History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 108

There does not seem to have been any single, large influx of Flemings in the 13th
century comparable to those of the previous century; but a constant stream of traders
and artisans from Flanders maintained the intercourse. In 1272, however, England
and Flanders, usually so friendly, severed commercial relations; all Flemings not
engaged in weaving were ordered to leave the country.
All the chivalry of England was assembled at London in 1296 for the wedding of
Marguerite, daughter of Edward I, and John of Brabant. The Duke had a train of over
eighty knights and sixty ladies. Crowds of foreign minstrels, harpers, acrobats, and
buffoons appeared at the festivities, and this is a fact of some importance as throwing
light on one of the means of entry of Low Dutch words into cant and slang.
1. 2.
A closer connexion between England and the Low Countries was brought about by the
marriage of Edward III and Philippa, daughter of William II, Count of Holland, Zeeland,
and Hainault. Edward's mother, Isabella, had received substantial help from the Count
in her struggle against her husband, and the engagement had been the outcome of
this. This Dutch marriage was favourable to English interests, the Dutch being friendly
allies united by commercial interests.
In the sparring preliminary to the Hundred Years War, England was in the closest
diplomatic relations with many of the Low Dutch states and especially with Flanders.
In order to consolidate his Low Dutch alliances Edward made, in 1338, a continental
tour. He sailed to Antwerp with a numerous fleet, set up his court in that city,
entertained the Flemish and Brabanter lords with the most lavish hospitality, made
commercial treaties with the towns of Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Louvain, Diest,
Brussels, Mechlin, and Cologne. Then he travelled by way of Breda and Juliers to
Cologne and on into the Rhineland, spending such huge sums of money that when he
returned to Antwerp he was forced to borrow 54,000 florins from three citizens of
Mechlin. His allies took some part in his fruitless invasion of France in 1339. After
more conferences, one of which restored the wool staple to Flanders, Edward
returned to England.
Queen Philippa had been left behind with her court at Ghent, and there she gave birth
to a son, the famous John of Gaunt. The Flemings remained in the closest alliance
with England. The French continued to try to detach them and at last were successful,
for in 1371 the Flemings committed outrages on English shipping, and as a result all
Flemings resident in England were arrested. But Flanders could never afford to be on
bad terms with England for long.
The Peasants' Rising of 1381 proved disastrous to foreigners resident in England. The
Flemings were especially unpopular through their number and through their
competition in work and trade, which tended to lower wages. In London all suspected
of Flemish blood were made to pronounce the phrase ‘bread and cheese’, and if the
words sounded anything like ‘brod and case’, off went their heads. Thirty to forty
Flemings who had sought refuge in the church of St. Martin's in the Vintry were
dragged out and beheaded. In Norwich, too, when Lytster and his mob invaded the
city, six unfortunate Flemings were done to death.

108