Marie de Berry (c. 1375 – June 1434) was ''
suo jure
''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...
'' Duchess of Auvergne and Countess of Montpensier in 1416-1434. She was the daughter of
John, Duke of Berry
John of Berry or John the Magnificent ( French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was Regent of France during the minority of his nephew 1380-1388 ...
, and
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 ...
. She was married three times. She acted as administrator of the Duchy of Bourbon for her third spouse
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–B ...
, during his imprisonment in England after he was captured following the French defeat at the
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...
in 1415, until 1434.
Life
Marie was born about the year 1375,
[: section "Marie"][Jean Froissart, ''Chronicles'' calls her a "child" when she first married in 1386 (citation to verify) and estimates that she was "about 23" when her second spouse Philippe of Artois died in 1397 ] the youngest daughter of John "the Magnificent", Duke of Berry and Joanna of Armagnac. Through her father, a great collector of antiquities, art patron and
bibliophile
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books.
Profile
The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...
, she was a granddaughter 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 kill ...
. She had three brothers, Charles, Louis, and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
; and one older sister,
Bonne.
Countess consort of Châtillon
The first of Marie's three marriages took place on 29 May 1386 in
the Cathedral of Saint-Etienne at
Bourges
Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry.
History
The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...
: aged about 11, Marie married
Louis III de Châtillon as her first husband. Marie's father gave her a dowry of 70,000 francs; he gave Louis, his son-in-law, the
county of Dunois
The County of Dunois comprised the old ''pagus Dunensis'', the area surrounding Châteaudun in central France. A county had taken form around Châteaudun (''Castrum Dunense'') in the tenth century. It passed to the counts of Blois, who appointe ...
.
[: section "Marie" and footnotes 357-358] The marriage and trousseau had been arranged by the two fathers in 1384: "A Duke will dress her, in bed and out of it, and a Count will put the jewels on her", John Duke of Berry and
Guy Count de Blois-Châtillon agreed. The festivities at the wedding ''de ces jeunes enfants'' ("of these young children") are described in
Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: '' Jehan'', – ) (also John Froissart) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meliador'', a long Arthuria ...
's ''Chronicles''.
Countess of Eu
There were no children from this marriage, and Louis died on 15 July 1391. On 27 January 1393 a marriage contract was drawn up for Marie and
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 ...
. They were married the next month at the
Palais du Louvre
The Louvre Palace (french: link=no, Palais du Louvre, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Gardens and the ...
in Paris; King
Charles VI of France
Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...
himself paid for the festivities, while her father gave her a dowry of 70,000 francs. They had two sons and two daughters. The King appointed Philip
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
in 1392. Philippe went on Crusade and fought alongside his friend
Jean Le Maingre
Jean II Le Maingre (Old French: Jehan le Meingre), also known as Boucicaut (28 August 1366 – 21 June 1421), was a French knight and military leader. Renowned for his military skill and embodiment of chivalry, he was made a marshal of France.
...
("Boucicaut"),
marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...
at the disastrous
Battle of Nicopolis
The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied crusader army of Hungarian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German, and assorted troops (assisted by the Venetian navy) at ...
on 25 September 1396. Both were captured, and Philip died some months later in captivity at
Micalizo, now called Mihalıççık, in western
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
After Philippe's death ''inter Sarracenos'' ("among the Saracens"), his body was brought back to
Eu, his home town, and Marie gave an endowment of £100 annually to the
Collegial Church of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Laurent for a mass to be celebrated there on 17 June each year in his memory. Their eldest son, Philippe, died on 23 December in the same year and is also buried in Eu.
[.] Jointly with her widowed sister-in-law,
Jeanne of Thouars, Marie was appointed guardian of the three surviving children of her marriage with Philippe:
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
,
Bonne and Catherine. Aged about three, Charles succeeded his father as Count of Eu. His revenues were held for him until he came of age by three trustees: Marie herself, her father, and her uncle
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 was ...
, Duke of Burgundy.
Duchess consort of Bourbon
Marie married her third husband
John of Bourbon at the "King's Palace" (the
Palais de la Cité
The Palais de la Cité (), located on the Île de la Cité in the Seine River in the centre of Paris, is a major historic building that was the residence of the Kings of France from the sixth century until the 14th century, and has been the center ...
) in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
on 21 June 1401. The contract had been signed at Paris on 27 May 1400 after complex negotiations.
[: section "Marie" and footnote 359] She bore him three children.
[.] He was appointed
Grand Chamberlain of France
The Grand Chamberlain of France (french: Grand Chambellan de France) was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, a member of the ''Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household"), and one of the Great Offices of the Maison du Roi during the Anci ...
on 18 March 1408 and succeeded his father as Duke of Bourbon on 19 August 1410. Marie's father had persuaded King Charles VI not to fight at the
battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...
on 25 October 1415, but Marie's husband did fight, was captured, and spent the rest of his life in English captivity.
Marie is believed to be depicted in one or possibly two full-page miniatures in the ''
Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (; en, The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry) or Très Riches Heures, is the most famous and possibly the best surviving example of manuscript illumination in the late phase of the International Goth ...
'', a lavishly-illustrated manuscript made for her father in the years after his sons' deaths. In the illustration for the month of April, the young noblemen and women in the foreground are grouped around a couple agreeing to be married. According to Patricia Stirnemann, referencing Saint-Jean Boudin, the scene, although not painted until about 1410, depicts the engagement of Marie with
John of Bourbon in 1401.
Raymond Cazelles disputes this, arguing that the couple are Marie's niece
Bonne of Armagnac
Bonne of Armagnac (19 February 1399 – 1430/35) was the eldest daughter of Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac and Constable of France, and his wife Bonne of Berry.
Marriage
On 15 April 1410 at the age of 11, she married Charles, Duke of Orléans ...
and
Charles, Duke of Orléans
Charles of Orléans (24 November 1394 – 5 January 1465) was Duke of Orléans from 1407, following the murder of his father, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. He was also Duke of Valois, Count of Beaumont-sur-Oise and of Blois, Lord of Coucy, and t ...
, who were to marry in 1411.
A
May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...
celebration among nobles takes place in the foreground of the illustration for the month of May. Details appear to confirm that the
house of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...
is represented. Both Cazelles and Stirnemann believe that the woman seen in the foreground, riding on a white horse and wearing a large white headdress, is Marie on the occasion of her marriage on 21 June 1401. These scholars do not agree as to which of the accompanying men is John of Bourbon.
The buildings in the background have been variously identified, but G. Papertiant suggests that they are the
Châtelet,
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie () ( en, Lodge) is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also ...
and
Tour de l'Horloge in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, and at the centre the Palais de la Cité where Marie's wedding took place.
A manuscript made for Marie's own use and presented to her in 1406 survives today as BnF, fr. 926. It is a short collection of Christian devotional works, beginning with
Bonaventure
Bonaventure ( ; it, Bonaventura ; la, Bonaventura de Balneoregio; 1221 – 15 July 1274), born Giovanni di Fidanza, was an Italian Catholic Franciscan, bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian and philosopher.
The seventh Minister G ...
's ''Stimulus amoris'', translated into French by
Simon de Courcy as the ''Traitieé de l'esguillon d'amour divine''. It includes a miniature of Marie and her daughter
Bonne (aged about ten at this time) kneeling in prayer before the Virgin Mary. The manuscript is now in the
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...
. Marie also selected approximately 40 manuscripts from among her father's collection on his death, as she was still owed the 70,000 franc dowry from her second marriage.
Duchess of Auvergne and Countess of Montpensier
All three of Marie's brothers were dead before 1400, which explains the complexity of the negotiations for her third marriage: she and her elder sister Bonne were to be heirs to John of Berry's titles, which required royal assent.
[:section "Marie" and footnotes 360-361] John of Berry died on 15 June 1416 (by which time Marie's husband was already a prisoner in England). Marie was accordingly appointed Duchess of Auvergne and Countess of Montpensier on 26 April 1418; these titles were confirmed in 1425. On 17 January 1421, her husband appointed her administrator of his estates as well.
[ He died a prisoner in ]London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in January 1434.[ Marie died in ]Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
on an unknown date in June of the same year. She was buried at Souvigny
Souvigny () is a commune in the Allier department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France.
Today the main town of a canton of the Allier department, Souvigny has long been one of the major towns in the Bourbonnais (of which it was once the ca ...
Priory.[
]
Family
* Louis III de Châtillon
* 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 ...
(1358–1397)
** Philippe (died 23 December 1397)
** Charles of Artois, Count of Eu
Charles of Artois (1394 – 25 July 1472), son of Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, and Marie of Berry, was Count of Eu from 16 June 1397 until his death 75 years later. He was taken prisoner by the English at the Battle of Agincourt on 25 Octobe ...
(c. 1394–1472)
** Bonne (1396–1425), who married firstly Philip Count of Nevers (1389–1415), youngest son of 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 was ...
, Duke of Burgundy; and secondly Philip the Good
Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...
, Duke of Burgundy (1396–1467).
** Catherine (1397–1422?), who married John of Bourbon, Lord of Carency
The lordship of Carency belonged to a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. From the 15th century onwards they were known as princes of Carency, even if their fiefdom does not seem to have been promoted to a princedom. In the 16th century Caren ...
.
* 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–B ...
** Charles I, Duke of Bourbon
Charles de Bourbon (1401 – 4 December 1456) was the oldest son of John I, Duke of Bourbon and Marie, Duchess of Auvergne.
Biography
Charles was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis from 1424, and Duke of Bourbon and Auvergne from 1434 to his death, a ...
(1401–1456)
** Louis (1403–1412, Paris), Count of Forez
** Louis I, Count of Montpensier
Louis de Bourbon (1405 – May 1486) was the third son of John I, Duke of Bourbon and Marie, Duchess of Auvergne. He was Count of Montpensier, Clermont-en-Auvergne and Sancerre and Dauphin of Auvergne and was a younger brother of Charles I of ...
(1405–1486)
Notes
References
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*
External links
Bonaventure, ''Aiguillon d'amour''
microfilm reproduction of the manuscript presented to Marie de Berry c. 1406 (Bibliothèque nationale de France
The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...
)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marie, Duchess Of Auvergne
1375 births
1434 deaths
Dukes of Auvergne
Duchesses of Bourbon
Countesses of Eu
15th-century women rulers
House of Valois
Auvergne, Duchess of, Marie
Auvergne, Marie, Duchess of
House of Bourbon-Montpensier
Counts of Montpensier