John the Fearless , also
John II, Duke of Burgundy, known as
John of Valois and
John of Burgundy (May 28 1371 – September 10 1419), was
Duke of BurgundyDuke 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.-Bosonid dynasty:...
from 1404 to 1419.
Born in
DijonDijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Bourgogne region. Dijon is the historical capital of the province of Burgundy. Population : 150,800 for the commune; 236,953 for the greater Dijon area....
, John was the son of
Philip the BoldPhilip the Bold can refer to:* Philip the Bold, also known as Philip II Duke of Burgundy * Philip III of France...
and
Margaret III, Countess of FlandersMargaret of Dampierre was Countess of Flanders , Countess of Artois and Countess Palatine of Burgundy and twice Duchess consort of Burgundy...
. As heir apparent, he used the title of Count of Nevers from 1384 to 1405, when after his accession he ceded it to his brother
PhilipPhillip II, Count of Nevers was the youngest son of Philip the Bold and Margaret III of Flanders....
.
In 1385, John married
Margaret of BavariaMargaret of Bavaria, , was the fifth child of Albert, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing, Count of Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland and Lord of Friesia, and Margaret of Brieg.-Marriage:...
, daughter of Albrecht of Bavaria, Count of Holland and Hainaut, to consolidate his position in the Low Countries, after cancelling his engagement with Catherine of France, daughter of king
Charles V of FranceCharles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death and a member of the House of Valois...
.
Before his accession to the
Duchy of BurgundyThe Duchy of Burgundy was a feudal territory in Medieval Europe. It roughly conforms to the modern Bourgogne, although it grew to have considerable possessions in the Low Countries as well...
, John was one of the principal leaders of the French forces sent to aid King
SigismundSigismund was one of the longest ruling Kings of Hungary, reigning for fifty years from 1387 to 1437, and was also Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, and the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Bohemia from 1419, of Lombardia from 1431, and of Germany...
of
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
in his war against Sultan Bayezid I.
John the Fearless , also
John II, Duke of Burgundy, known as
John of Valois and
John of Burgundy (May 28 1371 – September 10 1419), was
Duke of BurgundyDuke 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.-Bosonid dynasty:...
from 1404 to 1419.
Early life
Born in
DijonDijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Bourgogne region. Dijon is the historical capital of the province of Burgundy. Population : 150,800 for the commune; 236,953 for the greater Dijon area....
, John was the son of
Philip the BoldPhilip the Bold can refer to:* Philip the Bold, also known as Philip II Duke of Burgundy * Philip III of France...
and
Margaret III, Countess of FlandersMargaret of Dampierre was Countess of Flanders , Countess of Artois and Countess Palatine of Burgundy and twice Duchess consort of Burgundy...
. As heir apparent, he used the title of Count of Nevers from 1384 to 1405, when after his accession he ceded it to his brother
PhilipPhillip II, Count of Nevers was the youngest son of Philip the Bold and Margaret III of Flanders....
.
In 1385, John married
Margaret of BavariaMargaret of Bavaria, , was the fifth child of Albert, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing, Count of Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland and Lord of Friesia, and Margaret of Brieg.-Marriage:...
, daughter of Albrecht of Bavaria, Count of Holland and Hainaut, to consolidate his position in the Low Countries, after cancelling his engagement with Catherine of France, daughter of king
Charles V of FranceCharles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death and a member of the House of Valois...
.
Before his accession to the
Duchy of BurgundyThe Duchy of Burgundy was a feudal territory in Medieval Europe. It roughly conforms to the modern Bourgogne, although it grew to have considerable possessions in the Low Countries as well...
, John was one of the principal leaders of the French forces sent to aid King
SigismundSigismund was one of the longest ruling Kings of Hungary, reigning for fifty years from 1387 to 1437, and was also Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, and the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Bohemia from 1419, of Lombardia from 1431, and of Germany...
of
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
in his war against Sultan Bayezid I. John fought in the
battle of NicopolisThe Battle of Nicopolis took place on September 25, 1396, between the Ottoman Empire versus an allied force from the Kingdom of Hungary, France, the Knights Hospitaller, and the Republic of Venice, as well as smaller contingents and individuals from elsewhere in Europe, near the Danubian fortress...
(September 25, 1396) with such enthusiasm and bravery that he was given the nickname of
Fearless (
Sans-Peur). Nevertheless he was taken prisoner and released only in the next year, against an enormous ransom paid by his father.
Conflict against Louis of Orléans
John was invested as duke of Burgundy in 1404 and almost immediately entered into open conflict against
Louis of OrléansLouis 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....
, younger brother of the increasingly mad
Charles VICharles VI , called the Well-loved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois.-Early life:...
. Both men attempted to fill the power vacuum left by the demented king.
John played a game of marriages, exchanging his daughter Marguerite for Michelle of Valois, who would marry his heir, Philip the Good. He did not overlook, however, the importance of the middle class of merchants and tradesman or the University of Paris.
Louis tried to gain the favor of
Queen IsabeauIsabeau of Bavaria was Queen consort of France as spouse of King Charles VI of France, a member of the Valois Dynasty...
, and may have become her lover. After a game of hide and seek in which his son-in-law, the Dauphin, was successively kidnapped and recovered by both parties, the Duke of Burgundy managed to gain appointment by royal decree – during one of the King's "absent" periods when mental illness manifested itself – as guardian of the Dauphin and the king's children. This did not improve the relations between John and Louis.
Soon the two rivals descended into making open threats. Their uncle,
John, Duke of BerryJohn of Valois, the Magnificent, was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg; his brothers were Charles V, King of France, Louis I of Anjou, King of Naples and Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy...
, secured a vow of solemn reconciliation, but three days later, on November 23, 1407 Louis was brutally assassinated in the streets of Paris. He was attacked after mounting his horse by a party of men who literally amputated his arms so that he was defenseless. The order, no one doubted, had come from the Duke of Burgundy, who shortly admitted to the deed and declared it to be a justifiable act of "
tyrannicideTyrannicide literally means the killing of a tyrant. Typically, the term is taken to mean the killing or assassination of tyrants for the common good. The term "tyrannicide" does not apply to tyrants killed in battle or killed by an enemy in an armed conflict...
". After an escape from Paris and a few skirmishes against the Orléans party, John managed to recover the king's favour. In the treaty of
ChartresChartres is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France It is located southwest of Paris in central France.-Geography:...
, signed on March 9, 1409, the king absolved the Duke of Burgundy of the crime, and he and Louis's son Charles pledged a reconciliation. A later edict renewed John's guardianship of the Dauphin.
Even with the Orléans dispute resolved to his favour, John would not have an easy life. Louis' son and heir, Charles, gathered allies, among them
Bernard VII, Count of ArmagnacBernard VII, Count of Armagnac was the Count of Charolais, Count of Armagnac, and Constable of France. He was the son of John II and Jeanne de Périgord. He succeeded in Armagnac at the death of his brother, John III, in 1391...
, to support his claims for the property that had been confiscated from him. Peace was solemnly sworn in 1410, and John returned to Burgundy, and Bernard remained in Paris and reportedly shared the queen's bed. Armagnac's party was not contented with political power, and, after a series of riots and attacks against the citizens, John was recalled to the capital. However, he was sent back to Burgundy in 1413.
At this time king
Henry V of EnglandHenry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule.-Early life:Henry was born...
invaded French territory and threatened to attack Paris. John participated in the peace negotiations, but with dubious intent. Although he talked of helping his sovereign, his troops took no part in the
Battle of AgincourtThe 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 , in northern France...
(in 1415), where two of his brothers, Antoine, Duke of Brabant, and
Philip II, Count of NeversPhillip II, Count of Nevers was the youngest son of Philip the Bold and Margaret III of Flanders....
, died fighting for France.
Conflict with the Dauphin
Two years later, John's troops set about the task of gaining Paris. On May 30, 1418, he captured the city, but not before the
DauphinThe Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois is a former province in southeastern France, roughly corresponding to the present departments of the Isère, Drôme, and Hautes-Alpes....
(the traditional name of the
heir apparentAn heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting.An heir presumptive, by contrast, is an heir currently in line to inherit a title, but who could be displaced at any time by certain events.Today these terms most commonly describe heirs to hereditary titles, particularly monarchies...
to the throne of France), the future
Charles 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 from Paris.He was a member of the House of Valois, the son of Charles VI, but his...
, had escaped. John then installed himself in the city and made himself protector of the King. Although not an open ally of the English, John did nothing to prevent the surrender of
RouenRouen is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital of the Haute-Normandie region. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
in 1419. With the whole of northern France in English hands and Paris occupied by Burgundy, the Dauphin tried to bring about a reconciliation with John. They met in July and swore peace on the bridge of Pouilly, near
MelunMelun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris from the center...
. On the grounds that peace was not sufficiently assured by the Pouilly meeting, a fresh interview was proposed by the Dauphin to take place on September 10, 1419 on the bridge at Montereau. John of Burgundy was present with his escort for what he considered a diplomatic meeting. He was, however, assassinated by the Dauphin's companions. He was later buried in
DijonDijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Bourgogne region. Dijon is the historical capital of the province of Burgundy. Population : 150,800 for the commune; 236,953 for the greater Dijon area....
. His successor, Philip the Good, formed an alliance with the English.
Ancestors
John's ancestors in three generations
| John the Fearless |
Father:
Philip the BoldPhilip the Bold can refer to:* Philip the Bold, also known as Philip II Duke of Burgundy * Philip III of France...
|
Paternal Grandfather:
John II of FranceJohn II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philippe VI and Jeanne of...
|
Paternal Great-grandfather:
Philip VI of FrancePhilip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the King of France from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois from 1325 to 1328...
|
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Joan the LameJoan of Burgundy , also known as Joan the Lame or Joan of Burgundy, Queen consort of France, first wife of Philip VI.-Biography:Joan was the daughter of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy, and princess Agnes of France...
|
Paternal Grandmother:
Bonne of BohemiaBonne of Luxemburg , Duchess of Normandy, Countess of Anjou and of Maine , was born Jutta, the daughter of John the Blind of Luxemburg, king of Bohemia and his first wife Elisabeth of Bohemia...
|
Paternal Great-grandfather:
John I of BohemiaJohn the Blind was the Count of Luxembourg from 1309 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland...
|
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330) |
Mother:
Margaret III, Countess of FlandersMargaret of Dampierre was Countess of Flanders , Countess of Artois and Countess Palatine of Burgundy and twice Duchess consort of Burgundy...
|
Maternal Grandfather:
Louis II of FlandersLouis II of Flanders , also Louis III of Artois and Louis I of Palatine Burgundy, known as Louis of Male, was the son of Louis I of Flanders and Marguerite of France, and Count of Flanders....
|
Maternal Great-grandfather:
Louis I of FlandersLouis I was Count of Flanders, Nevers and Rethel.-History:He was the son of Louis, Count of Nevers and Jeanne of Rethel, and grandson of Robert III of Flanders....
|
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Margaret I, Countess of Burgundy |
Maternal Grandmother:
Margaret of BrabantMargaret of Brabant, Queen of Germany , was the daughter of John I, Duke of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders. She was the wife of Count Henry of Luxemburg and after his coronation in 1308, she became Queen of Germany.-Family:Her paternal grandparents were Henry III, Duke of Brabant and his wife...
|
Maternal Great-grandfather:
John I, Duke of BrabantJohn I of Brabant, also called John the Victorious was Duke of Brabant , Lothier and Limburg .-Life:...
|
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Margaret of FlandersMargaret of Flanders was the daughter of Guy of Dampierre, and wife of John I, Duke of Brabant.They were married in 1273. She was the mother of:# Godfrey Margaret of Flanders (died July 3, 1285) was the daughter of Guy of Dampierre, and wife of John I, Duke of Brabant.They were married in 1273....
|
Family
John and
Margaret of BavariaMargaret of Bavaria, , was the fifth child of Albert, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing, Count of Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland and Lord of Friesia, and Margaret of Brieg.-Marriage:...
had the following children:
- Catherine (1391–1414, Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
)
- Marie
Marie of Burgundy, Duchess of Cleves was the second child of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria, and an elder sister of Philip the Good. Born in Dijon, she became the second wife of Adolph, Count of Mark in May 1415. He was made the 1st Duke of Cleves in 1417...
(1393 – October 30, 1463, Monterberg bei Kalkar). She married Adolph I, Duke of ClevesAdolph I, Duke of Cleves was the son of Adolph III, Count of Mark, and Margaret of Julich . Shortly before the year 1400 he married Agnes daughter of Rupert of Germany and Elisabeth of Nuremberg. Agnes died a year later with no issue...
. They were the great-grandparents of James III of ScotlandJames III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
and Johann III, Duke of Cleves, father of Anne of ClevesAnne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
who was fourth Queen consortA 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...
of Henry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII.Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy...
.
- Marguerite, duchess of Guyenne
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....
(1394 – February 2, 1441, Paris), married on August 30, 1404 Louis of Valois the DauphinLouis, Dauphin of France and Duke of Guyenne was a younger son of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt...
(heir of king Charles VI of FranceCharles VI , called the Well-loved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois.-Early life:...
), then on October 10, 1422 Arthur de RichemontArthur III , known as the Justicier and as Arthur de Richemont, was Lord of Parthenay and titular Count of Richmond in England and for eleven months at the very end of his life, Duke of Brittany and Count of Montfort after inheriting those titles upon the death of his nephew.Belonging to the family...
, the future Duke of BrittanyThe Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the Armorican peninsula west of Mont-Saint-Michel and north of Nantes/Naoned, including Rennes/Roazhon and Vannes/Gwened...
- Philip the Good (1396–1467)
- Isabelle (d. September 18, 1412, Rouvres
Rouvres is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:*Rouvres, Calvados, in the Calvados département*Rouvres, Eure-et-Loir, in the Eure-et-Loir département*Rouvres, Seine-et-Marne, in the Seine-et-Marne département...
), married at ArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
on July 22, 1406 to Olivier de Châtillon-Blois, Count of Penthièvre and Périgord
- Jeanne (b. 1399, Bouvres), d. young
- Anne of Burgundy
Anne of Burgundy was the daughter of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and his wife Margaret of Bavaria....
(1404 – November 14, 1432, Paris), married John, Duke of Bedford
- 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:...
(1407 – December 1, 1476, Château de MoulinsMoulins is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department.-History:Before the French Revolution, Moulins was the capital of the province of Bourbonnais and the seat of the Dukes of Bourbon. Its documented existence may be traced back at least as far as the year 990. In 1232,...
), married Charles I, Duke of BourbonCharles I of Bourbon oldest son of John I, Duke of Bourbon and Marie de Berry, duchesse d'Auvergne; 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...
John also had several illegitimate children, including the colourful
John of Burgundy, Bishop of CambraiJohn of Burgundy , also known as Jean de Bourgogne, was appointed Archbishop of Trier, served as Bishop of Cambrai from 1439-1479, Provost of St. Donatian's Cathedral and St. Peter's Cathedral at Lille, and was the illegitimate son of John II, Duke of Burgundy, through his mistress Agnes de Croy,...
from 1439 to 1479, by his mistress Agnes de Croy, daughter of
Jean I de CroÿJean I de Croÿ, Seigneur de Croÿ et d'Araines, Baron de Renty et de Seneghem was the founder of the House of Croÿ .His parents were Guillaume, seigneur de Croÿ and Isabeau de Renty....
.
Titles
-
1384–1404: Count of Nevers as John I
-
27 April 1404–10 September 1419: Duke of BurgundyDuke 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.-Bosonid dynasty:...
as John II
- 21 March 1405–10 September 1419: Count Palatine of Burgundy as John I
-
21 March 1405–10 September 1419: Count of ArtoisThe counts of Artois were the rulers over the County of Artois from the 9th century until the abolition of the countship by the French revolutionaries in 1790.-List of Counts of Artois:*Odalric...
as John I
-
21 March 1405–10 September 1419: Count of Flanders as John I
-
27 April 1404–28 January 1405: Count of CharolaisCharolais is an area of France, named after the town of Charolles, and located in today's Saône-et-Loire département, in Burgundy.-History:...
as John I
See also
- Dukes of Burgundy family tree
This is a family tree of the Dukes of Burgundy, from the 9th century to 1482.Image:BurgundyDukes.pngrect 174 129 324 169 Richard of Autunrect 407 138 521 166 Adelaide of Auxerrerect 13 189 106 214 Rainier II of Hainaut...
- Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a prolonged conflict lasting from 1337 to 1453 between two royal houses for the French throne, which was vacant with the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings. The two primary contenders were the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known...
- Dukes of Burgundy
- Counts of Burgundy
External links