Rather than attempt to take the city by force, and despite its great numerical superiority, Lancaster preferred to establish a blockade to starve the inhabitants. At the time, the ramparts had not yet been extended to the suburbs that had developed outside the Gallo-Roman walls. It was the latter (renovated in the preceding century) that were besieged, the suburbs themselves ending up largely ruined. After the
Battle of Poitiers in 1356, in which
Jean II the Good was taken prisoner,
Guy XII de Laval hurled himself into
Rennes with
Viscount de Rohan and other lords, to defend the town which was besieged by
Henry of Grosmont. This operation was doubtless carried out by
Couanier de Launay at the request of his uncle
Pierre de Laval, Archbishop of Rennes. The defence of Rennes was undertaken by
Guillaume de Penhoët, nicknamed the
Twisted Lame One, who lived in the castle, helped by Bertrand de Saint-Pern, the commander of the town and godfather of
Bertrand de Guesclin. Because of the method used by the assailants, the siege dragged on, without glamorous military action. If it has remained famous, it is mostly thanks to the ruses deployed by the defenders.
The "miracle" of the St. Savior Church In February 1357, some residents of Rennes heard underground sounds which made them understand that Lancaster had ordered the digging of a tunnel under the ramparts, hoping to make troops quietly emerge into the heart of the city. Informed, Penhoët ordered the residents of houses near the city walls to hang in their homes copper basins containing metal balls so as to determine the exact location of the gallery thanks to the vibrations caused by the mining work. Once the location had been established, a counter-mine was dug, and a troop of soldiers commanded by Saint-Pern massacred the
sappers before setting on fire the beams that supported the gallery.
Alain Bouchart, in his
Great Chronicles of Brittany, places the site of the counter-mine inside the
church of Saint-Sauveur just under the crucifix. A later legend asserts that the statue of the
Virgin and Child, situated in a chapel of the church, miraculously came to life and showed with its finger where they need to dig. A cult of this statue then developed, called
Notre-Dame of the Miracles and Virtues.
The herd of pigs An even more famous episode in this siege involved a herd of pigs (2000 to 4000 according to Michel de Mauny) which Lancaster, knowing the state of famine within the walls, made to feed in front of the
Mordelais gates in order to lure the people of Rennes out of the town The captain of Penhoët again distinguished himself by having a sow suspended to a postern of the gate; its calls attracted the pigs, which ran into the town before the English could react. The townspeople, bursting with laughter from the ramparts, took advantage of the occasion to mock their besiegers, who were flabbergasted by the trick: 'You owe us wages, because we are now your pig-keepers'!
Du Guesclin enters the town A little later, another reprovisioning was brought by
Bertrand Du Guesclin, who entered the town with carts full of rations, distracting the attention of the English duke by this trick, making him think that this was the arrival of a troop of German mercenaries. His arrival galvanised the besieged people, and the following weeks saw a series of assaults and duels, Du Guesclin again distinguishing himself in one of these, against the English Bramborc. == Outcome ==