John Chandos

For other people named John Chandos, seeJohn Chandos (disambiguation).

Sir John Chandos from theBruges Garter Book(1430/1440, BL Stowe 59).

The death of Sir John Chandos at Lussac (illustration from around 1410).

Arms of Sir John Chandos, KG, as illustrated on hisGarter stall plate(around 1421) inSt George's Chapel, Windsor Castle–Or, a pile gules.which is blazoned throughout.

Chandos arms (as described in seven sources):D'argent, à la pile de gueules.

Sir John Chandos,ViscountofSaint-Sauveurin theCotentin,ConstableofAquitaine,SeneschalofPoitou,KG(c. 1320 – 31 December 1369) was a medievalEnglishknightwho hailed fromRadbourne Hall,Derbyshire.Chandos was a close friend ofEdward the Black Princeand a founding member and 19th Knight of theOrder of the Garterin 1348. Chandos was agentlemanby birth, but unlike most commanders of the day he held no inherited title ofnobility.

Described by the medieval historianFroissartas "wise and full of devices", as a military strategist Chandos is believed to have been the mastermind behind three of the most important English victories of theHundred Years War:theBattle of Crécy,theBattle of Poitiersand theBattle of Auray.His death in a minor skirmish was regretted by both sides.

Origins

Born to an obscure family oflanded gentry,Chandos was the son and heir of Sir Edward Chandos, thelord of the manorofRadbourne, Derbyshire.Inevitably, he trained in the arts of war and distinguished himself as a youngknight.

Military career

According to the chronicles ofHenry Knighton,on the eve of theBattle of Sluys,Edward IIIanchored his fleet atBlankenbergeand sent ashore Chandos withSir Reginald Cobhamand Sir Stephen Lambkin to reconnoitre the French fleet. They found that the enemy vessels were ranged in three compact lines and included the captured Englishprize,the great cogChristopher;the ships were crammed together tightly and anchored at the entrance of theZwin(also: Zwyn) channel.

Chandos was a leading figure at theBattle of Crécy.As Chief of Staff to Edward, the Black Prince, he designed the strategy that won victory at theBattle of Poitiersin 1356.

In 1360, Chandos was created a knight banneret, which allowed him to hold a banner in battle. This came of being made the Viscount of Saint-Sauveur by Edward III.This is contrary to the Life of the Black Prince, written by the Herald of John Chandos which suggested that Chandos was made a banneret immediately before the Battle of Najera in 1367.Nevertheless, on that occasion, Edward, the Black Prince of Wales, and Aquitaine at that time, merely unfurled the banner for Chandos as a mark of respect.

On 29 September 1364, Chandos led the forces of DukeJohn de Montfortto victory at the Battle of Auray, winning theBreton War of Successionand enabling de Montfort to become John IV, Duke of Brittany.

In reward for his service, Chandos was created the lieutenant of France, the vice-chamberlain of England and was given the viscounty ofSaint-Sauveurin theCotentin.During theHundred Years' War,he becameconstableofAquitaine.Later, however, after disagreeing with Edward over how theGuyennoisshould be taxed, he retired to his property inNormandy.

Death

In 1369, the French launched a successful counterattack, regaining much territory and forcing Edward to recall Chandos, who was appointedseneschalofPoitouand settled inPoitiers.Sir John attempted to deal with the French attempts to regain a foothold in the province. The Bretons John Kerlouët and Louis de Saint Julien Trimouille, lord of Lusignan, had occupiedLa Roche-PosayandSaint-Savin,a few miles from Poitiers. Chandos decided to retake the abbey of Saint-Savin, with a surprise attack under cover of night.

The planned attack failed when, thinking they had been detected by the enemy, Chandos' force retreated towards the bridge across theVienneatLussac-les-Châteaux,along the route to Poitiers throughChauvigny.The French, unaware of their presence, had decided to follow the same route to harass any English troops. The adversaries met at the bridge of Lussac. In the battle, Chandos' long coat made him slip on the frost. James de Saint-Martin, a squire in the house of Sir Bagnac (orGuillaume Boitel,according to Paul Hay du Chastelet) struck Chandos with his lance, piercing his face below the eye. Chandos' uncle Edward Twyford, standing over his wounded nephew, repulsed the attackers. One of his squires pierced both legs of James Saint-Martin with his sword; Saint-Martin died three days later at Poitiers. John Chandos was carried on a large shield to Morthemer, the nearest English fortress.He died in the night, either on 31 December or the early hours of 1 January 1370, after a day and night of agony, at the age of around 50.

Legacy

When the news of Sir John's death reached the court ofEdward IIIin England, and that of theBlack PrinceatGuyenne,they were greatly upset. Chandos was not only a great warrior but also an able administrator and a wise politician.

A cenotaph of John Chandos was erected shortly after his death by the English authorities to commemorate the spot where he fell. The cenotaph is still maintained and visible in a garden along the street Jean Chandos at a place called "Les Aubeniaux" (commune ofMazerolles(Viennedepartment). At the end of the 19th century, the local society of history moved it some yards away from the border of theViennebecause of the river's recurrent flooding.

His passing was mourned on both sides. In his bookA Brief History of The Hundred Years' War,Desmond Seward states thatCharles V of France( "Charles the Wise" ) is reported to have said that "had Chandos lived, he would have found a way of making a lasting peace".Froissartis more circumspect, but says that "I have heard him at the time regretted by renowned knights in France; for they said it was a great pity he was slain, and that, if he could have been taken prisoner, he was so wise and full of devices, he would have found some means of establishing a peace between France and England". He also stated of Chandos that "never since a hundred years did there exist among the English one more courteous, nor fuller of every virtue and good quality than him."

Chandos Herald

John Chandos'herald,known asChandos Herald,wrote a significant poem entitled,The Life of the Black Prince.The poem details many of the Prince's exploits in theHundred Years' War,including theCastilian civil war,thebattle of Crecy,and thebattle of Poitiers(though these last two only briefly).

Cultural influence

John Chandos is one of the characters inArthur Conan Doyle'shistorical novelThe White Company(1892) and in his later novelSir Nigel.

John Chandos appears as a character in the video gameBladestorm: The Hundred Year War,in which he is seen as the right-hand guardian ofEdward, the Black Prince.He also appears in theDragon Knightseries of writerGordon R. Dicksonas a protagonist of Baron Sir James Eckert.

John Chandos appears in TOMMY Ohtsuka's mangaHawkwoodas Edward the Black Prince's mentor.

References

• Histoire de Messire Bertrand du Guesclin by Paul Hay du Chastelet (1666)
• Desmond Seward,A Brief History of The Hundred Years' War,London: Robinson, 2003 (ISBN1-84119-678-9)
• Einloft Neto, Herculano de Lima,Considerations on the origin of the family Canto, in Nobiliário de Famílias de Portugal of Manoel Joze da Costa Felgueiras Gayo,http://familiacantomedievalnfpmjcfg-en.blogspot.com/,2011
• Knighton, Henricus(1995) [1652].Geoffrey Martin(ed.).Knighton's Chronicle: 1337–1396.Oxford:Clarendon Press.ISBN978-0-19-820503-6.Retrieved6 February2017.

External links

• Lee, S.(1887)."Chandos, John".InStephen, Leslie(ed.).Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 10. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 43–44.
• The Death of Chandos
• Cooper, Stephen (2011),Sir John Chandos: The Perfect Knight(PDF),archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 July 2013,retrieved12 September2018