John of Berry or John the Magnificent (
French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was
Duke of Berry and
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
and
Count of Poitiers
Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or '' Poitou'', in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became part of Aquitaine) are:
*Bodilon
* Warinus (638–677), son of Bodilon
* Hatton (735-778)
Carolingian Counts ...
and
Montpensier
The French lordship of Montpensier (named after the village of Montpensier, département of Puy-de-Dôme), located in historical Auvergne, became a countship in the 14th century.
It changed hands from the House of Thiern, to the House of Beau ...
. He was Regent of France during the minority of his nephew 1380-1388. His brothers were King
Charles V of France
Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (french: le Sage; la, Sapiens), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armi ...
, Duke
Louis I of Anjou
Louis I, Duke of Anjou (23 July 1339 – 20 September 1384) was a French prince, the second son of John II of France and Bonne of Bohemia. His career was markedly unsuccessful. Born at the Château de Vincennes, Louis was the first of the Ang ...
and Duke
Philip the Bold
Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and ''jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg.
Philip II w ...
of Burgundy.
John is primarily remembered as a collector of the important
illuminated manuscripts and other works of art commissioned by him, such as the ''
Très Riches Heures''. His personal
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
was ''Le temps venra'' ("the time will come").
Biography
John was born at the castle of
Vincennes
Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attache ...
on 30 November 1340, the third son of King
John II of France
John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which killed ...
and
Bonne of Luxembourg
Bonne of Luxemburg or Jutta of Luxemburg (20 May 131511 September 1349), was born Jutta (Judith), the second daughter of King John of Bohemia, and his first wife, Elisabeth of Bohemia. She was the first wife of King John II of France; however, as ...
. In 1356, he was made Count of
Poitou
Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe.
Geography
The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...
by his father, and in 1358 he was named king's lieutenant of
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
,
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
,
Périgord
Périgord ( , ; ; oc, Peiregòrd / ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is div ...
, and Poitou to administer those regions in his father's name while the king was a captive of the English. When Poitiers was ceded to England in 1360, his father granted John the newly raised duchies of Berry and Auvergne. By the terms of the
Treaty of Brétigny
The Treaty of Brétigny was a treaty, drafted on 8 May 1360 and ratified on 24 October 1360, between Kings Edward III of England and John II of France. In retrospect, it is seen as having marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years ...
, signed that May, John became a hostage of the English Crown and remained in England until 1369. Upon his return to France, his brother, now King Charles V, appointed him lieutenant general for Berry, Auvergne,
Bourbonnais
Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins.
History
The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...
,
Forez
Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire ''département'' and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme ''départements''.
The final "z" in Forez () is not pronounced in the Loire ...
,
Sologne
Sologne (; ) is a natural region in Centre-Val de Loire, France, extending over portions of the departements of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Cher. Its area is about . To its north is the river Loire, to its south the river Cher, while the distr ...
,
Touraine
Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...
,
Anjou Anjou may refer to:
Geography and titles France
* County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou
**Count of Anjou, title of nobility
*Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France
**Duk ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
, and
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
.
Service as regent
Upon the death of his older brother Charles V in 1380, his son and heir,
Charles VI was a minor, so John and his brothers, along with the king's maternal uncle the
Duke of Bourbon acted as regents. He was also appointed
Lieutenant General in Languedoc in November of the same year, where he was forced to deal with the
Harelle, a peasants' revolt spurred by heavy taxation in support of the war effort against the English. Following the death of Louis of Anjou in 1384, John and his brother Burgundy were the dominant figures in the kingdom. The king ended the regency and took power into his own hands in 1388, giving the governance of the kingdom largely to his father's former ministers, who were political enemies of the king's powerful uncles. John was also stripped of his offices in Languedoc at that time. John and Burgundy bided their time, and were soon able to retake power, in 1392, when the King had his first attack of insanity, an affliction which would remain with him throughout his life. The two royal dukes continued to rule until 1402, when the king, in one of his moments of lucidity, took power from them and gave it to his brother
Louis, Duke of Orléans.
Simon of Cramaud
The cardinal, crowning Charles VII of France; painting by Jules Eugène Lenepveu ">Jules_Eugène_Lenepveu.html" ;"title="Charles VII of France; painting by Jules Eugène Lenepveu">Charles VII of France; painting by Jules Eugène Lenepveu
Simon ...
, a canonist and prelate, served John in his efforts to find a way to end the
Great Western schism
The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon bo ...
that was not unfavorable to French interests.
Later life
In his later years, John became a more conciliatory figure in France. After the death of Philip the Bold in 1404, he was the last survivor of the sons of King John, and generally tried to play the role of a peacemaker between the factions of his nephews
Orléans
Orléans (;["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [John the Fearless
John I (french: Jean sans Peur; nl, Jan zonder Vrees; 28 May 137110 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his death in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs durin ...]
. After the murder of Orléans at the orders of the Duke of Burgundy, he generally took the Orléanist or
Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...
side in the civil war that erupted, but was always a moderate figure, attempting to reconcile the two sides and promote internal peace. It was largely due to John's urging that Charles VI and his sons were not present at the
Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Remembering his father's fate as a captive after the
Battle of Poitiers
The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19September 1356 between a French army commanded by King JohnII and an Anglo- Gascon force under Edward, the Black Prince, during the Hundred Years' War. It took place in western France, south of Poit ...
59 years before, he feared the fate of France should the king and his heirs be taken captive and successfully prevented their participation. John died on 15 June 1416 in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
a few months after the battle, which proved as disastrous as he had feared.
Family and children
John had the following issue by his first wife,
Joanna of Armagnac
Joan of Armagnac (French: ''Jeanne d'Armagnac''; 24 June 1346 – 1387) was a French noblewoman of the Armagnac family, being the eldest daughter of Count John I of Armagnac and his wife Beatrice of Clermont. She became Duchess of Berry by her ...
(1346–1387), whom he married in 1360:
*
Bonne of Berry
Bonne of Berry (1367 – 30 December 1435) was a French countess. She was Countess of Savoy by marriage to Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy. When she was widowed, she unsuccesfully claimed the regency during her son's minority against her mother-in-l ...
(1367–1435), who succeeded him as Viscountess of Carlat and married first
Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy
Amadeus VII (24 February 1360 – 1 November 1391), known as the Red Count, was Count of Savoy from 1383 to 1391.
Biography
Amadeus was born in Chambéry on 24 February 1360, the son of Count Amadeus VI of Savoy and Bonne of Bourbon. Althou ...
, and then
Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac
Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac (1360 – 12 June 1418) was Count of Armagnac and Constable of France. He was the son of John II, Count of Armagnac, and Jeanne de Périgord. He succeeded in Armagnac at the death of his brother, John III, in ...
*Charles of Berry,
Count of Montpensier
The French lordship of Montpensier (named after the village of Montpensier, département of Puy-de-Dôme), located in historical Auvergne, became a countship in the 14th century.
It changed hands from the House of Thiern, to the House of Be ...
(1371–1383)
*Jeanne of Berry (1373–1375)
*Beatrice of Berry (April 1374)
*
Marie of Berry
Marie de Berry (c. 1375 – June 1434) was ''suo jure'' Duchess of Auvergne and Countess of Montpensier in 1416-1434. She was the daughter of John, Duke of Berry, and Joanna of Armagnac. She was married three times. She acted as administrator of ...
(1375–1434), who succeeded him as
Duchess of Auvergne and married first
Louis III of Châtillon, then
Philip of Artois, Count of Eu
Philip of Artois (1358 – 16 June 1397, Micalizo), son of John of Artois, Count of Eu, and Isabeau of Melun, was Count of Eu from 1387 until his death, succeeding his brother Robert.
Philip was a gallant and energetic soldier. In 1383, he ...
and finally
John I, Duke of Bourbon
John of Bourbon (1381–1434) was Duke of Bourbon, from 1410 to his death and Duke of Auvergne since 1416. He was the eldest son of Louis II and Anne of Auvergne. Through his mother, John inherited the County of Forez.
During the Armagnac†...
*
John de Valois, Count of Montpensier
John of Berry (1375/1376–1397), count of Montpensier (1386–1401), was a French nobleman. He was the son of John, Duke of Berry and Joanna of Armagnac. He had no children and predeceased his father.
He married twice:
#in 1386 at Saint-Ouen to ...
, (1375/1376–1397), first married
Catherine of France, daughter of
Charles V, King of France; and later married
Anne de Bourbon
*Louis of Berry (1383, died young)
Illegitimate son by a Scottish woman:
*Owuoald (1370 – before 1382), born in England during John's captivity.
In 1389 he married his second wife,
Joan II, Countess of Auvergne (c.1378-1424).
Art patron
![Fonthill vase by Barthelemy Remy 1713](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Fonthill_vase_by_Barthelemy_Remy_1713.jpg)
John of Berry was also a notable patron who commissioned among other works the most famous
Book of Hours, the
''Très Riches Heures''. "Like other works produced on the duke’s auspices, this model of elegance reflected many of the artistic tendencies of the time in its fusion of Flemish realism, of the refined Parisian style, and of Italian panel-painting techniques." Admiring the artistic productions of
Jean Pucelle
Jean Pucelle (c. 1300 – 1355; active c. 1320–1350) was a Parisian Gothic-era manuscript illuminator who excelled in the invention of drolleries as well as traditional iconography. He is considered one of the best miniaturists of ...
, John employed several well-known artists such as the
Limbourg Brothers
The Limbourg brothers ( nl, Gebroeders van Limburg or Gebroeders Van Lymborch; fl. 1385 – 1416) were famous
Dutch miniature painters (Herman, Paul, and Johan) from the city of Nijmegen. They were active in the early 15th century in France ...
,
Jacquemart de Hesdin
Jacquemart de Hesdin ( 1355 – c. 1414) was a French miniature painter working in the International Gothic style. In English, he is also called Jacquemart of Hesdin. During his lifetime, his name was spelt in a number of ways, including as Jac ...
, the
Master of the Brussels Initials, and
André Beauneveu. His curiosity to illumination and patronage led to much success on preserving and absorbing talented miniaturist painters. His spending on his art collection severely taxed his estates, and he was deeply in debt when he died in 1416 at Paris.
Works created for him include the manuscripts known as the ''Très Riches Heures'', the ''
Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry
The ''Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry'', or ''Belles Heures of Jean de Berry'' (The Beautiful Hours) is an early 15th-century illuminated manuscript book of hours (containing prayers to be said by the faithful at each canonical hour ...
'' and (parts of) the ''
Turin-Milan Hours''. Goldsmith's work includes the
Holy Thorn Reliquary
The Holy Thorn Reliquary was probably created in the 1390s in Paris for John, Duke of Berry, to house a relic of the Crown of Thorns. The reliquary was bequeathed to the British Museum in 1898 by Ferdinand de Rothschild as part of the Wad ...
and
Royal Gold Cup
The Royal Gold Cup or Saint Agnes Cup is a solid gold covered cup lavishly decorated with enamel and pearls. It was made for the French royal family at the end of the 14th century, and later belonged to several English monarchs before spending ...
, both in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
.
The web site of the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
says of him: After the death of John's grandfather,
John the Blind
John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...
, during the
Battle of Crecy
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
(1346), the famed court composer and poet
Guillaume de Machaut entered into the service of John of Berry.
Ancestors
Footnotes
Sources
*
*
External links
*Stein, Wendy A
"Patronage of Jean de Berry (1340–1416)" In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, 2000–. (May 2009)
*
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{Authority control
1340 births
1416 deaths
People from Vincennes
Dukes of Berry
Dukes of Auvergne
Dukes of Montpensier
Counts of Angoulême
House of Valois-Burgundy
French art collectors
Jure uxoris officeholders
14th-century peers of France
15th-century peers of France
Sons of kings