Michelle of France (11 January 1395 – 8 July 1422), also called Michelle of Valois, was
Duchess consort of Burgundy
This article lists queens, countesses, and duchesses consort of the Kingdom of Burgundy, Kingdom, County of Burgundy, County, Duchy of Burgundy, Duchy of Burgundy (region), Burgundy.
Queen consort of Burgundy Queen consort of the Burgundians ( ...
as the first wife of
Philip III, Duke of Burgundy
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 ...
, called "Philip the Good". She was born a
princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
as the daughter of
Charles VI, King 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 ...
and
Isabeau of Bavaria
Isabeau of Bavaria (or Isabelle; also Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – September 1435) was Queen of France from 1385 to 1422. She was born into the House of Wittelsbach as the only daughter of Duke Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingol ...
.
Life
Early life
Michelle of France was born on 11 January 1395 as the seventh child and fifth daughter of
Charles VI, King 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 ...
(1368–1422) and his wife, born
Isabeau/Isabelle of Bavaria (c. 1371–1435). Three of her elder siblings had already died by the time of her birth, however, she had five younger siblings, four of whom survived
infancy
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
. She was named for
Saint Michael the Archangel
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), a ...
after her father noted an improvement in his health after a pilgrimage to
Mont Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.
The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is ...
in 1393. The children of the royal family were raised with great care. Their mother purchased luxurious toys, clothes and gifts for them, and regularly corresponded with them when they were apart. During pandemics, she ensured they were sent to safety in the countryside.
[Rachel Gibbons; Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen of France (1385-1422): The Creation of an Historical Villainess]
Marriage
In June 1409, at the age of 14, Michelle married 13-year-old
Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
,
Count of Charolais
Charolais (; also Charollais) is a historic region of France, named after the central town of Charolles, and located in today's Saône-et-Loire ''département'', in Burgundy.
History
It was held by the French noble house of Chalon-Arlay, until ...
(1396–1467), son and heir of
John I John I may refer to:
People
* John I (bishop of Jerusalem)
* John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople
* John of Antioch (died 441)
* Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526
* John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna
* John I o ...
,
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...
("John the Fearless", 1371–1419). They had probably been engaged on 28 January 1405, at the age of 9 and 8, respectively. Michelle and Philip were
second cousins
Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...
, both descending from
John II, King of France ("John the Good"). At the same time, Michelle's eldest brother,
Louis Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
,
Dauphin of Viennois
The counts of Albon (''comtes d'Albon'') were members of the medieval nobility in what is now south-eastern France.
Guigues IV, Count of Albon (d. 1142) was nicknamed ''le Dauphin'' or ''the Dolphin''. His nickname morphed into a title among ...
(1397–1415) married Philip's eldest sister
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
(1393–1442). Michelle and Philip had a daughter, Agnes, who
died in infancy
Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...
.
![John the Fearless assassination](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/John_the_Fearless_assassination.jpg)
On 10 September 1419, Michelle's father-in-law
John the Fearless was assassinated, with involvement from her brother,
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 ...
(1403–1461), the new dauphin as a part of the
Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War
The Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War was a conflict between two cadet branches of the French royal family – the House of Orléans ( Armagnac faction) and the House of Burgundy ( Burgundian faction) from 1407 to 1435. It began during a lull in th ...
. The civil war was fought for power during the
mental instability of
King Charles VI (Michelle's father). It is possible that John had been behind the deaths of Michelle's two brothers,
Louis Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
(1397–1415) 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
* Secon ...
(1398–1417). It has also been suggested that the
Armagnac party
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac (region), 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 bla ...
wanted John dead to prevent a likely rapprochement between him and the dauphin, which could have diminished their influence. Michelle became
melancholic
Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout History of medicine#Greece and Roman Empire, ancient, medieval medicine of Western Europe, medieval and Lear ...
(what we would today call extremely
depressed) following the assassination.
Death
In 1422, while her husband was away preparing for the battle of Cone, Michelle fell ill and died on 8 July in
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
. All of the inhabitants grieved, as she had been much loved by the people. She was
buried in
Saint Bavo's Abbey
Saint Bavo's Abbey ( nl, Sint-Baafsabdij) is a former abbey in the currently Belgian city of Ghent. It was founded in the 7th century by Saint Amand, who also founded Saint Peter's Abbey, Ghent, near the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. ...
near the city. In 1540, the abbey was destroyed on the orders of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...
, causing only a fragment of her tomb to remain to this day. After her death, rumors circulated that she had been poisoned by a former attendant, known as ''Dame de Viesville'', a close
confidante
The confidant ( or ; feminine: confidante, same pronunciation) is a character in a story whom a protagonist confides in and trusts. Confidants may be other principal characters, characters who command trust by virtue of their position such as ...
dismissed shortly before Michelle's death. However, no charges were ever brought up against her.
Her widower married two more times, first two years after her death to
Bonne of Artois
Bonne of Artois (1396 – 17 September 1425, Dijon) was Countess consort of Nevers by marriage to Philip II, Count of Nevers, which left her a widow at 18 or 19, and Duchess consort of Burgundy by marriage to Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, pop ...
(1396–1425). He had three children from his third marriage, and at least 18
illegitimate children
Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...
from a total of 24 documented
mistresses
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
, two of whom were certainly born during his marriage to Michelle.
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michelle Of Valois
Duchesses of Burgundy
1395 births
1422 deaths
French princesses
House of Valois
Countesses of Burgundy
Countesses of Flanders
Countesses of Artois
Murdered royalty
Philip the Good (Duke of Burgundy)
14th-century French people
14th-century French women
15th-century French people
15th-century French women
Daughters of kings