time after time the French cavalry charged the English lines, every time to be driven back by a hail of arrows and by the steel-clad infantry. Between six in the evening and midnight, the French made over twelve concerted attacks on the English lines, and the English archers replied with over half a million arrows.

By 1350 the English forces were occupying the area to the south and west of Loudun. This area was part of the territory Edward III inherited from Eleanor of Aquitaine. In 1352, the truce between the English and French collapsed. The castle at Curcay was re-built by Huet de Curcay, and Edward of Woodstock established his base at Bordeaux, secure within the region of Aquitaine loyal to the English crown

In Aquitaine, the ties of feudal loyalty depended on the ability of the feudal Lord to provide protection. The English tactics were therefore to raid French territory with a small, mobile force. Mounted soldiers could move quickly, pillage, burn crops and undermine the authority of the French King. The English did not seek battle, and the French only succeeded in forcing a direct confrontation on a few occasions, each time with disastrous consequences.

Jean de la Jaille

Jean de la Jaille was born in 1324. He was brought up in a priviliged environment in which the values of medieval chivalry dominated. The most glorious career for a knight was to fight. He first appeared in the rolls of the King's army at the age of 16 when he is recorded as leading a troop of three young squires to join the army in Flanders. He first saw action at the head of a troop of twenty soldiers at the siege of Saint-Omer on 24th June 1340.

By 1345 he married Jeanne Gourmont, daughter of Guillaume de Bois Gourmont. He was already an experienced and valued knight and was no doubt a good match. The Chateau and estates of Ranton were part of Jeanne's dowry and on their marriage Jean de la Jaille became the Lord of Ranton.

Jean de la Jaille was almost certainly involved in the battle of Crecy, with his father-in law, Guillaume de Bois Gourmont. Despite the French defeat, Guillaume de Bois Gourmont was honoured for his valor at Crecy by being made "Knight of the King's Order" by Charles V.

In 1355, Jean was in the entourage of Jean de Clermont, Marechal of France and Lieutenant General to the King in Touraine and Poitou. Jean de Clermont was one of the most powerful and brilliant Barons in the Court of Jean le Bon. He was fortunate to escape with his life at the battle of Nouailles. He was in the group of knights that fought with Jean de Clermont; was captured and ransomed and was subsequently rewarded for his valour by being made Master of the King's Household; a high honour from which he disdained to profit, preferring to continue his army life.

In 1370, at the castle of Chinon, in front of the assembled barons, lords and their ladies, Jean de la Jaille, then 56 years old, challenged an English knight to single combat. Both were famous for their skill with arms and no doubt were egged on by their followers. The clash took place in the dry moat at the base of the castle walls. Jean, in furious charges, had the better of the exchanges and finally impaled the English knight on his lance.

In 1384, Jean de la Jaille, at the age of 60, was still active. He led his company of knights to serve in the cavalry of Charles VI at the siege of Bourbourg in Flanders.

Jean de la Jaille died in 1405, at the age of 81. By then, he was "deaf, senile and infirm" and was ruined financially. His estates had been too often pillaged and mortgaged to pay for his military adventures.

The battle at Nouailles

In October 1355, the Black Prince set out on a raid of Provence. At the head of a thousand knights, he sacked Villenave d'Oron, Langai, Castets en Dorthe and Bazas. The towns and villages were pillaged and burnt and their populations massacred. For three months he maintained this reign of terror, returning to Bordeau for Christmas with an enormous quantity of bounty.

Such was the success of the raid, that plans were laid for a three pronged attack into the heart of France for the following summer. The Duke of Lancaster would lead a raid from Caen, The Duke of ? would attack from the north, and the Black Prince would push north from Aquitaine. The French could not afford to let such raids go unmolested. A huge force of knights assembled under the King's banner at Chartres and forced the Duke of Lancaster to retreat. By September, the French forces could devote their attentions to the Black Prince. He was already at Montlouis on the Loire, but withdrew to Chavigny near Poitiers when the French forces crossed the Loire.

The retreat of the English forces, probably no more than 10,000 men, was slowed by the booty train. The exhausted Anglo-Gascon troops faced the 30,000 strong French army at Nouailles, to the south-east of Poitiers. The Black Prince fought at Crecy when only sixteen and had learnt there the effectiveness of the longbow. Although vastly outnumbered, he enticed the French cavalry into a suicidal charge between his Welsh archers. The Black Prince was forced to face the French army for the first time since Crecy, but made good use of the Sunday before the battle when it would have been sacrilegious to fight. He positioned his Welsh archers in the protection of the woods alongside the open ground and covered his movements with clouds of smoke from brush fires. On 19th September, the day of the battle, the French cavalry were impatient for action. Jean de Clermont led his knights forward to taunt Lord Chandos into open fight. His move separated his knights from the main body of the army. Jean de Clermont was killed and most of his knights were captured, to be subsequently ransomed. The French King himself was captured and passed long years in prison in England.

The defence of Loudun

Louis de France, Count of Anjou, succeeded Jean de Clermont as the Governor of Tourraine and Jean de la Jaille joined his service. Jean de la Jaille was nominated Captain and Defender of Loudun in 1360, a function he fulfilled with honour and success for over 30 years.

Poitiers itself was taken by the English in 1360, and was only recaptured by the French under du Geusclin in 1370. During this period, Loudun and its network of fortresses was the frontier between the English and French controlled areas. There were periodic skirmishes between English and French forces, not to mention problems with lawless bands, discharged soldiers and booty seekers. Jean de la Jaille developed a reputation as a valiant and audacious adversary to the English. He twice saved Loudun from occupation and pillage, and with his knights and vassals he continually harried the English. On numerous occasions, he is recorded as having fought with his neighbour, Hugh de Curcay, his father in law Guillaume Gourmont, Jean de Bueil and Robin de la Haye-Bournan. There were major engagements at Mothe-Bourbon, on the Dive, and in the recapture of the Castle of la Mothe-Baucay. He also ventured further afield; in 1364, Jean was part of the troop of knights that rode into Maine in pursuit of Buckingham after the death of Charles V.

Towards the end of the 1360s, the English captured the castle at Moncontour and controlled the valley of the Dive. Only the network of fortresses around Loudun held out. In 1369, Lords Chandos and Pembroke combined forces and again besieged Loudun. They occupied the town, but Jean de la Jaille held out in the citedelle in the face of a torrent of fire.

The countryside suffered terribly. The area north of Loudun, around Roiffe, was particularly badly affected. It was some decades before the villages were re-established, and the land brought back under cultivation.

Having again resisted the English army at Loudun, Jean joined forces with the Marechal de Sancerre in 1371 to try to recapture the fortress at Moncontour and to relieve the pressure on his estates in the valley of the Dive. The attempt was unsuccessful. He had to wait for the much more formidable forces of du Guesclin, who swore not to sleep in a bed until he had retaken the fort. He succeeded in 1371 and the tide of French fortunes turned. The next year, Jean de la Jaille was able to push the English back into the Guyenne.

A fighting family

Jeanne Gourmont died in 1373 and is buried in the Church of Saint-Croix in Loudun. The titles she brought to Jean de la Jaille on their marriage, notably that of Lord of Ranton, passed to her eldest son, Tristan III de la Jaille.

The following years, her two elder sons, both now seasoned knights, fought the English in Poitou and in Brittany. Tristan led a company in which his brother, Guichard was his lieutenant. Guichard was the more adventurous and appears to have been the model of a gallant knight: Whether against Welsh archers, brigands or fully armed knights, he turned up wherever the king's forces needed him. As a younger son, he didn't have lands to tie him to France, and as soon as the disputes with the English in Brittany calmed during the 1380s, he left to fight in Hungary.

Tristan was lieutenant to his father, the governor of Loudun. In 1371, he had married Eleanor de Maille, daughter of the Lord de Breze. In 13??, Tristan III joined a campaign to Italy. He died in the siege of Bari,