Secrets of the king

In June 1283 a knight of Catalonia, En Guillebert de Cruilles, went to Bordeaux to check all was ready for the tournament between Peter of Aragon and Charles of Anjou. He found the seneschal of Gascony, Jean de Grailly, waiting for him with a secret message from Edward I. According to Roman Muntana, a Catalan chronicler, the message was:

“Since he has assured the combats, he [Edward] has heard for certain that the King of France is coming to Bordeaux and is bringing full twelve thousand armed knights. And King Charles will be here, at Bordeaux, on the day the King of France comes, as I have heard. And the King of England sees that he will not be able to hold the lists secure and so he does not wish to be present; he knows for certain that the King of France is coming to Bordeaux to kill the King of Aragon and all who will be with him.”

Jaca

En Guillebert sent four runners to Jaca inside the Pyrenees, where King Peter was staying. When Peter received Edward’s warning, he resolved to go to the lists at Bordeaux anyway: if he did not, he would forfeit his right to the crown of Sicily. At the same time he didn’t have enough men to oppose the army of Charles and Philip III.

The king sent for one of his merchants, a man named En Domingo da la Figuera. He ordered Domingo to swear on the Gospels that he would never divulge the secret Peter was about to tell him. Domingo knelt, kissed the king’s foot and swore to keep his mouth shut.

Peter then described his plan. Domingo would take twenty-seven horses from the royal stables to sell at Bordeaux. He would ride on horseback as a great lord, while King Peter rode behind him dressed as a humble squire. A third man, En Bernart de Peratallada, would carry Peter’s money and armour. Bernart would also look after the horses.

Before he set out, Peter sent ten knights to Bordeaux carrying letters to the seneschal, Jean de Grailly. This was so people would get used to the sight of messengers on the road to and from Aragon, and think nothing of it. King Philip ordered Jean to get a message back to Peter, telling him that the lists were ready and Charles was ready to fight for the crown of Sicily. Jean pretended to agree, but sent a message repeating Edward’s earlier warning not to come. Thus the seneschal of Gascony deceived the king of France, who thought his orders were being obeyed.