links and connections to his father, that meant that he now succeeded
the latter not only as count of Eu, but as constable of France as well.^152
Moreover, at around this time, Raoul IV made a fine marriage: to
Catherine, widow of Azzo Visconti of Milan and daughter of France’s
ally Louis of Vaud, the co-regent of Savoy.^153 Jean le Bel presents us with
an extremely positive image of the new count of Eu, although this may
well have been intended to heighten the pity about what would happen
next.‘[Raoul IV was] so courteous and agreeable in all of his ways, and
loved and respected by great lords, knights, ladies and young ladies, and
everyone–in England, as much as in France.’^154
The new constable was soon very active in the defence of the realm.
Early in the next year, he participated in what was, for him, a rare foray
into the south of France, under the leadership of Duke John of Nor-
mandy. Recognizing that the siege of Aiguillon was unlikely to succeed,
though, John dispatched Raoul and the lord of Tancarville back to Paris
to consult with his father, the king.^155 Philip was far less concerned by
what was happening in Aquitaine, however, than he was by the ominous
threat of an invasion of Normandy, headed by Edward III. Hence, Philip
dispatched the constable to the north coast at the head of a sizeable army,
whilst the king himself‘stayed in Paris with his money men, relaxing and
keeping safe’(according to the intensely critical Jean le Bel).^156 Raoul
hastened to Saint-Lô along with Robert Bertrand, marshal of France.
Although the pair did their best to encourage the townspeople to make
a stand, the latterfled at the approach of the tried and tested English
forces, and so Saint-Lô was easily taken.^157 This set the scene for what
would happen at Caen, thefirst significant obstacle that King Edward
would encounter. Whilst the English encamped outside the city, Raoul
and his associates took the seemingly rash decision to come out and face
them. As a result, the nightmare of Saint-Lô took place once again,
but on a much bigger scale. Jean le Bel describes what happened next
in some detail:
The constable, the [lord of] Tancarville, and numerous other knights and squires
took refuge in the city’s gatehouse, and as they looked down from the windows,
they saw [the English] archers slaughtering the defenceless people without mercy.
They were very afraid that they would do the same to them; and, as they stood in
terror, watching the killing, they spotted a worthy knight named Sir Thomas
Holland, who had only one eye, andfive or sixfine young knights with him,
(^152) Lebailly has stressed how unusual it was for the constableship to be inherited in this
153 way. Seeibid., 43:‘the sole example of hereditariness in this major office...’
154 The marriage is mentioned inChronique des comtes d’Eu, 447.
156 Mildly adapted fromThe True Chronicles of Jean le Bel,ch. 87.^155 Ibid., ch. 69.
Ibid.ch. 70.^157 See the brief summary in Rogers,War Cruel and Sharp, 244–5.
174 Hubris and Nemesis (c. 1311–1356)