12. Jacques Le Gris became Carrouges enemy over their positions in Count Pierre’s court
To Carrouges, despite little evidence to support his assertion, Jacques Le Gris became, in Carrouges’ mind, the source of his troubles with his patron, Count Pierre. Le Gris was a fellow squire and veteran of several of the same campaigns as Carrouges. As a member of Count Pierre’s court, he gained favor quickly, arousing jealousy in Carrouges, who felt his influence at court slipping. In 1380, following the death of Carrouges’ first wife, he largely withdrew from society. Both Carrouges and Le Gris were liegemen, retained by Count Pierre, but in Carrouges absence Le Gris’ gained further influence in Pierre’s court. He also gained ruling authority over vast tracts of Pierre’s land, issuing orders in the Count’s name. Le Gris gained control over lands which exceeded the holdings of Carrouges, which greatly nettled the former.
Le Gris’s position with Count Pierre necessarily brought him into legal conflicts with Carrouges in the disputes over land. As Le Gris’s personal holdings expanded, frequently at the expense of Carrouges, the two developed animosity towards each other. In 1384 both men attended a celebration over the birth of a neighbor’s son. The event marked the first time Carrouges appeared in a social setting accompanied by his wife, Marguerite. At the event, Le Gris and Carrouges expressed a mutual friendship before their neighbors and other members of Count Pierre’s court. Shortly after, in yet another attempt to add to his holdings, Carrouges departed on another military campaign in Scotland. It was during this campaign that Carrouges obtained his knighthood, though the campaign itself was militarily unsuccessful. By January, 1386, Carrouges was bankrupt.