THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

200
© 2009 Max Wickert
citizens of Paris! How great was the evil you caused when Pepin wanted to burn Lanfroy and Ulric alongside their
treacherous mother and you would not let him burn them! Behold now the consequence of your deed!”
As the battle raged on, Gerard of the Thicket rushed in with his son Miles. The ground was covered with corpses and
the noise of battle was heard a mile away. In the thick of the fight, Guerrin, Gerard of the Thicket’s brother, did
battle with Charles and was killed by him. (He left an only child, whose name was Huon of Auvergne, the future
father of Bussy of Auvergne.)
Seeing Guerrin slain, his Burgundians turned in flight. When Gerard of the Thicket was told, he was overcome by
grief and rage. Well might our author exclaim: “O you of the most noble blood of Constantine, why did Fortune
ordain that in fighting for two bastards you should so cruelly battle each other.” As the battle kept raging, the
disbanded citizen army returned to Paris and began to kill all those who still supported the two bastards. At last
Charles and Ulric came face to face and fought fiercely. Ulric almost escaped by the aid of a crowd of his knights, but
as he rode away, Charles threw away his shield and leapt upon Ulric’s back, wresting him from the saddle. After a
final struggle, he took Ulric captive and handed him over to Namo, and went back to do battle against Gerard of the
Thicket.
Gryphon and Guinam of Maganza meanwhile conferred with Gerard, Told of Ulric’s capture, he decided to flee. At
first he tried to escape to the city, but found that it had rebelled; he therefore takes flight toward Champagne. He
would still have been taken by pursuers, had not Charles called them off, remembering that Gerard was a blood
relative to both him and Bernard of Clairmont. His brother, Bernard of Mongrana was taken and brought before
Charles. Charles magnanimously pardoned him and told him to return to Gerard. He promised a similar pardon to
Gerard if he submitted. Much impressed by Charles’ generosity, Bernard swore perpetual fealty to him.
Bernard returned to Burgundy. When he heard of his brother Bernard’s defection, he spitefully took possession of his
territories and proclaimed him an outlaw. Several of Bernard’s liegemen protested his injustice and were either
imprisoned or executed for their loyalty. Finally, Gerard succeeded in seizing Bernard’s young son Aymeric and cast
him into a dungeon in Tramogna. When news of the seizure of his lands, the murder of his liegemen, and the
imprisonment of his son reached Bernard, he fell ill and shortly after died. (Charles later freed Aymeric, gave him
careful nurture, and eventually employed him as one of his commanders in Spain; he also sent him to fight against
Aragon under King Desiderius of Pavia. During that campaign, Aymeric captured the city of Narbonne and was
made its ruler. He married Helmengard, Desiderius’ sister, and through her became the ancestor of a valiant race.)
Charles entered Paris in triumph. He took his seat upon the royal throne in the palace and ordered Ulric to be
brought before him. Ulricfell on his knees before him and begged for mercy. Charles said to him: “You wicked,
treacherous patricide, son of the devil, how can you ask for mercy, you who have murdered the man who begot you?
Had he been a lowly rock, or a senseless beast, or a mere worm, should your hand have been so savage as to shed his
blood? I am well aware that it is not fitting that your receive death at my hands, since this would redound to your
praise. But so that none may boast of the glory of having spilt our blood, I will avenge the blood of my father with my
own hands.” He had him carried into the square. Priests were brought to confess him, but he would not, but cried out
in a loud voice that Charles was not King Pepin’s son. Then Charles, with his own hand, cut off his head, so that
none else should lay hands on the blood royal. The nobles carried away his body to bury it in the royal tomb. Charles
was unwilling to bury him in sacred ground, because he had not confessed himself, yet the nobles honored his corpse and
carried it to church in Charles’ honor, and buried it elsewhere. But Charles gave burial to Guerrin of Mongrana,
Gerard of the Thicket’s brother, and gave it full honors. He himself wept bitterly over him, and ordered the burial of
many other lords, including Lanfroy.