Service in Brittany , by
Charles-Philippe Larivière (1839) He initially served
Charles of Blois in the
Breton War of Succession (1341–1364). Charles was supported by the French crown, while his rival,
Jean de Montfort, was allied with England. Du Guesclin was knighted in 1354 while serving
Arnoul d'Audrehem, after countering a raid by
Hugh Calveley on the
Castle of Montmuran. In 1356–57, Du Guesclin successfully defended
Rennes against a Breton-English siege by
Henry of Grosmont, using guerrilla tactics. During the siege, he killed the English knight William Bamborough who had challenged him to a
duel. The resistance of du Guesclin helped restore Breton-French morale after
Poitiers, and du Guesclin came to the attention of the
Dauphin Charles. When he became King in 1364, Charles sent Du Guesclin to deal with
Charles II of Navarre, who hoped to claim the
Duchy of Burgundy, which Charles hoped to give to his brother,
Philip. On 16 May, he met an Anglo-Navarrese army under the command of
Jean de Grailly, Captal de Buch at
Cocherel and proved his ability in pitched battle by routing the enemy. The victory forced Charles II into a new peace with the French king, and secured Burgundy for Philip. On 29 September 1364, at the
Battle of Auray, the army of Charles of Blois was heavily defeated by
John IV, Duke of Brittany and the English forces under Sir
John Chandos. De Blois was killed in action, ending the pretensions of the Penthievre faction in Brittany. After chivalric resistance, Du Guesclin broke his weapons to signify his surrender. He was captured and
ransomed back to Charles V for 100,000
francs.
Service in Castile In 1366, Bertrand persuaded the leaders of the "
free companies", who had been pillaging France after the
Treaty of Brétigny, to join him in an expedition to Castile to aid Count
Henry of Trastámara against
Pedro I of Castile. In 1366, du Guesclin, with
Guillaume Boitel, his faithful companion, leader of his vanguard, captured many fortresses (
Magallón,
Briviesca and finally the capital
Burgos). After Henry's coronation at
Burgos, he proclaimed Bertrand his successor as
Count of Trastámara and had him crowned as
King of Granada, although that kingdom was yet to be reconquered from the
Nasrids. Bertrand's elevation must have taken place at Burgos between 16 March and 5 April 1366. Henry's army was however defeated in 1367 by Pedro's forces, now commanded by
Edward, the Black Prince, at
Nájera. Du Guesclin was again captured, and again ransomed to Charles V, who considered him invaluable. However, the English army suffered badly in the battle as four English soldiers out of five died during the Castilian Campaign. The Black Prince, affected by dysentery, soon withdrew his support from Pedro. Du Guesclin and Henry of Trastámara renewed the attack, defeating Pedro at the decisive
Battle of Montiel (1369). After the battle, Pedro fled to the castle at
Montiel, from whence he made contact with du Guesclin, whose army was camped outside. Pedro bribed du Guesclin to obtain escape. Du Guesclin agreed, but also told it to Henry who promised him more money and land if he would only lead Pedro to Henry's tent. Once there, after crossed accusations of
bastardy, the two half-brothers started a fight to the death, using daggers because of the narrow space. At a moment when they fought on the floor, Pedro got the upper hand and was about to finish Henry. But then Du Guesclin, who had stayed inactive for he was compromised to both, made his final choice. He grabbed Pedro's ankle and turned him belly-up, thus allowing Henry to stab Pedro to death and gain the throne of
Castile. While turning Pedro down, du Guesclin is claimed to have said
"Ni quito ni pongo rey, pero ayudo a mi señor" (I neither remove nor put a King, but I do help my Sire), which has since that moment become a common phrase in Spanish, to be used by anyone of lesser rank who does what he is ordered or expected to do, avoiding any concern about the justice or injustice of such action, and declining any responsibility. Bertrand was made Duke of Molina, and the Franco-Castilian alliance was sealed.
Constable of France of du Guesclin being made Constable of France by Charles V, in the 15th-century
Chronique de Bertrand du Guesclin War with England was renewed in 1369, and Du Guesclin was recalled from Castile in 1370 by
Charles V, who had decided to make him
Constable of France, the country's chief military leader. By tradition, this post was always given to a great nobleman, not to someone like the comparatively low-born du Guesclin, but Charles needed someone who was an outstanding professional soldier. In practice, du Guesclin had continual difficulties in getting aristocratic leaders to serve under him, and the core of his armies was always his personal retinue. He was formally invested with the rank of Constable by the King on 2 October 1370. He immediately defeated the remnant of an English army, which had been led by
Robert Knolles until his retreat at Du Guesclin's coming, at the
Battle of Pontvallain, and then reconquered
Poitou and
Saintonge, forcing the Black Prince to leave France. In 1372, the Franco-Castilian fleet destroyed the English fleet at the
Battle of La Rochelle, where more than 400 English knights and 8000 soldiers were captured. Master of the Channel, du Guesclin organized destructive raids on the English coasts in retaliation for the English
chevauchées. Du Guesclin pursued the English into Brittany from 1370 to 1374 and again defeated the English army at the
Battle of Chizé in 1373. He disapproved of the confiscation of Brittany by Charles V in 1378, and his campaign to make the independent
duchy submit to a French king was halfhearted.
Death and burial An able tactician and a loyal and disciplined warrior, Du Guesclin had reconquered much of France from the English when he died of illness at
Châteauneuf-de-Randon while on a military expedition in
Languedoc in 1380. He was buried at
Saint-Denis in the
tomb of the Kings of France, which was later sacked and destroyed during the
French Revolution. His heart is kept at the
basilica of Saint-Sauveur at
Dinan. == Later reputation ==