Виктория Холт - The Battle of the Queens

But his indefatigable efforts on his family’s behalf procured another rich widow for his nephew and shortly after the death of the Earl of Salisbury, Reimund married the widow of William Mandeville, the Earl of Essex, who brought as much to the family as the Countess of Salisbury would have done. Another nephew became Bishop of Norwich; and as his brother Geoffrey was already Bishop of Ely, Hubert could congratulate himself that he had his family well and strategically placed, which was what all ambitious men realised they must do.

His enemies continued watchful, but Hubert felt strong enough to defy them.

Blanche was uneasy. She felt very much the responsibilities which had been thrust upon her since the death of Philip Augustus. There was one secret anxiety which was something she would not have discussed with anyone and scarcely liked to admit to herself. Louis was not a great soldier; in her heart she doubted whether he was a great king. She herself had been endowed with the qualities of leadership but Louis had not been so fortunate. Louis was a good man and – so rare a quality – a faithful husband and a loving father. His children adored him as he did them. If he had been a minor nobleman, his castle situated in some quiet part of the country where he need not trouble to defend himself, with his family about him and those dependent on him to work for him, he could have been a happy man.

Such had been his grandfather. The tragedy of their lives was that kingship – which so many men would have risked their lives to possess – was not desired by them, for the simple reason that, being men of deep intelligence, they knew their inadequacies to meet its demands.

But Louis had a wife.

‘O God,’ prayed Blanche, ‘help me to act for both of us.’

She was supervising the upbringing of her children with the utmost care – particularly that of young Louis. How she loved her eldest son! She was fond of the others – without doubt – but she could sense in young Louis the making of a great king. When his time came – and she trusted that it would not be for many years – she must see that he was ready.

She was preparing him; but his sovereignty was innate. Moreover he was possessed of striking good looks. His features were clearly chiselled; his skin fine and fair, glowing with good health; he had a mass of blond glossy hair which he had inherited from the beautiful Isabella of Hainault, his paternal grandmother. He was kindly like his father but there the resemblance ended. Louis was good in the schoolroom, for he had a lively interest in all subjects, but he also liked the outdoor life; he enjoyed all sport and in particular hunting and he loved his dogs, horses and falcons. He was all that a healthy boy should be – but there was more than that. He was careful in his dress displaying an elegance even at his age.

If ever a boy was born to be king, that boy was Louis.

Yet she was fearful. She would not coddle him as Philip Augustus had tried to coddle his son Louis. She wondered what young Louis’s reaction would be if she attempted to. She doubted he would take it without protest as his father had. Yet he was a good and dutiful son. She could not forget the loss of her boy Philip at nine years when death had suddenly risen to smite him spitefully as though to be revenged on the boy’s parents.

But Philip had lacked the qualities of his younger brother Louis, so perhaps fate had struck him down because Louis was destined to be King.

Such thoughts were unprofitable. Philip was dead and Louis was the eldest son. They were indeed fortunate to have such a family. She must be grateful and not fret because she feared for her husband’s health and strength as a ruler. She should thank God for giving her such a wonderful son; and for having endowed her with qualities – which it would have been foolish and falsely modest to deny – which made her competent to guide him and shoulder his responsibilities.

Louis was fighting with more success than she had dared hope for. With a satisfied Hugh de Lusignan on his side they were bringing victory to France. In various towns the citizens had surrendered to him without a fight, believing that they could not stand out against the French.

However Bordeaux stood firm for the English and since the newly created Earl of Cornwall had arrived with the veteran Earl of Salisbury, there was little news, which Blanche sensed meant there were no more easy victories; and perhaps this was at the root of her anxieties.

While she was awaiting an account of Louis’s activities Joanna the Countess Flanders arrived at court. She had come, she said, to ask the Queen’s help.

Blanche was wary. Louis was not on good terms with Flanders and at this time Joanna’s husband, Ferdinand, was imprisoned in the Louvre where he had been sent more than ten years before by Philip Augustus. The trouble between them had flared up in the year 1213. This was at the time of King John’s excommunication when Philip Augustus had thought it was opportune to make an attempt to seize the Crown of England to which he asserted Blanche had a claim. Philip had summoned his vassals to meet him at Soissons that they might prepare themselves to aid him in his venture, but Ferdinand failed to arrive.

Philip Augustus proceeded with his project which was doomed to failure because before he could set sail John – shrewdly – had called in the help of the Pope. Instead of being a country under the Interdict which would have been easy to attack, England was under the wing of the Pope and Philip realised that it would be folly to take up arms against Rome.

Fuming, Philip declared that the attack could not now take place as Rome instead of himself had subdued England.

In his angry mood he learned that Ferdinand of Flanders was seeking to make an alliance with John and if he could not declare war on John he could on Ferdinand. Ferdinand had grown reckless because of a prophecy a soothsayer had made in the presence of his mother-in-law, the Queen of Portugal, and she had lost no time in writing to tell him of it. The seer had said that the King of France would be defeated by Ferdinand in battle and in a dream she had seen him entering Paris where the people welcomed him with great delight.

Poor Ferdinand must have been extremely gullible to believe such a prophecy for even if the King of France had been killed, he had a son whom it seemed likely the people of France would welcome more eagerly than they would the Count of Flanders.

Alas for Ferdinand, the prophecy proved far from true. It was the King of France who was victorious and he, Ferdinand, who became the prisoner. Philip knew that a man with such grandiose ideas represented a threat and it was not long before Ferdinand found he was indeed in Paris but his lodging was a small chamber in the tower of the Louvre, where he had remained ever since.

Now his wife Joanna had come to court and was begging an audience with the Queen. Blanche guessed that the Countess of Flanders was once again going to plead for the release of her husband and was wondering whether it might not be expedient to consider releasing Ferdinand. Perhaps he would be grateful to the King – after all it was not Louis who had imprisoned him. And he would know that if he was a traitor to the crown once more it would be the end of him.

She was surprised that it was not of her husband that Joanna wished to speak.

Joanna was a strong domineering woman. It was through her that Ferdinand had inherited Flanders, and she was not one to forget it. During her husband’s stay in the Louvre she had governed Flanders and had proved herself an able ruler.

Now Blanche immediately recognised her as another such as herself and felt a great respect for her.

Joanna said: ‘You think I have come to plead for my husband. That I might well do, for it is many years since the last King made him his prisoner and he has paid for his follies.’

‘I will speak to the King of the matter,’ said Blanche. ‘I am sure he will be ready to consider your request.’

‘I thank you, my lady. What concerns me now is Flanders. A cheat and an impostor is trying to wrest it from me and I have come to ask your advice and help.’

‘Pray tell me what this means,’ said Blanche.

‘You may remember that my father Count Baldwin went on a crusade to the Holy Land some twenty years ago. From this he never returned.’

‘I have heard it,’ said Blanche.

‘He led the Fourth Crusade and was made Emperor of Constantinople. Then … he disappeared.’

‘How so?’

‘He was captured by the Saracens and it was said that he was put into one of their prisons.’

‘So many Christians never again saw the light of day after they were taken by that enemy.’

‘I believe my father died in his prison, but now this impostor of whom I spoke has appeared. He has a look of my father and claims that he is he.’

‘But he cannot prove this.’

Joanna raised her hands in a gesture of despair. He tells many tales of the Holy City and his adventures there. He swears he is the Count of Flanders.’

‘But you, his daughter, must know.’

‘I do know. He is not my father.’

‘Well?’

‘My lady, there are many who believe this, and some accept it because they do not love me and resent being ruled by a woman. Many people are rallying round him. They are accepting him and rejecting me.’

Blanche thought: Yes, I can understand you would be a stern ruler. Just perhaps, but perhaps somewhat harsh. And the people of Flanders are not fond of you so they would replace you by this man even if he is an impostor.