Isabeau of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Isabeau of Bavaria was Queen consort
of France
(1385–1422) as spouse of King Charles VI of France
, a member of the Valois Dynasty
. She assumed a prominent (and controversial) role in public affairs during the disastrous later years of her husband's reign.
was the daughter of Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingolstadt
and Taddea Visconti
. The precise date and venue of her birth within the territories of Bavaria cannot be established.
Her paternal grandparents were Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria
(a son of Emperor Louis IV
) and Elisabeth of Sicily
(whose name Isabella received), daughter of king Frederick III of Sicily
and his wife Eleanor of Anjou
.
Her maternal grandparents were Barnabò Visconti, Lord of Milan and Regina-Beatrice della Scala. Regina was daughter of Mastino II della Scala
, Lord of Verona
from 1329 to 1351 and his wife Taddea di Carrara.
Isabeau was brought to France in 1385 as something of an exotic Eastern princess to marry King Charles VI
. The first years the couple spent together were peaceful until signs of mental illness on the part of her husband started to become obvious beginning in 1392.
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 in the period 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 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 originally put in the position of having to assume a 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 in 1392, 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 in 1393, the Bal des Ardents, or "Ball of the Burning Men", that Isabeau witnessed the horrible accident with a 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
, 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 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
, 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
.
Henry V of England
took advantage of French internal strife and invaded the northwest coast. He delivered a crushing defeat to the French at Agincourt
. 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
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
entered an active alliance with the English. With most of northern France under foreign domination, Isabeau agreed to the Treaty of Troyes
in 1420. This arranged the marriage of her daughter Catherine of Valois
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.
Charles VI died in October 1422, and since Henry V had died earlier that year, it was Henry's infant son, Henry VI, who was 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 or Burgundian 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
. Charles' principal female mentor was his mother-in-law Yolande of Aragon
, 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
.
.
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
and sponsored artisans who developed innovative techniques in decorative arts.
In fiction, her life was the inspiration for the Marquis de Sade
's unpublished 1813 novel Histoire secrete d'Isabelle de Baviere, reine de France
. She briefly appears in the last scene of Shakespeare's Henry V during a truce between France and England.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1385–1422) as spouse of King Charles VI of France
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
, 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 kings of France from 1328 to 1589...
. She assumed a prominent (and controversial) role in public affairs during the disastrous later years of her husband's reign.
Origins
Isabeau of BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
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 and Elizabeth of Sicily.-Family:...
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...
. The precise date and venue of her birth within the territories of Bavaria cannot be established.
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 Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian by his first wife Beatrix of Świdnica and a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty.-Biography:During the reign of Emperor Louis IV his son Stephen served as vogt of Swabia and Alsace...
(a son of Emperor Louis IV
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor 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. She is also known as Isabel of Aragon....
(whose name Isabella received), daughter of king Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick II 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 and James...
and his wife Eleanor of Anjou
Eleanor of Anjou
Eleanor of Naples was the Queen consort of Frederick III of Sicily. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou by birth.-Family:She was the third daughter of Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungary....
.
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. At the death of Cangrande I, he and his brother Alberto II were associated in the rule of Verona. Soon, however, Mastino's...
, Lord of Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
from 1329 to 1351 and his wife Taddea di Carrara.
Isabeau was brought to France in 1385 as something of an exotic Eastern princess to marry King Charles VI
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
. The first years the couple spent together were peaceful until signs of mental illness on the part of her husband started to become obvious beginning in 1392.
Career
Isabeau was originally put in the position of having to assume a 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 in 1392, 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 in 1393, the Bal des Ardents, or "Ball of the Burning Men", that Isabeau witnessed the horrible accident with a 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 is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, 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 was the mistress of Charles VI of France...
. 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 was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death. He was also Count of Valois, Duke of Touraine , Count of Blois , Angoulême , Périgord, 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. It was allied with the supporters of Charles, Duke of Orléans against John the Fearless after Charles' father Louis of Orléans was killed at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy in 1407...
.
Henry V of England
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
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 a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
. 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
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, 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.
Philip III, Duke of Burgundy
Philip the Good KG , also Philip III, Duke of Burgundy was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty . During his reign Burgundy reached the height of its prosperity and prestige and became a leading center of the arts...
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 and his heirs would inherit the throne of France upon the death of King Charles VI of France. It was signed in the French city of Troyes on 21 May 1420 in the aftermath of the Battle of Agincourt...
in 1420. This arranged the marriage of her daughter Catherine of Valois
Catherine of Valois
Catherine of France was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...
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.
Charles VI died in October 1422, and since Henry V had died earlier that year, it was Henry's infant son, Henry VI, who was 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 or Burgundian 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 , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
. Charles' principal female mentor was his mother-in-law Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon, , was a throne claimant and titular queen regnant of Aragon, titular queen consort of Naples, Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Provence, and regent of Provence during the minority of her son...
, 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 Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis is a large medieval abbey church in the commune of Saint-Denis, now a northern suburb of Paris. The abbey church was created a cathedral in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy...
.
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 ArcJoan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
.
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 Venetian-born late medieval author who challenged misogyny and stereotypes prevalent in the male-dominated medieval culture. As a poet, she was well known and highly regarded in her own day; she completed 41 works during her 30 year career , and can be regarded as...
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 François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer famous for his libertine sexuality and lifestyle...
's unpublished 1813 novel Histoire secrete d'Isabelle de Baviere, reine de France
Histoire secrete d'Isabelle de Baviere, reine de France
Histoire secrète d'Isabelle de Bavière, 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...
. She briefly appears in the last scene of Shakespeare's Henry V during a truce between France and England.
Children
- Charles, Dauphin of Viennois (1386)
- Joan (1388–1390)
- Isabella (1389–1409); m.1 Richard II of EnglandRichard II of EnglandRichard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. 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...
; m.2 Charles, Duke of Orléans - Joan (1391–1433); m. John VI, Duke of BrittanyJohn VI, Duke of BrittanyJohn VI the Wise , was duke of Brittany, count of Montfort, and titular earl of Richmond, from 1399 to his death...
- Charles, Dauphin of Viennois, Duke of Guyenne (1392–1401)
- MarieMarie of Valois, Prioress of PoissyMarie of Valois was a French Princess, the daughter of Charles VI of France and his wife Isabeau of Bavaria. She was a member of the House of Valois and became a nun.-Life:...
(1393–1438), Prioress of Poissy - Michelle (1395–1422); m. Philip III, Duke of BurgundyPhilip III, Duke of BurgundyPhilip the Good KG , also Philip III, Duke of Burgundy was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty . During his reign Burgundy reached the height of its prosperity and prestige and became a leading center of the arts...
- Louis, Dauphin of Viennois (1397–1415); m. Marguerite of Burgundy the Dauphin in Shakespeare's Henry VHenry V (play)Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
- John, Dauphin of Viennois, Duke of Touraine (1398–1417); m. Jacqueline, Countess of Hainault and HollandCount of HollandThe Counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.-House of Holland:The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia...
- CatherineCatherine of ValoisCatherine of France was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...
, Queen of England, (1401–1438); m.1 Henry V of EnglandHenry V of EnglandHenry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
; m.2 Sir Owen TudorOwen TudorSir Owen Meredith Tudor was a Welsh soldier and courtier, descended from a daughter of the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffudd, "Lord Rhys". However, Owen Tudor is particularly remembered for his role in founding England's Tudor dynasty – including his relationship with, and probable secret marriage to,... - Charles VII of FranceCharles VII of FranceCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
, King of France, (1403–1461) m. Marie of AnjouMarie of AnjouMarie of Anjou was the Queen consort of King Charles VII of France from 1422 to 1461. Her mother, Yolande of Aragon, played a leading role in the last phase of the Hundred Years' War.-Family:...
- the Dauphin in Shakespeare's Henry VIHenry VI, part 1Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England... - Philip (1407)
Ancestry
External links
- New York Metropolitan Museum of Art page on Valois French art patronage.
- The Tudor lineage
- A tour of Isabeau's residence in Paris
- Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership