Gaillard I de Durfort

[3] Pope John XXII, in an effort to remedy the excesses of Clement V's pontificate, forced Gaillard to resign from the archdeaconry of Angers on 8 May 1318.

[8] In this situation in November 1345 Gaillard, who had only ever taken minor orders,[6] abandoned the priesthood to become a knight, inherit his brother's lands and marry.

[5] Gaillard made his formal submission to the Earl of Derby at La Réole on 13 November 1345 and in exchange he received back Blanquefort, which the English had seized, and a large cash subsidy.

He also launched raids along the stretch of the river Garonne between Moissac and Aiguillon in order to cut off supplies to the besiegers.

In response, the seneschal of the Agenais, Robert de Houdetot, laid siege to Bajamont with several hundred men.

On 18 July 1346, the Duke of Normandy detached 2,000 of his men from the siege of Auguillon to help the seneschal surround Bajamont with earthworks.

[9] Following the relief of the sieges of Aiguillon and Bajamont, the Earl of Derby led a chevauchée into French territory in early September 1346.

He took 400 horsemen under his own command and in the last ten days of September raided north into the Corrèze, taking the market town of Tulle.

News of the capture of Tulle reached Montferrand [80 miles (130 km) away] on 30 September and the town began immediately to prepare for an attack.

On 3 May 1352, with the French ascendant in Aquitaine, he switched allegiance, signing a convention with Carlos de la Cerda, constable of France, at Limoges.

For his allegiance, Gaillard obtained a complete amnesty, the restitution of his lands occupied by French troops and a large subsidy to fund the defence of his castles and compensate him for lost revenues from those estates which he had or would lose to the English.