| The Kings of the French - Louis VI (Tonto_Marechal) |
| Part I |
| And behold, Louis VI was duly crowned King of France in the Year of Our Lord 1137. A stable treasury and a decent standing army awaited him. The domains of England were largely under French control, thanks to his brother's campaigns against King Stephen of the English. "My brother's war went well enough. Unfortunately, he did not get to see the end. This, gentlemen, is my God-given task. The English shall be subdued under our boots," His Majesty pounded the table for good effect. "Lord willing, Sire," Lord of Bouillon, the Grand Chamberlain, continued, "However, Sire, I feel we need to keep a close eye in the south. The two Iberian kingdoms have been flirting with war for some time." "The Pope shall restrain them," interjected Prince Henri. "I hardly think so, Your Highness. The Pope has little authority, much less the power to stop such a move. Their armies would be free to rampage for a few years even if he did intercede," Bouillon adjusted in his chair, trying to straighten out all his gold laced, silk robes. He was the highest honored general in the French Royal Army. He had six battlefield stars to his name and in recognition of his service was granted the title of Grand Chamberlain some years before by Philippe the Great. "You shall remain in Aquitaine with the Southern Royal Regiment. I shall even dispatch reinforcements. Meanwhile, we shall begin our final war against the English and bring the Isles under the flag of our fathers," King Louis stood up. "It shall be as you wish, Sire," Bouillon and the others rose and saluted their king. |
| Part II |
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All the church bells in Paris peeled as tens of thousands of screaming citizens cheered King Louis VI. In full royal regalia, the king led a triumphal procession into the city. Blue, white, and gold standards fluttered in the gentle breeze, and martial bands played victory tunes. Behind the king tramped the battle-hardened companies returned from the subjugation of the British Isles. A thousand veterans who were the cream of the French armed forces. Behind the grim-faced men-at-arms came the prisoner chain. This was the highlight of the procession. Leading the chain gang was a bearded old man dressed in an unadorned robe of purple. Behind him were three younger men in white robes followed by four hundred other prisoners who were wearing dirty grey habits. The Battle of Northumbria had produced fantastic results. Not only was the final resistance of the English crushed in a single stroke, the entire royal family and the English royal baggage train were all captured that sunny day in June 1144. The last remnants of the English army drew up in the rolling hills of Northumbria under the personal command of their King Stephen and his entire household. They only mustered 400 strong. Entirely demoralized, the battle could hardly be called such. No sooner had the battle horns been sounded and the French companies sent forward then the English army broke. The French royal knights led the charge and the enemy was utterly routed. The French royal knights reined in their horses after passing over the English and reaching their baggage train. The entire English army was caught between the two French forces. Before the day was over, all four hundred of the enemy were in French hands. Amongst the piles of loot seized from the baggage train was the English household. King Stephen and his three sons were bound in chains and with several thousand florins in gold and valuables, dispatched to France with the returning French companies who were not needed for garrisons in the British Isles. With the defeat of the English and the annexation of Ireland and Scotland to the French Kingdom, the security of his empire seemed secure. Louis VI reflected upon the many blessings the Almighty had bestowed upon his reign and his nation. Surely he would now enjoy a period of peaceful existence, just as had his father, Philippe I. However, the trials and tribulations that the Lord was to test Louis VI were not yet finished. His first great test of kingship began in 1156, after nineteen years of relative ease on the throne. |
| Part III |
| Louis VI's diplomatic ministers had bungled up the system of alliances his brother had formulated under German primacy. Now, France was alone with the exception of the distant Polish kingdom. Internally, France was prospering as never before. Louis's policies allowed for a substantial increase in treasury revenues and reserves. Infrastructure made exciting gains under his direction. With the British Isles firmly occupied, all was quiet. Until after the winter of 1156. A Spanish regiment invaded French Aquitaine where the Grand Chamberlain, Lord of Bouillon, was stationed with the Royal Southern Regiment. Bouillon defeated the Spanish, but the royal military council was unprepared for such a blow. In an effort to buy more time and pre-empt the enemy, Bouillon was ordered to invade Navarre. In April of 1157, the Royal Southern Regiment numbering about five hundred troops under Bouillon attacked a Spanish regiment in the hills of Navarre. |
| Part IV |
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"They have taken an excellent position, my lord," a young general frowned after surveying the battlefield. "They have at least two additional companies of troops. Almost seven hundred of them up there," noted another French knight. "Bah. Simple matter of driving them over the crest, gentlemen. I'll lead the center, push in through their archers, and routed they shall be," Lord of Bouillon laughed as he slapped his horse's side. "Have my chief aide de camp prepare the victory declaration. I want to sign it before I get my hands all bloody." "We should try to turn their right flank, sir. Their cavalry is concentrated on the left and center. We come up the side of the hill on the left, we can envelop them," said another general. "Bah. Silence, gentlemen. Set-piece grudge match here. Straight up the middle, drive them up and over the crest. On my signal," Bouillon drew his great sword from its sheath. The drums begin beating and the standards were raised to attention. "Forward!" bellowed Bouillon as he urged his giant horse forward. Reluctantly, the knights around him also drew their swords and the French regiment lurched forward. As the French line approached the Spanish line, the enemy archers began unleashing volleys of arrows into the French regiment. As men began to crumple, a great cry went up as the charge was sounded. The French spearmen trudged up the hill, breathing heavily under their heavy shield, going uphill with arrows raining down upon them. A second great cry echoed over the hills as the Spanish sounded the charge. Hundreds of Spanish infantry came running pell-mell down the hill, crashing into the French lines. Lord of Bouillon and his knights found themselves in the thick of the fray, hacking and slashing at the numerous enemy soldiers gathered around them. For over an hour the enemy infantry were engaged up and down a line on the hill, fighting back and forth. The grand chamberlain smiled in his confidence after felling another enemy combatant when the sound of horns reached his ears above the chaotic throng of battle. The ground began to shake as three squadrons of Spanish royal knights appeared on the hill's crest and bore down upon the French right flank and center. Within minutes, the French line began to buckle, and then it broke. The right flank began peeling away as men threw down their shields, armor, and swords flying for their lives back down the hill. The left flank then gave way and Bouillon and his staff found themselves cut off amidst the enemy army. A desperate battle ensued before his knights were unhorsed and captured. Bouillon himself took a mace blow to the shoulder. He was unconscious when the Spanish dragged him away in chains. The rest of the French army was either slain or surrendered. Only a dozen men escaped from the field in Navarre. A 1,500 florin ransom was paid from the Paris treasury by Louis VI to redeem Lord of Bouillon and the one hundred and fifty men taken prisoner. The shock of the catastrophe deeply shook the royal military council. Worse happened in 1159, with Aragon joining Spain in an alliance against the French. Three more battles were fought in Aquitaine and enough French troops were dispatched to overwhelm Toulouse. In 1161, Louis VI took his eldest, Louis VII, to the Paris Cathedral and had him crowned King of France, England & Scotland. The triple crown marked the beginning of a new and exciting era in French history. The treasury was overflowing, the realm extended, and the army more numerous than ever. The war with Spain-Aragon looked to be going in France's favor when Louis VI quietly passed away at his country estate later that year. The Lord had blessed France generously. |