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Isabeau de Bavière (also Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – September 24, 1435) was a Queen Consort of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 (1385-1422) after marrying Charles VI of France
Charles VI of France

Charles VI , called the Well-loved and the Mad , was the List of French monarchs from 1380 to 1399, as a member of the House of Valois....
, a member of the Valois Dynasty
Valois Dynasty

The House of Valois was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, succeeding the House of Capet as List of French monarchs from 1328 to 1589. A cadet branch of the family reigned as Duke of Burgundy from 1361 to 1482....
, on July 17, 1385. She assumed a prominent role in public affairs during the disastrous later years of her husband's reign.

eau of Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
 was the daughter of Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria

Duke Stephen III of Bavaria was a Duke of Bavaria since 1375. He was the eldest son of Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria and Elisabeth of Sicily ....
 and Taddea Visconti
Taddea Visconti

Taddea Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria , was an Italian noblewoman of the Visconti family who ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447. She was the first wife of Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria, and the mother of Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen consort of King Charles VI of France....
.

Her paternal grandparents were Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria
Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria

Duke Stephen II of Bavaria , after 1347 Duke of Bavaria. He was the second son of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Beatrix von Silesia-Glogau and a member of the Wittelsbach....
 (a son of Emperor Louis IV
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the Duke of Bavaria from 1294/1301 together with his brother Rudolf I, Duke of Bavaria, Electoral Palatinate until 1329, King of Germany from 1314, and Holy Roman Empire from 1328....
) and Elisabeth of Sicily
Elisabeth of Sicily (1310–1349)

Elisabeth of Sicily was a daughter of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou. Her siblings included: Peter II of Sicily and Manfred of Athens....
 (whose name Isabella received), daughter of king Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick III of Sicily

Frederick II or III was the regent and subsequently King of Sicily from 1295 until his death. He was the third son of Peter III of Aragon and served in the War of the Sicilian Vespers on behalf of his father and brothers, Alfonso III of Aragon and James II of Aragon....
 and his wife Eleanor of Anjou
Eleanor of Anjou

Eleanor of Anjou was the Queen consort of Frederick III of Sicily....
.

Eleanor was herself a daughter of Charles II of Naples
Charles II of Naples

Charles II, known as "the Lame" , was List of monarchs of Naples and Sicily, titular Kings of Jerusalem, and Prince of Salerno....
 and Maria Arpad of Hungary
Maria Arpad of Hungary

Maria of Hungary of the ?rp?d dynasty was Queen consort of Kingdom of Naples.She was daughter of Stephen V of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth the Cuman, who was daughter of Zayhan of Kuni, a chief of the Cuman tribe and had been a Paganism before her marriage....
.






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Isabeau de Bavière (also Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – September 24, 1435) was a Queen Consort of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 (1385-1422) after marrying Charles VI of France
Charles VI of France

Charles VI , called the Well-loved and the Mad , was the List of French monarchs from 1380 to 1399, as a member of the House of Valois....
, a member of the Valois Dynasty
Valois Dynasty

The House of Valois was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, succeeding the House of Capet as List of French monarchs from 1328 to 1589. A cadet branch of the family reigned as Duke of Burgundy from 1361 to 1482....
, on July 17, 1385. She assumed a prominent role in public affairs during the disastrous later years of her husband's reign.

Lineage

Isabeau of Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
 was the daughter of Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria

Duke Stephen III of Bavaria was a Duke of Bavaria since 1375. He was the eldest son of Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria and Elisabeth of Sicily ....
 and Taddea Visconti
Taddea Visconti

Taddea Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria , was an Italian noblewoman of the Visconti family who ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447. She was the first wife of Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria, and the mother of Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen consort of King Charles VI of France....
.

Her paternal grandparents were Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria
Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria

Duke Stephen II of Bavaria , after 1347 Duke of Bavaria. He was the second son of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Beatrix von Silesia-Glogau and a member of the Wittelsbach....
 (a son of Emperor Louis IV
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the Duke of Bavaria from 1294/1301 together with his brother Rudolf I, Duke of Bavaria, Electoral Palatinate until 1329, King of Germany from 1314, and Holy Roman Empire from 1328....
) and Elisabeth of Sicily
Elisabeth of Sicily (1310–1349)

Elisabeth of Sicily was a daughter of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou. Her siblings included: Peter II of Sicily and Manfred of Athens....
 (whose name Isabella received), daughter of king Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick III of Sicily

Frederick II or III was the regent and subsequently King of Sicily from 1295 until his death. He was the third son of Peter III of Aragon and served in the War of the Sicilian Vespers on behalf of his father and brothers, Alfonso III of Aragon and James II of Aragon....
 and his wife Eleanor of Anjou
Eleanor of Anjou

Eleanor of Anjou was the Queen consort of Frederick III of Sicily....
.

Eleanor was herself a daughter of Charles II of Naples
Charles II of Naples

Charles II, known as "the Lame" , was List of monarchs of Naples and Sicily, titular Kings of Jerusalem, and Prince of Salerno....
 and Maria Arpad of Hungary
Maria Arpad of Hungary

Maria of Hungary of the ?rp?d dynasty was Queen consort of Kingdom of Naples.She was daughter of Stephen V of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth the Cuman, who was daughter of Zayhan of Kuni, a chief of the Cuman tribe and had been a Paganism before her marriage....
. Maria was a daughter of Stephen V of Hungary
Stephen V of Hungary

Stephen V , King of Hungary 1246-1272)....
 and Elizabeth of the Cumans
Elizabeth the Cuman

Elizabeth the Cuman was the Queen consort of Stephen V of Hungary....
 (whose namesake her great-granddaughter, and through that, ultimately Queen Isabella became). Elizabeth was daughter of Kuthen of the Cumans, a chieftain apparently descending from the Kipchaks
Kipchaks

Kipchaks were an ancient Turkic people who originally formed part of the group of Kimek in Siberia along the middle reaches of Irtysh or along the Ob....
 and lord of the clan of Kun which had settled to Hungary after Mongol pressure drove them westwards.

Her maternal grandparents were Barnabò Visconti, Lord of Milan and Regina-Beatrice della Scala. Regina was daughter of Mastino II della Scala
Mastino II della Scala

Mastino II della Scala was lord of Verona. He was a member of the famous Scaliger family of northern Italy.He was the son of Alboino I della Scala and Beatrice da Correggio....
, Lord of Verona
Verona

Verona is a city in Veneto, northern Italy, one of the seven provincial capitals in the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans....
 from 1329 to 1351 and his wife Taddea di Carrara.

Career

Izabella Bavarskaya
The role of Isabeau of Bavaria in French history has caused her to be the subject of barbed attacks from the pens of a variety of historians through the centuries. These attacks stem from skewed interpretations of her important role in the negotiations with England that resulted in the Treaty of Troyes (1420) and from simple acceptance of the rumors of her marital infidelity that were started in Paris 1422-1429 during the English occupation. These rumors were started in an attempt to throw doubt on the paternity of Isabeau's son Charles VII, who was then fighting to expel the English and to be accepted throughout the kingdom as the rightful king of France. The rumors found expression in a poem called the Pastoralet, that was circulated at the time.

Isabeau was put in the position of having to assume an unusually powerful role in government to fill the gap left by her husband's frequent bouts of mental illness. Several months after the onset of the king's illness, his doctors recommended a program of amusements for him, and this inspired a member of the court to suggest that the king surprise the queen and the other ladies as a member of a group of courtiers disguised as wild men who were to make a sudden appearance at the ball given to celebrate the marriage of one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting. It was at this festivity, the Bal des Ardents
Charles VI of France

Charles VI , called the Well-loved and the Mad , was the List of French monarchs from 1380 to 1399, as a member of the House of Valois....
, or 'Ball of the Burning Men', that Isabeau witnessed the horrible accident with the torch that could have cost the king his life.

Isabeau was thrust to the forefront of the political arena not only due to her husband's mental illness, which is now believed to have been schizophrenia
Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia , from the Ancient Greek Root schizein and phren, phren- is a psychiatry diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality....
, but also because of the rivalries that developed between various members of the royal family. Since the king often did not recognize her during his psychotic episodes and was upset by her presence, it was eventually deemed advisable to provide him with a mistress during those times, Odette de Champdivers
Odette de Champdivers

Odette de Champdivers, La Petite Reine was the mistress of Charles VI of France and previously his brother, the Louis of Valois, Duke of Orl?ans....
. Odette probably assumed her role by 1405, but during his remissions the king still had relations with Isabeau, whose last pregnancy was in 1407. On 11 October 1418 a letter of the king ordered that Isabeau be given 2,000 livres tournois to help her buy back a bejeweled clasp (fermail) that Charles had given her on their wedding day. It had been taken and sold without her permission, apparently during the time she was in exile in Tours in 1417. It is not clear, however, that the royal letter in question was actually issued by the king himself.

Among those who sought to control the government while the king was incapacitated or to influence the king when he was "well" were the King's brother Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans
Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans

Louis I of Valois was Duke of Orl?ans from 1392 to his death. He was also Count of Valois, Duke of Touraine , Count of Blois , Counts and dukes of Angouleme , P?rigord, Dreux and Soissons....
, and their cousin John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy. Orléans' bitter feud with Burgundy reached a crisis point when the former was assassinated in 1407. Bitter resentment and periodic civil war ensued. The late Duke's supporters became known as the Armagnacs
Armagnac (party)

The Armagnac party was prominent in French politics and warfare during the Hundred Years' War. They were allied with the supporters of Charles, Duke of Orl?ans against John the Fearless after Charles' father Louis, Duke of Orl?ans was killed at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy in 1407....
.

Henry V of England
Henry V of England

Henry V was one of the most significant English warrior kings of the 15th century. He was born at Monmouth, Wales, in the tower above the gatehouse of Monmouth Castle, and reigned as King of England from 1413 to 1422....
 took advantage of French internal strife and invaded the northwest coast. He delivered a crushing defeat to the French at Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt was an English victory against a much larger French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday 25 October 1415 ...
. Nearly an entire generation of military leaders died or fell prisoner in a single day. John the Fearless, still feuding with the royal family and the Armagnacs, remained neutral as Henry V conquered towns in northern France.

Most of Isabeau's twelve children did not survive to adulthood. Shortly after her fifth and final son assumed the title of dauphin as Heir to the Throne, the sixteen-year-old future Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France

File:Charles VII Franc a cheval 1422 1423.jpgCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was List of French monarchs from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent ruled much of France from Paris....
 negotiated a truce with John the Fearless in 1419. Officers of the Dauphin's household partisans murdered John while the two met on a bridge under Charles's guarantee of protection.

The new Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good
Philip III, Duke of Burgundy

Philip the Good , also Philip III, Duke of Burgundy was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet branch of the Valois dynasty ....
 entered an active alliance with the English. With most of northern France under foreign domination, Isabeau agreed to the Treaty of Troyes
Treaty of Troyes

The Treaty of Troyes was an agreement that Henry V of England would inherit the throne of France upon the death of King Charles VI of France. It was signed in Troyes, France in 1420....
 in 1420. This arranged the marriage of her daughter Catherine of Valois
Catherine of Valois

Catherine of Valois was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of King Henry V of England, mother of King Henry VI of England, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of King Henry VII of England....
 to Henry V and assigned the French Royal Succession to Henry V and their children. Charles VI approved the treaty and disinherited the Dauphin for committing treason. The Dauphin had disobeyed his father's order to return to the fold of royal family; he had usurped royal authority by taking the title of regent; and he had excused and lied about the murder of the duke of Burgundy. The treaty did not have its intended effect on the French Royal Succession but did have an ultimate effect on English Royal Succession. Catherine's second marriage resulted in the eventual Tudor dynasty
Tudor dynasty

The House of Tudor was a prominent European royal house that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms from 1485 until 1603. Founded by Henry VII of England, who, though his paternal family was Welsh people ?his grandfather was Owen Tudor? was himself also a legitimized descendent of the royal House of Lancaster....
.

Charles VI died in October 1422, and since Henry V had died earlier that year, it was Henry's infant son, Henry VI, whom the English declared successor to Charles VI and king of France, as per the terms of the Treaty of Troyes. The disinherited Dauphin, Charles VII, nineteen when his father died, claimed that the Treaty of Troyes was illegal and assumed leadership of the Armagnac party, ruling the regions of France that were not under English control.

Charles VII's predicament was caused by his disobedience to his parents, and he was to face a similar relationship with his own son Louis XI
Louis XI of France

Louis XI , called the Prudent and the Universal Spider or the Spider King, was the List of French monarchs from 1461 to 1483....
. Charles' principal female mentor was his mother-in-law Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon

Not to be confused with Yolanda of AragonYolande of Aragon, , was a daughter of John I of Aragon and his wife Yolande of Bar . She was also known as Jolantha de Aragon and Violant d'Arag?. Tradition holds that she commissioned the famous Rohan Hours....
, who refused to let him to go to Court when his mother summoned him.

Isabeau remained in English-controlled territory and exerted no further influence over public affairs. She died in Paris in 1435 and is interred in the Saint Denis Basilica
Saint Denis Basilica

The Basilica of Saint Denis is the List of cemeteries of almost all the List of French monarchs since Clovis I . Saved and restored by the architect Viollet le Duc, the basilica is located in Saint-Denis, now a northern suburb of Paris....
.

Legacy


Posterity has not been kind to Isabeau of Bavaria. A popular saying late in her life was that France had been lost by a woman and would be recovered by a girl. Many took this to be a prediction of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc

Saint Joan of Arc also known as the Maid of Orleans, is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII of Franc...
.

In fairness to Isabeau it must be noted that her leadership confronted double prejudice as a woman and a foreigner. There are a few bright spots in her reign, such as her artistic patronage. Isabeau aided the era's most significant French author Christine de Pizan
Christine de Pizan

Christine de Pizan was a woman of the medieval era who strongly challenged misogyny and stereotypes that were prevalent in the male-dominated realm of the arts....
 and sponsored artisans who developed innovative techniques in decorative arts.

In fiction, her life was the inspiration for the Marquis de Sade
Marquis de Sade

Donatien Alphonse Fran?ois de Sade, Marquis de Sade was a France aristocrat, revolutionary and novelist. His novels were philosophical novel and sadomasochistic, exploring such controversial subjects as rape, bestiality and necrophilia....
's unpublished 1813 novel Histoire secrete d'Isabelle de Baviere, reine de France
Histoire secrete d'Isabelle de Baviere, reine de France

Histoire secrete d'Isabelle de Baviere, reine de France is an unpublished medieval-set 1813 historical novel by the Marquis de Sade. Its inception is recounted in a note at the end of the manuscript....
.

Children

  • Charles, Dauphin of Viennois (1386-1386)
  • Jeanne (1388-1390)
  • Isabella
    Isabella of Valois

    Isabella of Valois was a Princess of France, daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. She was Queen consort of Richard II of England from 1396 to 1400....
     (1389-1409); m.1 Richard II of England
    Richard II of England

    Richard II was the eighth King of England of the House of Plantagenet. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III of England....
    ; m.2 Charles, Duke of Orléans
  • Jeanne
    Joan of France (1391-1433)

    Joan of France was a daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria.She was a sister of Charles VII of France, Catherine of Valois who married Henry V of England and was mother of Henry VI of England, Isabella of Valois who was also a Queen of England and Michelle of Valois, who married Philip III, Duke of Burgundy....
     (1391-1433); m. John VI, Duke of Brittany
    John VI, Duke of Brittany

    John VI the Wise , was duke of Brittany, count of Montfort, and titular earl of Richmond, from 1399 to his death. He was son of Duke John V, Duke of Brittany and Joanna of Navarre....
  • Charles, Dauphin of Viennois, Duke of Guyenne (1392-1401)
  • Marie, Prioress of Poissy (1393-1438)
  • Michelle (1395-1422); m. Philip III, Duke of Burgundy
    Philip III, Duke of Burgundy

    Philip the Good , also Philip III, Duke of Burgundy was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet branch of the Valois dynasty ....
  • Louis
    Louis, Dauphin of France (1397-1415)

    Louis, Dauphin of France and Duke of Guyenne was a younger son of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. He was the third child of his parents to hold the title Dauphin of France , holding it from the death of his older brother in 1401, when he was likewise made Duke of Aquitaine ....
    , Dauphin of Viennois (1397-1415); m. Marguerite of Burgundy
    Margaret of Burgundy (1393-1441)

    Margaret of Burgundy was the daughter of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and Margaret of Bavaria. Her maternal grandparents were Albert I, Duke of Bavaria and Margaret of Brieg....
     the Dauphin in Shakespeare's Henry V
    Henry V (play)

    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in 1599. It is based on the life of King Henry V of England, and focuses on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War....
  • John, Dauphin of Viennois, Duke of Touraine (1398-1417); m. Jacqueline, Countess of Hainault and Holland
    Count of Holland

    The Counts of Holland ruled over the county of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century....
  • Catherine
    Catherine of Valois

    Catherine of Valois was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of King Henry V of England, mother of King Henry VI of England, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of King Henry VII of England....
    , Queen of England, (1401-1438); m.1 Henry V of England
    Henry V of England

    Henry V was one of the most significant English warrior kings of the 15th century. He was born at Monmouth, Wales, in the tower above the gatehouse of Monmouth Castle, and reigned as King of England from 1413 to 1422....
    ; m.2 Sir Owen Tudor
    Owen Tudor

    Owain ap Meredydd, or Meredudd was a Welsh soldier and courtier, descended from the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffudd, "The Lord Rhys"....
  • Charles VII of France
    Charles VII of France

    File:Charles VII Franc a cheval 1422 1423.jpgCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was List of French monarchs from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent ruled much of France from Paris....
    , King of France, (1403-1461) m. Marie of Anjou
    Marie of Anjou

    Marie of Anjou was the Queen consort of King Charles VII of France from 1422 to 1461....
     - the Dauphin in Shakespeare's Henry VI
    Henry VI, part 1

    The First Part of King Henry the Sixth is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written in approximately 1588?1590. It is the first in the cycle of four plays often referred to as "The First Tetralogy"....
  • Philip (1407-1407)


External links

  • page on Valois French art patronage.


Ancestry