put himself in
possession of the inheritance, seized the principal Breton towns, Nantes,
Brest, Rennes, and Vannes, and crossed over to England to secure the
support of Edward III. His rival, Charles of Blois, appealed to the
decision of the King of France, his uncle and natural protector. Philip
of Valois thus found himself the champion of succession in the female
line in Brittany, whilst he was himself reigning in France by virtue of
the Salic law, and Edward III. took up in Brittany the defence of
succession in the male line which he was disputing and fighting against
in France. Philip and his court of peers declared on the 7th of
September, 1341, that Brittany belonged to Charles of Blois, who at once
did homage for it to the King of France, whilst John of Montfort demanded
and obtained the support of the King of England. War broke out between
the two claimants, effectually supported by the two kings, who
nevertheless were not supposed to make war upon one another and in their
own dominions. The feudal system sometimes entailed these strange and
dangerous complications.

If the two parties had been reduced for leaders to the two claimants
only, the war would not, perhaps, have lasted long.

In the first campaign the Count of Montfort was made prisoner at the
siege of Nantes, carried off to Paris, and shut up in the tower of the
Louvre, whence he did not escape until three years were over. Charles of
Blois, with all his personal valor, was so scrupulously devout that he
often added to the embarrassments and at the same time the delays of war.
He never marched without being followed by his almoner, who took with him
everywhere bread, and wine, and water, and fire in a pot, for the purpose
of saying mass by the way. One day when Charles was accordingly hearing
it and was very near the enemy, one of his officers, Auffroy de
Montboucher, said to him, "Sir, you see right well that your enemies are
yonder, and you halt a longer time than they need to take you."
"Auffroy," answered the prince, "we shall always have towns and castles,
and, if they are taken, we shall, with God's help, recover them; but if
we miss hearing of mass we shall never recover it." Neither side,
however, had much detriment from either the captivity or pious delays of
its chief. Joan of Flanders, Countess of Montfort, was at Rennes when
she heard that her husband had been taken prisoner at Nantes. "Although
she made great mourning in her he