The Disappointment of Cocherel, 16 May 1364. In January 1364, Charles II gathered resources to send a Navarrese expeditionary corps to swell the Anglo-Norman forces that were fighting the French in the invaded Normandy. Mantes and Meulan had fallen into the hands of Guesclin, who had unjustly plundered them. Recruited January and February, he put together a Navarrese army of around 800 men - for its composition, see the article by Larráyoz de Zarranz: Eco de la..., in ‘Príncipe de Viana’. Charles recruited one of the Grande Compagnie on 20 February, but he could not go to Normandy himself, as the armies of the kings of Aragon and Castile were close by and he felt his back was threatened. In this situation, Charles' cousin, Jean de Grailly, captal of the Buch, disembarked at Cherbourg to counter du Guesclin's outrages in the Norman lands under Navarrese sovereignty. ‘He is the most bizarre, gallant and gentle knight of Aquitaine. Campion recounts that he is surrounded by the bandits of the Great Companies and the English mercenaries: Baskón de Mareuil, Sancho López, López de San Julián, Juan Jouel, Balduino de Baulaz, Juan Gansel, Pedro de Aigremont, Roberto de Chesnel, Roberto Sercot, Jacobo Plantín: a golden eagle in the company of vultures (Luce: Hist. de B. du Guesclin, Paris, 1882, pp. 392-393, quoted by Campion). The captal troops, made up of Navarrese, English and Normans, left Evreux and took up position at Cocherel. Outnumbered, they suffered a terrible defeat, and the main leaders were captured along with the king's cousin. ‘A mortal wound to the cause of Charles II in France. The lion's claws had been torn out: the cunning of the raptor and the industry of the spider remained; but the nets and the pretence of treaties were ineffective, unless they were to feed suspicions and bad reputations (Campion)’. However, Charles was in the prime of his life - 32 years old - and he began preparations to stop the disaster: he asked for money, urged money from all the kingdom, and prepared a new army. On 3rd June he made an agreement with the Great Companies of Foix and on the 8th he appointed the rich man Rodrigo de Uriz as captain of Normandy. Part of the army left Baiona on 2 August. They were his commanders and contingent:
| People of | walking | on horseback |
|---|---|---|
| Mossen Rodrigo de Uriz, rich man | 160 | 40 |
| Pedro L. Urquiola fish | 40 | - |
| Miguel L. Murua fish | 10 | - |
| Juan Rem rez de Asian, squire | 30 | - |
| Sancho García de Goi, squire | 20 | - |
| Sanzol from Urquiola | 10 | - |
| Centol of Murua | 25 | - |
| Lope Ocho of Murua | 12 | - |
| Lope Ochoa, squire | 14 | - |
| García Périz Dax, Lord of Navart | 54 | - |
The Infante D. Luis leaves with the rest of Donapaleu (Saint-Palais, Lower Navarre) towards Borgo a, on the 6th. In 1365 Charles II signs a disadvantageous peace with France.
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