James Baquet Another episode in that nascent struggle between King Philip VI of France and King Edward III of England which came to be known as the Hundred Years’ War was the odd engagement, almost a sideshow of the main event, that came to be called the Combat of the Thirty. The Duchy of Brittany was a feudal state located on a peninsula on the European continent due south of Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset counties on the island of Great Britain. The Counts of Blois struggled with the Counts of Montfort for the right to rule the duchy, a struggle which came to be known as the War of the Breton Succession. These were the days when — despite the brutality of battles — war was a “gentleman’s game,” an instance of the agreements bred by courtly manners. And so, in 1351, Jean de Beaumanoir, a Blois captain supported by the French, issued a challenge to single combat to Robert Bemborough, a Montfort captain supported by the English. But Bemborough made a counter-challenge: The two sides would hand-pick 30 knights to fight a sort of proxy battle, avoiding the need to commit too many resources. De Beaumanoir agreed with gusto. Contemporary chroniclers claim the motivation for the tournament was nothing but sport, a sort of tournament with no practical outcome. But troubadours depicted Bemborough and his (English) knights as bullies, with the hero de Beaumanoir coming to the aid of the weak and defenseless villagers. In either case it was arranged like a game. Refreshments were on hand for participants and spectators, and a break was taken for the bandaging of wounds. The battle itself belied this seeming civility. One all-French “team,” and one comprised of 20 Englishmen, six Germans and four Bretons, fought with swords and daggers, spears and axes, mounted and on foot. Legend says that when de Beaumanoir was wounded and asked for water, one of his followers said, “Drink your own blood, Beaumanoir; your thirst will pass.” In all, nine on the English side were killed (including Bemborough), and six French. No one was left uninjured, and the captives from the losing English side were released for a small ransom. Vocabulary: Which words above mean: 1. beginning to develop 2. select personally 3. produced, developed 4. on horseback 5. example, case 6. subordinate event, minor show attached to a larger one 7. polite or refined, like in a king’s court 8. enthusiastically 9. even with 10. opposite, contrary | 