About this time, John[74] count of Clermont, son and heir to the duke of Bourbon, was ordered by the king and council into Languedoc, and thence to carry on a war against the English in Gascony, who were very active in harrassing the frontiers. He appointed Saint Flour in Auvergne as the place of rendezvous for his troops, which consisted of five hundred men at arms, and the same number of cross-bows and archers. The next in command to the count de Clermont was the viscount de Châteaubon, son to the count de Foix[75]. They carried on a severe warfare, and put several forts under the king’s obedience,—such as the castles of St Pierre, St Mary, Châteauneuf, and many more. After he had left these forts well garrisoned, he concluded the campaign, and returned to the king at Paris, by whom he was most graciously received. Shortly afterward, the lord Charles d’Albreth[76], constable of France, was sent into the duchy of Acquitaine, accompanied by Harpedane, a knight of great renown in arms. They laid siege to the castle of Carlefin[77], the garrison of which had done much mischief to the king’s subjects, and laid the whole adjoining country under contribution. The siege lasted for six weeks, when a treaty was concluded with the garrison by the constable, which allowed them to march out in safety with all their wealth; and he agreed also to pay them a certain sum of money, which was raised on the inhabitants of the country adjoining the castle. When the constable had garrisoned the castle with his own men, he returned to king Charles at Paris. CHAP. XXI. THE DEATH OF DUKE ALBERT, COUNT OF HAINAULT,—AND OF MARGARET DUCHESS OF BURGUNDY, DAUGHTER TO LOUIS EARL OF FLANDERS. This year died duke Albert, count of Hainault, Holland and Zealand. He was son to Louis of Bavaria, formerly emperor of Germany, and left issue two sons and a daughter,—namely, William, the eldest, and John, surnamed ‘sans pitié,’ who was promoted to the bishoprick of Liege, notwithstanding he was not then consecrated. The daughter was married to John duke of Burgundy[78]. Duke Albert was interred in the collegiate church of the Hague, in Holland. In this year also died Margaret duchess of Burgundy, widow of the late duke Philip, at her dower-house in Arras. Her illness was very short, and she departed this life on the Friday before mid-lent Sunday. Her three sons, John duke of Burgundy, Anthony duke of Limbourg, and her youngest son Philip, were in the utmost grief at this event in the town of Lille, where she was buried in the collegiate church of St Peter, near to her father the earl Louis of Flanders.