Assassination Of Louis I, Duke Of Orléans
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Louis I, Duke of Orléans Louis I (13 March 1372 – 23 November 1407) was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death in 1407. He was also Duke of Touraine (1386–1392), Count of Valois (1386?–1406) Blois (1397–1407), Angoulême (1404–1407), ...
, was assassinated on 23 November 1407 in Paris, France. The assassination occurred during the power struggles between two factions attempting to control the
regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
of France during the reign of Charles VI, who was seen as unfit to rule due to his mental illness. One faction was led by Louis, the king's younger brother, and Queen
Isabeau of Bavaria Isabeau of Bavaria (or Isabelle; also Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – 24 September 1435) was Queen of France as the wife of King Charles VI of France, Charles VI from 1385 to 1422. She was born into the House of Wittelsbach a ...
, Charles' wife. They attempted to seize control of the country from the House of Burgundy after the death of the powerful
Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...
,
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 was th ...
, in 1404. In the midst of these power struggles, Philip's successor,
John the Fearless John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...
, dispatched a group of servants to murder the unpopular Louis. Following the murder, John openly bragged about it. Due to the assassination, the court conflict grew into open warfare, and ultimately in the assassination of John the Fearless himself twelve years later.


Background

During the reign of Charles V, French generals like Bertrand du Guesclin steadily regained territory previously lost to the English in the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
. At the same time England was suffering from serious political disturbances and border threats at home. These two factors led to a truce being declared in 1389 in the Hundred Years' War. Beginning in 1392, the king of France, Charles VI, experienced bouts of madness and often had to be confined. Whenever he was incapacitated, France was ruled by a regency council composed of the grandees of the kingdom presided over by Queen Isabeau.Alban Dignat, ''23 novembre 1407: Assassinat dans la rue Vieille du Temple''
herodote.net
With the death 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 was th ...
,
Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...
, political power shifted away from his son,
John the Fearless John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...
, to the king's brother, Louis of Orléans, who was rumoured to have had a relationship with the queen. Louis had the Burgundians expelled from the council and took the lion's share of the royal treasury, which he used to break up the Duke of Burgundy's territorial possessions of
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
and the
Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; ; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity in north-western regions of historical Burgundy. It was a duchy, ruled by dukes of Burgundy. The Duchy belonged to the Kingdom of France, and was initially bordering th ...
by purchasing the
Duchy of Luxembourg The Duchy of Luxembourg (; ; ; ) was a Imperial state, state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg. The House of Luxembourg became one of the most important political forces in the 14th century, comp ...
. His authority thus weakened, John the Fearless decided he had to kill his rival.


The murder

On 23 November 1407, the Duke of Orleans went to visit Queen Isabeau, who had given birth a little earlier, at the Hôtel Barbette on the Rue Vieille-du-Temple, in Paris.Laurent Theis, ''Histoire du Moyen Âge Français'', Perrin 1992, p. 326-327 Thomas de Courteheuse informed him that King Charles VI awaited his urgent presence at the Hôtel Saint-Paul. Upon his departure, he was stabbed by about fifteen masked thugs led by Raoulet d'Anquetonville, who was a henchman of the Duke of Burgundy. The valets and guards that escorted him were unable to protect him. An
esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
named Jacob was killed trying to protect the Duke. The Duke's hand was cut off and his skull split by an axe. The Duke of Burgundy had the support of the Parisian and University populations, which he had known how to win over by promising the establishment of an ordinance like that of 1357.Noël Coulet, ''Le temps des malheurs (1348–1440)'' tiré de ''Histoire de la France des origines à nos jours'' sous la direction de Georges Duby, Larousse, 2007, p 418-419 Able to seize power, he could publicly confess to the assassination. Far from hiding it, John the Fearless had a eulogy of tyrannicide written by the theologian Jean Petit, an academic at the Sorbonne.


Aftermath

In order to appease the combatants following the assassination, King Charles VI of France called the Duke of Burgundy and the children of the deceased to Chartres on 28 February 1409. He also charged Count William IV of Hainaut, the brother-in-law of John the Fearless, to ensure, at the head of 400 men-at-arms and 100 archers, the protection of each of the delegations during their trip and to fight on the side of the attacked party if hostilities were to occur.- Geoffroy G. Sury, « Bayern Straubing – Hennegau : la Maison de Bavière en Hainaut, XIVe – XVe s. », Edit. Geoffroy G. Sury, 2e éd., dép. lég., Bruxelles, 2010, p. 157. – Missive dressée à Tours le 21 janvier 1409 ''(date nouv. st.)'' de Charles (VI) roi de France au comte Guillaume (IV) de Hainaut. In, ''G. Wymans, « Inventaire analytique du chartrier de la Trésorerie des comtes de Hainaut », aux A.E. Mons, n° d’ordre (cote) 1290, Editions A.G.R., Bruxelles, 1985, p. 271. (Or. sur pch.; sc. ébréché avec contre-sceau.)'' On 15 April 1410, in
Gien Gien () is a Communes of France, commune in the Loiret Departments of France, department in north-central France. Gien is on the river Loire, from Orléans. Gien station has rail connections to Montargis, Nevers and Paris. The town was bought ...
, during the nuptials of
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, ...
, the son of the assassinated duke, and
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 ...
, the powerful men of the kingdom present joined forces against the Duke of Burgundy. 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 t ...
that ensued went on for thirty years, until the signing of the Treaty of Arras. John the Fearless was himself assassinated by the Armagnacs in 1419, on the bridge at Montereau.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assassination Of Louis I, Duke Of Orleans 15th-century murders 1407 in Europe 1400s in France Hundred Years' War
Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...
15th century in Paris Deaths by person in Paris