Isabella of Bourbon
Encyclopedia
Isabella of Bourbon, Countess of Charolais (1436 – September 25, 1465) was the second wife of Charles the Bold, Count of Charolais and future Duke of Burgundy
. She was a daughter of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon
and Agnes of Burgundy
, and the mother of Mary of Burgundy
, heiress of Burgundy.
and sworn enemy of the mentally challenged Charles VI of France
and his regent, Louis of Orleans.
France was in the throes of the Hundred Years War, with the English, whose King claimed the French throne as a descendant of the Direct Capetian Line
. The Burgundians and the Armagnacs were two factions vociferously fighting for control of the King, who was deemed unable to rule. Their rivalry deepened after the brutal assassination of Louis of Orleans, the leader of the Armagnac party. A temporary truce was sworn on to face the increasing threat of the English. Seeing the right opportunity, Henry V of England
attacked France. However despite the aforementioned truce, Burgundy offered no troops to help the Armagnacs. Isabella's father, the Duke of Bourbon, was a staunch Armagnac and had distinguished himself in the Battle of Agincourt
, which nevertheless ended with France suffering a humiliating defeat. In its aftermath, Burgundy swiftly occupied Paris, declaring himself regent of the King, forcing the Dauphin, Charles
to flee to the South. With the North in English hands and Burgundy ruling Paris, the Dauphin sued for truce, which was sworn upon. The Dauphin called for a second meeting, on the grounds of the first one not being an assurance of truce. Expecting it to be a diplomatic meeting, Burgundy arrived Montereau, only to be assassinated by the Dauphin's men. This helped further deteriorate the enmity between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians.
In 1459, Isabella stood godmother to Joachim, the short-lived son of the refugee Dauphin of France
and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy
. Upon his succession to the throne of France, the Dauphin abandoned his wife in Burgundy, leaving the young Queen Charlotte dependent on Isabella's aid.
Isabella's funeral monument was erected in the abbey church of St Michael near Antwerp in 1476. It was decorated with 24 bronze statuettes of noblemen and women standing in niches, known as 'weepers' or 'mourners', with a bronze effigy of Isabella herself surmounted on it. During the Iconoclast Fury of 1566
, radical Protestants destroyed images in Catholic churches and monasteries. The destruction was justified by Calvin's contention that all images in churches were idolatrous and had to be removed. As a result, Isabella's tomb was stripped of its decorations and the 'mourners' disappeared.
However, ten of them turned up in Amsterdam. In 1691 the burgomasters of Amsterdam purchased the ten statues which they thought represented the counts and countesses of Holland. Pieter de Vos, 'clerk of the secretariat', was the man who sold the statuettes, which he had presumably inherited from his father. In exchange for the statues De Vos received an annual pension of 150 guilders. He died in 1721; the city had therefore paid De Vos around four thousand five hundred guilders for the mourners.
The clothes worn by the mourners are of an earlier fashion than Isabella's. This is probably because the mourners were copied from older tombs, which are no longer in extant. The statuettes are copies from two earlier tombs, which were the work of the sculptor Delemer, the painter Rogier van der Weyden and the bronze-founder Jacob de Gerines, commissioned by Philip the Good. It is assumed that the models for the Amsterdam statuettes were supplied by Delemer or his workshop.
In fact the mourners are not Isabella's immediate family: they represent her ancestors. Two portraits have been identified as Emperor Louis of Bavaria (with the imperial crown and orb) and Albrecht of Bavaria, with the St Antony cross around his neck. These portraits have been identified on the basis of a list of names published in 1695 by Daniel Papebrochius. The statuettes reveal the kind of clothes worn by Burgundian nobles in the Late Middle Ages. An unusual aspect is the amount of cloth employed in the garments: the sleeves are exceptionally long, as are the robes. Various kinds of headgear are worn, both by men and women, the latter of whom have shaven heads, as was the fashion in those days.
These statues have been on display in the Rijksmuseum for around a hundred years. The rest of the tomb, with the statue of Isabella, is now in Antwerp cathedral. Nothing more of the tomb furnishings survives.
, her niece's husband, the duchy of Auvergne was inherited by Louise of Savoy, King Francis's mother and hence was ultimately absorbed into the Crown lands. However, the title of Heir-General of the duchy of Auvergne passed through her daughter, Mary. Therefore the senior most claimant to the title as the heir General of Mary would be Infanta Alicia Of Spain
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...
. She was a daughter of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon
Charles I, Duke of Bourbon
Charles de Bourbon was the oldest son of John I, Duke of Bourbon and Marie, Duchess of Auvergne.He was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis from 1424, and Duke of Bourbon and Auvergne from 1434 to his death, although due to the imprisonment of his father after the Battle of Agincourt, he acquired...
and Agnes of Burgundy
Agnes of Burgundy
Agnes of Burgundy was the daughter of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria. Her maternal grandparents were Albert I, Duke of Bavaria and Margaret of Brieg.-Marriage and issue:...
, and the mother of Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy ruled the Burgundian territories in Low Countries and was suo jure Duchess of Burgundy from 1477 until her death...
, heiress of Burgundy.
Life
Not much is known about her life. She was the daughter of the reigning Duke of Bourbon, and his Burgundian wife, Agnes, daughter of John the Fearless, the powerful Duke of BurgundyDuke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...
and sworn enemy of the mentally challenged 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...
and his regent, Louis of Orleans.
France was in the throes of the Hundred Years War, with the English, whose King claimed the French throne as a descendant of the Direct Capetian Line
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
. The Burgundians and the Armagnacs were two factions vociferously fighting for control of the King, who was deemed unable to rule. Their rivalry deepened after the brutal assassination of Louis of Orleans, the leader of the Armagnac party. A temporary truce was sworn on to face the increasing threat of the English. Seeing the right opportunity, 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....
attacked France. However despite the aforementioned truce, Burgundy offered no troops to help the Armagnacs. Isabella's father, the Duke of Bourbon, was a staunch Armagnac and had distinguished himself in the Battle of 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...
, which nevertheless ended with France suffering a humiliating defeat. In its aftermath, Burgundy swiftly occupied Paris, declaring himself regent of the King, forcing the Dauphin, Charles
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...
to flee to the South. With the North in English hands and Burgundy ruling Paris, the Dauphin sued for truce, which was sworn upon. The Dauphin called for a second meeting, on the grounds of the first one not being an assurance of truce. Expecting it to be a diplomatic meeting, Burgundy arrived Montereau, only to be assassinated by the Dauphin's men. This helped further deteriorate the enmity between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians.
Marriage and children
Although politically opposed to his brother-in-law and the new Duke of Burgundy, Philip, he betrothed Isabella to the Charles, Count of Charolais, only legitimate son and heir of Burgundy as a condition of truce. She and the Count of Charolais married in 30 October 1454 at Lille, France, and their marriage was reportedly good, perhaps due to her husband's faithfulness.In 1459, Isabella stood godmother to Joachim, the short-lived son of the refugee Dauphin of France
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....
and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy
Charlotte of Savoy
Charlotte of Savoy was the second wife and only Queen consort of Louis XI of France. She had three surviving children, one of whom succeeded Louis as King Charles VIII of France, with her eldest daughter, Anne of France, acting as his regent.- Family :She was a daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy,...
. Upon his succession to the throne of France, the Dauphin abandoned his wife in Burgundy, leaving the young Queen Charlotte dependent on Isabella's aid.
Tomb
Isabella may not have been of any significance or had any influence during her lifetime, but in her death she became a symbol of the wealth of the Dukes of Burgundy, which would later be inherited by her only daughter Mary.Isabella's funeral monument was erected in the abbey church of St Michael near Antwerp in 1476. It was decorated with 24 bronze statuettes of noblemen and women standing in niches, known as 'weepers' or 'mourners', with a bronze effigy of Isabella herself surmounted on it. During the Iconoclast Fury of 1566
Beeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm in Dutch, roughly translatable to "statue storm", or Bildersturm in German , also the Iconoclastic Fury, is a term used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th century...
, radical Protestants destroyed images in Catholic churches and monasteries. The destruction was justified by Calvin's contention that all images in churches were idolatrous and had to be removed. As a result, Isabella's tomb was stripped of its decorations and the 'mourners' disappeared.
However, ten of them turned up in Amsterdam. In 1691 the burgomasters of Amsterdam purchased the ten statues which they thought represented the counts and countesses of Holland. Pieter de Vos, 'clerk of the secretariat', was the man who sold the statuettes, which he had presumably inherited from his father. In exchange for the statues De Vos received an annual pension of 150 guilders. He died in 1721; the city had therefore paid De Vos around four thousand five hundred guilders for the mourners.
The clothes worn by the mourners are of an earlier fashion than Isabella's. This is probably because the mourners were copied from older tombs, which are no longer in extant. The statuettes are copies from two earlier tombs, which were the work of the sculptor Delemer, the painter Rogier van der Weyden and the bronze-founder Jacob de Gerines, commissioned by Philip the Good. It is assumed that the models for the Amsterdam statuettes were supplied by Delemer or his workshop.
In fact the mourners are not Isabella's immediate family: they represent her ancestors. Two portraits have been identified as Emperor Louis of Bavaria (with the imperial crown and orb) and Albrecht of Bavaria, with the St Antony cross around his neck. These portraits have been identified on the basis of a list of names published in 1695 by Daniel Papebrochius. The statuettes reveal the kind of clothes worn by Burgundian nobles in the Late Middle Ages. An unusual aspect is the amount of cloth employed in the garments: the sleeves are exceptionally long, as are the robes. Various kinds of headgear are worn, both by men and women, the latter of whom have shaven heads, as was the fashion in those days.
These statues have been on display in the Rijksmuseum for around a hundred years. The rest of the tomb, with the statue of Isabella, is now in Antwerp cathedral. Nothing more of the tomb furnishings survives.
Genealogy
With the extinction of the progeny of her brothers, the title of Duke of Auvergne should have passed to her progeny. However with the confiscation of the possessions of Charles III, Duke of BourbonCharles III, Duke of Bourbon
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon was a French military leader, the Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. He commanded the Imperial troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in what became known as the Sack of Rome in 1527, where he was killed.-Biography:Charles was born at Montpensier...
, her niece's husband, the duchy of Auvergne was inherited by Louise of Savoy, King Francis's mother and hence was ultimately absorbed into the Crown lands. However, the title of Heir-General of the duchy of Auvergne passed through her daughter, Mary. Therefore the senior most claimant to the title as the heir General of Mary would be Infanta Alicia Of Spain
External links
- http://www.antiqbook.nl/boox/int/081378.shtml, Isabella's weepers, Ten Statues from a Burgundian Tomb by F. Scholten
- http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/aria/aria_assets/BK-AM-33-A?lang=en&context_space=aria_encyclopedia&context_id=00048890, the surviving statuettes from Isabella's tomb at Rijksmusuem, Amsterdam.