THE CAREER OF SIR THOMAS TRIVET (1330-88)

This campaign is the first of Trivet's expeditions to be recorded in some detail. It was perhaps the first time that he had been given the leadership of a campaign designed to promote English interests abroad, and therefore deserves to be explored in detail. English interest in the Iberian Peninsula had intensified since 1369 when the French had helped to secure the Castilian Crown for the usurper, Henry of Trastamara.¹ From then on, Castile had become a satellite of France, her navy used by the French to attack the English coast. The English had tried to counter this threat by seeking an alliance with Aragon. However, the situation in the Peninsula had changed by 1378, when the Castilians, acting in the French interest, invaded the independent state of Navarre.² Charles II of Navarre was King in his own right, but also a vassal of France and he had tried to maintain his independence by seeking an alliance with England, or Aragon. The French were provoked into using force after two Navarrese envoys were found in Paris with papers which suggested that there was an alliance with England. As a result, Charles stepped up Anglo-Navarrese negotiations. In June 1378, Charles himself visited England asking for help to repel the Casttitan threat and he was offered the services of l,000 troops for four months' for a campaign ..... inside the confines of Navarre or outside it", but only on condition. that he ceded possession the port Cherbourg’.³

These troops were to be provided by Sir John Neville of Raby who was also Lieutenant of Aquitaine. It could be assumed that Trivet was serving under Neville already, for he had taken his retinue to Gascony in 1377.⁴ Trivet's uncle, Sir Matthew Gournay, was already in Gascony and had an interest in the proxvince since, by the late 1370s, he was both Governor of Bayonne and Captain of Dax.⁵ In fact, on the 10th March 1378, Trivet was engaged to serve under his uncle in Aquitaine before he was employed to fight in Navarre later that year.⁶ The English force for the Navarrese campaign was not formally assembled until October 1378 when Trivet was appointed its leader. Gascon documents relating to his appointment, specifically state that he was made Captain of Tudela and that his retinue was to be stationed there during the campaign.⁷ According to Russell Trivet received payment for the expedition from the Gascon treasury on the 30th October ‘for service under the King

of Navarre for two months ' and he 'took 20 men at-arms and 20 archers on top Of his own retinue of 160 men (80 men-at-arms and 80 archers)⁸ In England Neville was preparing the English fleet to set sail for Bordeaux, but he was delayed as a result of a shortage of ships and did not reach his destination until 8th September⁹ Trivet perhaps waited for these reinforcements until he ventured towards Navarre around October, with about 200 English men and two Gascon Knights (.Andre Handry and Monnot de Plaissac) who brought 100 men each. However, he was held up on the way by Gournay in Dax who persuaded him to

1 See Saul. Richard II pp.38-41,for the summary of the events in Spain.

2 See Appendix 4 for a map of Navarre and the places mentioned in this campaign.

3 Saul, Richard II, p.40

4 Russell, English Intervention. p.270n

5 J. G. Fotheringham, Matthew Gournay', DNB. vol, V1II. (1908), p.291: Russell, English Intervention p.271

6 Kingsford, DNB, vol. XIX, p. 1163

7 Russell, English Intervention,p270

8 Ibid p270; Kingsford, DNB, vol XIX, p. 1163

9 Ibid