#a subterranean edit

[fukutomichi]

"This crew needs a leader. Someone we can count on. Someone that the world can count on"

[michaeldrawrrett]

Found a little Goblin in the back garden

[vane-sya]

Wild Pixies of the subterranean kingdom of Korth by Geezer-gun

[cheezekennith]

Guys I did something cringe and not really funny tbh...

So I basically ruined the touhou 11 cast so...

And this is the last post and I am not posting touhou anymore

[thirteenis-myluckynumber]

EADA Ben Stone - outfits every episode 2/88

[heartofstanding]

Doing the annual family panel show binge and in QI they claimed that Henry V defeated someone in hand to hand combat during the Seige of Melun (and then couldn't execute them afterwards because something something you spared my life once now you have to forever). Have you heard of this? Because I'm very confused that I haven't

It is familiar to me, yes! The story is that Melun was mined and counter-mined during the siege and that a lot of (that is, the defenders originally dug tunnels under the moat with the intention of attacking the besiegers, Henry's forces discovered their attempts and dug their own tunnels in response) and there was, apparently, a lot of grim, subterranean fighting between the two sides when the two mines met. There are apparently multiple reports that Henry and Philippe, Duke of Burgundy went down into the mines to fight but it's The First Life of Henry the Fifth that claims Henry met with Arnaud-Guillaume de Barbazan, the captain of Melun, and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with him, without either knowing who the other was, and that when Barbazan was captured and set to be executed, the fact he had fought with Henry was cited as a reason why he could not be executed.

First, here's their fight:

But first of all Kinge Henrie, hearinge two greate Lordes of his hoast in variance because either of them woulde haue made entrie first into the same myne, to appeach that discorde he entered first into the same myne ; and in like manner the Captaine Barbasan was the first on that part 0f the Cittie that entered the same myne, for that he encountered the Kinge, so that they two fought together right mightely. And after a longe battaile betwixt them, and that either of them had demaunded others name, at the first Barbasan knowledged his name to the Kinge vppon condicion that the Kinge shoulde in like manner disclose his name vnto him, and saide vnto the Kinge : ' I ame Barbasan, the ' Captaine of the Towne and Castell.' Then the Kinge, as he hadd promised, said: 'And I ame Henrie "par la grace de ' dieu." At [which] aunswere Barbasan, knowinge evidently [with] whome he had foughten, commaunded that the bararers wtbin the myne to be closed, and woulde no longer fight, but de parted from the myne and went into the Towne, and the Kinge returned to his hoast.

Then, Melun was captured and Barbazan became a prisoner of English. When accused of being involved in the murder of Jean sans Puer, Duke of Burgundy (Philippe's father), Barbazan denied involvement. He knew of it as "one of the greatest of the Dolphin's house, and most familier [with] the Dolphine" but did not give his consent or council to the murder and thus wasn't executed. The FEL writer goes onto to provide an alternate story for why Barbazan wasn't executed:

Howbeit, as I haue heard often the forenamed Earle of Ormonde reporte by the opinion of the Frenchmen, as he learned in the time of his soiourne amongest them, that when the kinge, for manie displeasures that he had recraued by him, and especially for the death of the saide late Duke of Burgoine, intended to put the saide Captaine Barbasan to death, he appealed from the Judgement of the Kinge to the Judgement of the officers of armes, and that alleadged to be lawfull cause of his appeale, that by the lawe of arms no man hauing his brother in armes at his possession and at his will ought not to put him to death for anie displeasure or occasion, and that he was brother in arms to the Kinge by armes, and approued that he had fought [with] the Kinge hand to hand [within] the myne, as is aforesaide ; [which] Battaile was houlden by Herraulds of Armes in like strenght and if he had fought [with] the Kinge body to body [within] the listes. And his appeale was by them for that cause approued, and by good deliberacion they judged that by lawe of armes, they might not put him to death ; wherefore he was adiudged by the Kinge to perpetuall imprisonment.

So, the Earl of Ormond is our source for the story that because Henry and Barbazan fought "body to body" in the mines, Henry was not able to execute him, though he had intended to.

I'm not... entirely sure of the logic of this story? It might be because my grasp of early modern English is weak. But I don't quite follow the logic that engaging in hand-to-hand combat, introducing themselves and then deciding not to continue the fight resulted in them becoming sworn brothers in a knightly brotherhood, which meant that Henry was bound by the vows of such brotherhood without ever swearing to them and (apparently) not knowing it. There's no indication that Henry was wounded or losing their fight for Barbazan's ending of the fight and withdrawing to be the equivalent of saving his life.

(Honestly, it sounds like a fanfic trope: accidentally married the enemy when fighting him in hand-to-hand combat.)

Even leaving aside that, I don't find it that credible a story.

IMO, it seems similiar to the legend of the Duke of Alençon fighting in hand-to-hand combat with Henry at Agincourt, landing the blow that cut an ornament from his crown, surrendering but being killed by Henry's bodyguard as Henry tried to accept his surrender. It's very evocative and dramatic but seems something out of a chivalric romance. I can easily believe Henry did enter the mines. I can believe Henry engaged in some fighting whilst in the mines. I can even believe that may have been an altercation in which he met Barbazan. But I don't find it credible that Henry fought sustained hand-to-hand combat with the captain of Melun in the mines and that when they finally got around to introducing themselves (never mind that they would have been wearing livery and armour that clearly announced the identity), it instantly ended their fight.

Then there's the sources. The FEL is apparently the earliest surviving source and dates from the early 16th century which might seem to make it a rather weak source but the author clearly claims the now-lost report of the Earl of Ormond as their source for the story of Henry's desire for an execution being thwarted by Accidental Knightly Brotherhood. However, since Ormond's source is said to be "the opinion of Frenchmen", I find the story more doubtful. It suggests the story was contemporaneous or near-contemporaneous with Henry but only circling in France. If Ormond was so well-connected with the royal family that he knew intimate details like the dagger incident (which occurred in Henry's private chambers, with only a handful of witnesses), why did he only hear this story from the French? And if Henry did fight sustained hand-to-hand combat with the captain of Melun, why was it not publicised more in England? It was the sort of exploit Edward III performed memorably so surely it would have been useful for Henry's propaganda efforts?

Barbazan was a leading Armagnac figure and so close to the future-Charles VII that he given a royal funeral and buried beside him. I don't know a lot about him but I wouldn't be surprised if the story of his fighting "body to body" with Henry was part of a legend that was built up around him or an exaggerated account of an altercation that occurred between himself and Henry.* It may have even existed to explain why he was not executed by the Duke of Burgundy following his capture. The fight lifts Barbazan to the equal of a king, much like his funeral and burial do, and shows him entering into a knightly brotherhood with a king - his valour so great that it replaces the ritual swearing of bonds that would normally need to take place for such a bond.

A French, specifically Armagnac or Dauphinist origin, is also suggested by the negative light the story shows Henry in. I think that the original story may have had Henry losing to Barbazan who ends the fight, thus sparing Henry's life, when he realises Henry's identity and I think that Ormond or the author of the FEL may have edited that out because it was so contrary to the image of Henry as the perfect warrior king. This would better explain why Henry apparently was bound not to execute Barbazan as opposed to Accidental Knightly Brotherhood.

Leaving that aside, Henry in the FEL's account fails to recognise his brotherhood with Barbazan and fails to meet his obligations towards Barbazan. Even once Barbazan appeals the sentence of execution citing their brotherhood, it is the court of "officers of arms", not Henry, who recognises and enforces Henry's obligations. Henry, then, does not act with regards to chivalry or justice and his orders are not final. It asks: what kind of king is Henry, who is such a failure as a knight?

Basically: the story exists and was probably contemporaneous or near-contemporaneous with Henry, though I think it was either an invention or an exaggeration of some encounter between Henry and Barbazan to burnish Barbazan's legend that originated in Dauphinist circles. The QI version seems somewhat distorted since Henry did not win or lose the encounter with Barbazan but the FEL account seems somewhat muddled to.

* I also suspect that Barbazan was more involved in Jean san Puer's murder than he, in FEL, claims. It seems strange that a leading Armagnac figure and one so close to the Dauphin would have only been aware of the plan as he claimed.

[notyetunreal]

[appleciders]

[bookishdecaffgentlemen]

Just a snapshot of what I have in my personal library of rare macabre and ghost and supernatural books. I also have many paperback editions including mystery and detective fiction for the lighthearted.

[lady-harrowhark]

BOUGHT THE COPY OF GIDEON TYSM IM SO EXCITED

AH YOU'RE SO WELCOME!!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!

I'm not really a special special edition collecting kind of person in general, but these books.... they compel me...

[fukutomichi]

The Rings of Power - Season 2 Character Posters | August 29th High King Gil-Galad | Elrond Half-elven | Círdan

[salsa-di-pomodoro]

Ok before i finish the game does anyone want to tell me if i missed any pearls so i don't have to go back and forth AGAIN

[gollancz]

I just stumbled into your beautiful editions and realized, you don't ship to the US?!? *sobbing* Love, love your Terry Pratchett covers.

Ah yes I'm sorry! Some books we can, but it all depends on the rights we managed to acquire. If we don't acquire US and Canadian rights, we legally can't distribute in North America, because those rights belong to someone else.

[thorsenmark]

Seemingly Unearthly Formations Encountered (Carlsbad Caverns National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Seemingly Unearthly Formations Encountered. Natural Entrance Trail-30 An image captured while walking the Natural Entrance Trail in Carlsbad Caverns National Park with a view towards an amazing display of underground formations.

[awanqi]

Artwork done for Subterranean Press's limited edition of The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang. I really enjoyed working on this one, too. I love the ocean and bodies of water and stuff like that :)

Sketches and other bonus content are available on my Patreon.

[alexriesart]

I had the pleasure of designing the dust jacket for Adrian Tchaikovsky's 'Alien Clay', a book I had actually read and adored BEFORE I received the job offer!

Keep an eye out when this Subterranean Press edition comes out; more illustrations by an amazing artist within...