“It was mainly La Trémoille who suggested attacking the town of La Charité, partly, I now believe, to keep me busy and out of the way. But there was another factor, too. The captain in control of La Charité was a man called Perrinet Gressart. He had captured La Trémoille in 1425 and forced him to pay a large ransom as well as provide gifts to his wife and her friends. La Trémoille was determined to get even with the man.
“This was the first time I was officially given command. It was to be jointly with Charles d’Albret, La Trémoille’s half-brother. We returned to Bourges to assemble an army. We needed various towns to contribute money and supplies, and I wrote to several of them requesting their help. Charles never had any money, so it was necessary to get support elsewhere. Orléans was v
