The marmousets (referred to as ''les petites gens'') is a nickname, first recorded in the chronicles of
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 Arthurian ...
, for a group of
counselors to
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 ...
. Although they were neither princes nor
civil servants, they were very close to the king. Thanks to this position, they were able to access the highest functions of the state. These men were endowed with another quality, the solidarity between them. Chosen by Charles VI in 1388, they vowed to remain united and friends.
Their name, essentially the same as
marmoset
The marmosets (), also known as zaris or sagoin, are 22 New World monkey species of the genera '' Callithrix'', '' Cebuella'', '' Callibella'', and ''Mico''. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term "marmoset" ...
, referring to
monkeys, was also a term for the English at the time.
History
Charles VI was crowned in 1380, at the age of 11. His four unclesthe dukes of
Burgundy,
Berry,
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 ...
and
Bourbonserved as his
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
s, entrusted with governing France. In November 1388,
Pierre Aycelin de Montaigut, Cardinal of
Laon
Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
History
Early history
The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...
, proposed in court that Charles VI relieve the dukes of their duties and assume control of the government.
The marmousets
Pierre Aycelin de Montaigut,
Bureau de La Rivière,
Jean Le Mercier,
Jean de Montaigu
Jean de Montagu or Jean de Montaigu (c.1349/50, Paris – Paris, 17 October 1409), was a royal secretary and pupil to Charles V, and subsequently an administrator and advisor to Charles VI of France, who became a leading figure in France during the ...
,
Nicolas du Bosc,
Olivier V de Clisson, Pierre le Bègue de Villaines and
Guillaume IV de Melunsoon became Charles'
privy council. The eight clerics and lords swore to stay united as friends, interdependent towards one another.
The marmousets' position as privy council ended on 5 August 1392, due to Charles VI's decline into insanity.
Le Mercier, de la Rivière and de Villaines were imprisoned,
de Montaigu escaped to Avignon, and de Clisson was fined 100,000 francs, dismissed of his title and banished from France.
[ Some of the marmousets eventually returned to their duties in minor posts, and while they were no longer a faction, many of their ideas were later put into practice by Charles VII, who became the natural heir of their policies.][
]
Counselors
* Bureau de La Rivière, Chamberlain
Chamberlain may refer to:
Profession
*Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure
People
*Chamberlain (surname)
**Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...
to Charles V and advisor to Charles VI
* Jean Le Mercier, Councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
to Charles V and Charles VI
*Jean de Montaigu
Jean de Montagu or Jean de Montaigu (c.1349/50, Paris – Paris, 17 October 1409), was a royal secretary and pupil to Charles V, and subsequently an administrator and advisor to Charles VI of France, who became a leading figure in France during the ...
, Royal Councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
* Nicolas du Bosc, Bishop of Bayeux
* Olivier V de Clisson, Constable of France
*Pierre le Bègue de Villaines
* Pierre Aycelin de Montaigut, Cardinal of Laon and Royal Councillor
* Guillaume IV de Melun, Count of Tancarvile
References
External links
Hundred Years' War
{{france-hist-stub