Medieval Archives

🇫🇷 John the Fearless and the Bloody Fight for France 🇫🇷

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John the Fearless (1371-1419)

14th century France was in utter turmoil, torn apart by an insane king, multiple assassinations, a failed Crusade, a brutal civil war, and a new, devastating phase of the Hundred Years' War. The country was on the brink of collapse.

At the center of it all stood one man: John the Fearless, a prince of the blood with a legitimate claim to the throne, a crusader who battled the Turks in the Balkans, and a powerful duke who shaped the destiny of an entire nation.

John earned his name 'the Fearless' at the Battle of Nicopolis fighting the Ottoman Turks. Sultan Bayezid I gave him the name after witnessing John's fierce nature in battle. John was captured at Nicopolis and remained a prisoner for two years.

After returning to France and becoming the Duke of Burgundy he looked to expand his power and influence, ultimately assassinating the Duke of Orleans leading to the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War.

John the Fearless' story is a wild tale of ambition, betrayal, and bloodshed. So, get ready to explore a pivotal chapter of French history.

Get all the links and see the bibliography in the show notes on Medieval Archives!

Grab a free copy of A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous Fourteenth Century by Barbara W. Tuchman

Other episodes mentioned:
Ep. 31 - Mad Monarchs of the Middle Ages
Ep. 44 - The Battle of Agincourt (1415)

(00:00) - Welcom to Medieval Archives
(00:23) - Heading to Medieval France
(00:57) - Thank you to all the producers!
(01:38) - Early life of John the Fearless
(03:22) - John on Crusade
(07:17) - Battle of Nocopolis 1396
(12:44) - John, Duke of Burgundy
(16:31) - Assassination of Louis of Orleans
(18:00) - Burgundian- Armagnac Civil War
(21:30) - Treaty of Pouilly-le-Fort with Dauphin Charles
(22:42) - Assassination of John the Fearless
(24:17) - Aftermath & The Treaty of Troyes
(26:51) - Catherine of Valois & the Tudor Dynasty
(27:08) - John the Fearless conlcusion
(28:27) - Shownotes & Bibliography
(28:39) - Send in comments or leave a voicemail
(28:49) - Share with your friends!
(28:56) - Become an Executive Producer!
(29:17) - We have a website!
(29:21) - THANK YOU for your support!

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Illuminating the Dark Ages for the Digital World. Podcast and website dedicated to the medieval era.

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Archivist: Welcome to the Medieval Archives

Archivist: Podcast, the podcast for

Archivist: medieval news, history, and

Archivist: entertainment. I'm your host

Archivist: Gary, aka The Archivist. Now

Archivist: today we're heading to the heart

Archivist: of late medieval France in a

Archivist: time of utter chaos. The kingdom

Archivist: was in turmoil, torn apart by an

Archivist: insane king, a brutal civil war,

Archivist: and a new, devastating phase of

Archivist: the Hundred Years' War. At the

Archivist: center of it all stood one man,

Archivist: a prince of the blood with a

Archivist: legitimate claim to the throne,

Archivist: a crusader who battled the Turks

Archivist: and the Balkans, and a powerful

Archivist: duke who shaped the destiny of

Archivist: an entire nation. His name was

Archivist: John the Fearless, and his story

Archivist: is a wild tale of ambition,

Archivist: betrayal, and bloodshed. So get

Archivist: ready to explore a pivotal

Archivist: chapter in French history.

Archivist: Before we jump in, I want to

Archivist: thank all the producers who

Archivist: donated to the show. They would

Archivist: like to remain anonymous, but a

Archivist: big thank you for supporting the

Archivist: show. If you'd like to get your

Archivist: name mentioned, or stay

Archivist: anonymous by becoming an

Archivist: executive producer, check out

Archivist: the links in the show notes. Now

Archivist: if you have any questions or

Archivist: comments, or if you have a topic

Archivist: you're dying to hear on the show,

Archivist: send those over to podcast at

Archivist: medievalarchives.com, or you can

Archivist: leave us a message on the

Archivist: voicemail line, 720-722-1066.

Archivist: The show notes, which will

Archivist: include a bibliography, is

Archivist: available at

Archivist: medievalarchives.com slash 9595.

Archivist: Let's head to

Archivist: France and learn about the life

Archivist: of John the Fearless. John the

Archivist: Fearless was born in Dijon on 28

Archivist: May 1371 to Duke Philip the Bold

Archivist: and Countess Margaret II of

Archivist: Flanders. John was a Prince of

Archivist: the Blood as the grandson of

Archivist: King John the Good. John the

Archivist: Good died when John the Fearless

Archivist: was 13, and John the Fearless

Archivist: inherited the County of Nevers,

Archivist: becoming Count John of Nevers.

Archivist: The next year, at age 14, John

Archivist: and his 11-year-old sister

Archivist: Margaret were part of a double

Archivist: marriage with the family of

Archivist: Count Albert of Holland. John

Archivist: wed Albert's daughter, also

Archivist: named Margaret, while his sister

Archivist: Margaret married Albert's son,

Archivist: William. These strategic

Archivist: marriages, they were actually

Archivist: alliances, weren't about love,

Archivist: they were about power. The

Archivist: marriages effectively solidified

Archivist: John's control over the Low

Archivist: Countries, what is essentially

Archivist: the modern-day Netherlands. John

Archivist: originally intended to marry

Archivist: Princess Catherine, the daughter

Archivist: of King Charles V of France,

Archivist: Catherine was only a child, or I

Archivist: guess a younger child, she was

Archivist: seven, and the wedding was

Archivist: called off after the death of

Archivist: Charles V in favor of marrying

Archivist: Count Albert's daughter.

Archivist: Princess Catherine would go on

Archivist: to marry at the age of eight,

Archivist: and she died of an unknown

Archivist: illness in 1388 at the age of

Archivist: ten. Now, Catherine was King

Archivist: Charles' ninth child.

Archivist: Unfortunately for Charles, his

Archivist: children died young. Only two of

Archivist: the nine would ever live to

Archivist: adulthood. His two oldest

Archivist: daughters died weeks apart in

Archivist: 1360 at the age of two and three.

Archivist: His other daughters died at the

Archivist: age of five, seven, and

Archivist: Catherine at ten. One son died

Archivist: at six months old, and one died

Archivist: around one or two years old. His

Archivist: only children who survived to

Archivist: adulthood, both were sons. One

Archivist: named Charles, who had become

Archivist: Charles VI, the Mad, and the

Archivist: other was Louis, the Duke of

Archivist: Orleans.

Archivist: Both men played a crucial role

Archivist: in the life of John the Fearless.

Archivist: Before John became the Duke of

Archivist: Burgundy, he led French forces

Archivist: into Hungary to assist King

Archivist: Sigismund in a war, a crusade

Archivist: against the Ottoman Empire, led

Archivist: by Sultan Bayezid I, called the

Archivist: Thunderbolt. What a great name,

Archivist: Bayezid the Thunderbolt. He was

Archivist: called the Thunderbolt for the

Archivist: speed at which he expanded his

Archivist: territory and empire. Now, his

Archivist: rapid expansion in the Balkans

Archivist: was seen as a warning to Europe

Archivist: to stop the threat or face a

Archivist: greater threat at home. King

Archivist: Sigismund became concerned when

Archivist: the Ottoman forces started

Archivist: raiding Hungary's southern

Archivist: border. He wasn't the only one

Archivist: concerned about the Ottomans

Archivist: either. Venice feared Ottoman

Archivist: control of the Balkans would

Archivist: reduce Venetian influence in the

Archivist: region. Genoa feared if the

Archivist: Ottomans controlled the Danube,

Archivist: they'd lose control of their

Archivist: trade routes to the Black Sea.

Archivist: In 1394, Pope Boniface IX called

Archivist: for a new crusade against the

Archivist: invading Ottomans. Boniface was

Archivist: in the midst of his own

Archivist: struggles with the Great Schism

Archivist: of 1378. And the papacy and

Archivist: Christianity were split between

Archivist: two popes, so one of them

Archivist: calling a crusade didn't hold a

Archivist: lot of weight. Philip the Bold,

Archivist: the Duke of Burgundy, John's

Archivist: father, was eager to sponsor the

Archivist: crusade and help Hungary and the

Archivist: Balkans fight the Ottomans. It

Archivist: wasn't only about helping

Archivist: Hungary, though. It was also to

Archivist: bolster his own prestige.

Archivist: Barbara Tuchman, in her fabulous

Archivist: book, A Distant Mirror, argued

Archivist: Philip sent troops to bolster

Archivist: his own standing in France and

Archivist: Burgundy, and she wrote, Since

Archivist: he, Philip the Bold, was the

Archivist: prince of self-magnification,

Archivist: the result was that opulent

Archivist: display became the dominant

Archivist: theme. Plans, logistics,

Archivist: intelligence about the enemy

Archivist: came second, if it came at all.

Archivist: Sigismund sent a delegation to

Archivist: Paris begging for more help, and

Archivist: the French nobility answered.

Archivist: The new king of France, Charles

Archivist: VI, saw it as his duty to

Archivist: protect Christianity and punish

Archivist: the sultan. Others, including

Archivist: Philip of Artois, who was the

Archivist: count of, ooh, that's a great,

Archivist: that's a great county, ooh, he

Archivist: was also the constable of France,

Archivist: the marshal of France, and

Archivist: Philip the Bold, who Philip

Archivist: actually sent his son, John, to

Archivist: lead the force. The majority of

Archivist: the crusaders were made up of

Archivist: French forces, knights, archers,

Archivist: foot soldiers. The other portion

Archivist: of the force was provided by the

Archivist: Knights Hospitaller. Now, the

Archivist: goal of the crusade was simple.

Archivist: Expel the Turks from the Balkans,

Archivist: march to Constantinople, then on

Archivist: through Turkey and Syria to

Archivist: liberate Palestine and the

Archivist: Church of the Holy Sepulchre,

Archivist: then return to Europe as

Archivist: triumphant victors. Seems pretty

Archivist: easy. John set out from Dijon in

Archivist: April of 1396. He arrived in

Archivist: Budapest three months later in

Archivist: July of 1396 and met with

Archivist: Philibert, the Grand Master of

Archivist: the Knights Hospitaller. From

Archivist: the start, the crusaders' war

Archivist: plans were plagued by infighting

Archivist: and arrogance. French and

Archivist: Hungarian leaders bickered over

Archivist: who was in command, but they

Archivist: ultimately agreed to march onto

Archivist: the Ottoman strongholds. The

Archivist: number of troops on each side is

Archivist: highly debated. Contemporary

Archivist: sources gave a number of over

Archivist: 100,000 troops, with some

Archivist: accounts saying over 400,000 men.

Archivist: In the 19th century, German

Archivist: scholars estimated the number of

Archivist: troops to be somewhere around

Archivist: 15,000 to 20,000 men on the

Archivist: crusade side and on the Ottoman

Archivist: side. When they began their

Archivist: march to the Ottoman stronghold,

Archivist: most of the crusaders marched

Archivist: down the Danube, but a

Archivist: contingent of the Hungarian army

Archivist: marched north to gather more

Archivist: troops from Alakia. Now, the

Archivist: crusaders reached Osova and

Archivist: crossed the Danube at the Iron

Archivist: Gates, which is a narrow gorge

Archivist: on the river, and narrow is kind

Archivist: of relative to the actual size

Archivist: of the Danube. It wasn't a small

Archivist: crossing that they could walk

Archivist: across. At the Iron Gates, the

Archivist: Danube River is over 20 feet

Archivist: deep and almost 500 feet wide,

Archivist: compared to being 1,300 feet

Archivist: wide in other areas. It took the

Archivist: crusaders eight days to cross

Archivist: the river. Once they were on the

Archivist: other side, they captured the

Archivist: city of Vyden with no resistance.

Archivist: The leader, Ivan Stratismer of

Archivist: Bulgaria, wanted to get the

Archivist: Turks out of his city and

Archivist: surrendered it to the crusaders.

Archivist: The

Archivist: crusaders continued their march

Archivist: east and on 12 September reached

Archivist: the fortress of Nicopolis. Now,

Archivist: they lacked any siege weapons,

Archivist: and the steep slopes going into

Archivist: the fortress made it almost

Archivist: impossible to mount an offensive.

Archivist: So the crusaders settled in for

Archivist: a long siege to starve out the

Archivist: defenders. And after two weeks,

Archivist: there was still no end in sight,

Archivist: but rumors began to swirl that

Archivist: Bayezid and his army were

Archivist: marching to break the siege.

Archivist: Sigismund sent 500 horsemen to

Archivist: scout the area and verify if the

Archivist: sultan was coming. They returned

Archivist: with news of Bayezid and his

Archivist: army marching toward Nicopolis.

Archivist: Some of the French nobles, with

Archivist: their arrogance, were convinced

Archivist: the sultan would never attack

Archivist: them. Others, like the Lord of

Archivist: Cusi, wasn't as convinced, so he

Archivist: sent 1,000 men of his own to raz

Archivist: the Turks and get an idea of

Archivist: their strength. He saw a large

Archivist: group of Turks at a nearby pass

Archivist: and separated his men, sending a

Archivist: small group out to fake a

Archivist: retreat. The Turks went after

Archivist: them and ran into an ambush.

Archivist: Cusi and his men killed as many

Archivist: Turks as they could before

Archivist: returning to the crusader camp.

Archivist: Now, hearing of the skirmish,

Archivist: Sigismund called a war council

Archivist: and suggested the foot soldiers

Archivist: lead the battle and attack the

Archivist: front lines of the Turks. Now,

Archivist: Sigismund was a veteran fighting

Archivist: the Turks. He knew their tactics

Archivist: and the Turks would send in

Archivist: poorly armed militia in the

Archivist: front ranks and save their heavy

Archivist: horse for later. Philippe of

Archivist: Artois, the constable of France,

Archivist: was insulted, saying that French

Archivist: knights would never follow foot

Archivist: soldiers into battle, that the

Archivist: French knights must lead the way.

Archivist: After a long, heated debate,

Archivist: Sigismund agreed to let the

Archivist: French lead the charge. He left

Archivist: to formulate his own plans and

Archivist: sent word to the crusaders that

Archivist: Bayezid was less than six hours

Archivist: away. The crusaders, preparing

Archivist: for battle and needing every man

Archivist: to fight, decided that they

Archivist: could leave no one to guard the

Archivist: prisoners that they had captured

Archivist: along the way. So their decision

Archivist: was to massacre every last

Archivist: prisoner. That decision would

Archivist: come back to haunt them. On the

Archivist: morning of 25 September,

Archivist: Sigismund sent the Grand Master

Archivist: to John the Fearless, asking the

Archivist: French to hold for two hours

Archivist: while Sigismund's scouts could

Archivist: return with intelligence on

Archivist: Bayezid's army. Jean, who was

Archivist: the nominal French leader, was

Archivist: advised by his council and

Archivist: veteran knight, Admiral de

Archivist: Vienne, to give Sigismund his

Archivist: two hours and to wait. But the

Archivist: arrogant Constable of France won

Archivist: the argument again, refusing to

Archivist: delay for any moment. The French

Archivist: would not wait the two hours for

Archivist: better intelligence. They would

Archivist: attack as planned. I bet he was

Archivist: the one who ordered the

Archivist: prisoners killed as well. I mean,

Archivist: he's making bad decisions based

Archivist: on inexperience and his lust for

Archivist: glory. He controlled the French

Archivist: vanguard, and then Jean

Archivist: controlled the main force. The

Archivist: French knights charged and

Archivist: smashed through the front lines

Archivist: of the Ottoman army with little

Archivist: resistance. Then they met the

Archivist: trained infantry and archers,

Archivist: and the French knights were

Archivist: stopped by archery fire in a

Archivist: devastating surprise. Rows and

Archivist: rows of stakes set to impale the

Archivist: charging horses. Knights were

Archivist: forced to dismount to remove the

Archivist: stakes, and while they were

Archivist: doing that, their horses and

Archivist: they were shot with arrows. Many

Archivist: knights remained without a horse

Archivist: and continued the battle on foot.

Archivist: The younger French knights

Archivist: refused to listen to the elder,

Archivist: more seasoned knights, and

Archivist: continued rushing in headlong to

Archivist: the Turks. Not letting the

Archivist: impetuous younger knights rush

Archivist: to their death, the remaining

Archivist: French army pressed the Turks

Archivist: and fought with savage ferocity.

Archivist: The knights fought bravely, and

Archivist: one chronicle states, No

Archivist: frothing boar nor enraged wolf

Archivist: fought more fiercely. While Jean

Archivist: and the French were fighting

Archivist: their battle, Sigismund and the

Archivist: knights' hospitalers were

Archivist: entangled in their own battle

Archivist: with the Serbian knights, allies

Archivist: of the Turks. Both battles were

Archivist: going badly for the crusading

Archivist: army. After hours of battle, the

Archivist: French knights were surrounded.

Archivist: Admiral de Vienne, who was

Archivist: carrying the French standard,

Archivist: was severely wounded and died in

Archivist: battle. And as the Turks moved

Archivist: on Jean's position, his guards

Archivist: threw themselves down and

Archivist: surrendered, begging for Jean's

Archivist: life to be spared. Jean was

Archivist: captured along with the

Archivist: Constable of France, Cousy, and

Archivist: other knights. Sigismund and the

Archivist: Grand Master retreated to the

Archivist: Danube and found safety on a

Archivist: Venetian ship. On the safety of

Archivist: the ship, Sigismund told the

Archivist: Grand Master, We lost the day by

Archivist: pride and vanity of these French.

Archivist: If they believed my advice, we

Archivist: had enough men to fight our

Archivist: enemies. Emperor Jean-Poursoir

Archivist: would say of the defeat and

Archivist: great loss of the French, Since

Archivist: the Battle of Renseveaux pass,

Archivist: when all twelve peers of France

Archivist: were slain, Christendom received

Archivist: not so great a damage. The death

Archivist: toll was high on both sides, and

Archivist: it was about to get higher for

Archivist: the crusaders. After the battle,

Archivist: Bayezid toured the battlefield,

Archivist: looking for the body of

Archivist: Sigismund, hoping he was killed

Archivist: in the battle. Instead, he found

Archivist: the bodies of the slaughtered

Archivist: Turkish prisoners. Enraged,

Archivist: Bayezid ordered all of the

Archivist: crusader prisoners brought

Archivist: before him. He recognized a

Archivist: French knight who had fought

Archivist: with his father, Morud I. And

Archivist: enlisting his help, Bayezid

Archivist: identified and spared only a

Archivist: handful of the highest-ranking

Archivist: nobles, including John the

Archivist: Fearless, Cousy, the Constable

Archivist: of France, and saved them for

Archivist: ransom. Crusader prisoners who

Archivist: looked to be under the age of

Archivist: twenty were sent off to be

Archivist: slaves. The rest of the

Archivist: prisoners, over a thousand, were

Archivist: executed in a brutal retaliation

Archivist: for all of the Turkish prisoners.

Archivist: The surviving prisoners were

Archivist: marched to Gallipoli, 350 miles

Archivist: away, and remained there until

Archivist: the ransom was settled. Many of

Archivist: the knights, including Cousy and

Archivist: the Constable of France, died in

Archivist: captivity. John and the

Archivist: remaining French knights

Archivist: returned to France in December

Archivist: of 1398 after two years in

Archivist: captivity. John had earned his

Archivist: name, the Fearless, at the

Archivist: Battle of Nicopolis. The Turks

Archivist: and Bayezid witnessed him fight

Archivist: with bravery and ferocity,

Archivist: willing to defend his life and

Archivist: willing to die for his cause.

Archivist: Due to

Archivist: his bravery and fierce nature,

Archivist: Bayezid himself called him the

Archivist: Fearless. King Charles V of

Archivist: France died in 1380, and the

Archivist: throne passed to his 12-year-old

Archivist: son, Charles VI. Since the new

Archivist: king was a minor, his uncle and

Archivist: John the Fearless' father,

Archivist: Philip the Bold, served as his

Archivist: regent. Philip used this

Archivist: opportunity to gain more power

Archivist: for his family and to get his

Archivist: bloodline back on the throne of

Archivist: France. 1402, Philip arranged

Archivist: another strategic double

Archivist: marriage. This time it was for

Archivist: his grandkids. He arranged for

Archivist: his granddaughter Margaret to

Archivist: marry King Charles VI's son,

Archivist: Louis. In exchange, Charles'

Archivist: daughter Michelle of Valois

Archivist: would marry Philip's grandson,

Archivist: also called Philip. Both were

Archivist: the children of John the

Archivist: Fearless. Unfortunately, Philip

Archivist: wouldn't live to see the

Archivist: marriages he arranged. He died

Archivist: in 1404, leaving all of his

Archivist: territory and political clout

Archivist: with his son, John the Fearless,

Archivist: who is now the new Duke of

Archivist: Burgundy. After the death of

Archivist: Philip the Bold, John didn't

Archivist: want the king to back out of the

Archivist: marriage agreement, and the

Archivist: double marriage of Margaret to

Archivist: Louis and Michelle of Valois to

Archivist: Philip took place in August of

Archivist: 1404. It was another case of

Archivist: marriage for political reasons.

Archivist: As all the participants were

Archivist: children, Margaret was 11, Louis

Archivist: was 7, Michelle was 9, Philip

Archivist: was 8. The marriages were a

Archivist: strategic success for John. At

Archivist: the time of the marriage, Louis

Archivist: was the Dauphin of France, the

Archivist: heir to the throne, which would

Archivist: make Margaret the next queen of

Archivist: France, and any potential son

Archivist: they had would one day be the

Archivist: king of France. Unfortunately

Archivist: for Margaret, and I guess Louis,

Archivist: they weren't the next king and

Archivist: queen. Louis died of dysentery

Archivist: in 1415 at the age of 18 years

Archivist: old. Even before Philip the

Archivist: Bold's death, a power struggle

Archivist: was brewing, and as regent,

Archivist: Philip had a tremendous amount

Archivist: of influence over King Charles

Archivist: VI and his wife, Queen Isabeau.

Archivist: And when Philip died, John

Archivist: didn't hold that same influence

Archivist: over the king and queen. Louis

Archivist: of Orleans, another uncle of

Archivist: Charles VI, moved in to fill the

Archivist: void. King Charles VI was a

Archivist: grown man at this time. He would

Archivist: be around 32 years old in 1404.

Archivist: So why were the dukes trying to

Archivist: fill this power gap, and why was

Archivist: there a power gap? Well, in 1404,

Archivist: King Charles VI was suffering

Archivist: from a mental illness. The first

Archivist: signs of the illness showed up

Archivist: in 1392, and the general

Archivist: consensus is Charles suffered

Archivist: from schizophrenia, which causes

Archivist: hallucinations, hearing voices,

Archivist: delusions, and other erratic

Archivist: behavior. At one point, Charles

Archivist: thought that he was made of

Archivist: glass, and tried to protect

Archivist: himself from breaking. He would

Archivist: have extended periods of time

Archivist: when he didn't even recognize

Archivist: his own wife, and he wouldn't

Archivist: even remember that he was king

Archivist: of France. And I covered Charles

Archivist: VI along with some other

Archivist: mentally ill monarchs in episode

Archivist: 31 of the podcast. You can check

Archivist: that out at medievalarchives.com

Archivist: slash 31. Link in the show notes.

Archivist: So with King Charles unable to

Archivist: function, Louis and John

Archivist: maneuvered for power. And one of

Archivist: Louis' first moves was to limit

Archivist: John's income. Philip the Bold,

Archivist: John's father, enjoyed an annual

Archivist: income of 200,000 livres. Louis

Archivist: reduced John's down to 37,000.

Archivist: Louis also began to raise taxes

Archivist: on the working class. There were

Archivist: also rumors swirling that Louis

Archivist: and the queen were lovers. Some

Archivist: even speculate King Charles VII

Archivist: is Louis' son and not Charles

Archivist: VI's son. Burgundy was filled

Archivist: with merchants and working class

Archivist: who couldn't afford these new

Archivist: tax hikes, and their anger grew.

Archivist: John took advantage of the

Archivist: growing discontent, campaigning

Archivist: for reform, claiming that the

Archivist: money was being funneled to the

Archivist: extravagant royal court. This

Archivist: gained him crucial support of

Archivist: the merchant class and of the

Archivist: University of Paris. The

Archivist: conflict between Louis and John

Archivist: escalated, and the country was

Archivist: on the brink of a civil war.

Archivist: John was politically weakened by

Archivist: Louis' actions and unable to

Archivist: match his influence at court, so

Archivist: he decided to take a drastic

Archivist: action. His decision?

Archivist: To assassinate Louis of Orlaine,

Archivist: a move that would change the

Archivist: course of French history. On 23

Archivist: November, 1407, Louis was

Archivist: visiting the queen who had just

Archivist: given birth to her ninth child,

Archivist: a son named Philip. And

Archivist: according to the rumor mill, it

Archivist: was Louis' son, not King Charles.

Archivist: A court ballet delivered a

Archivist: message to Louis informing him

Archivist: the king wished to see him

Archivist: immediately. You think it would

Archivist: have raised some suspicion with

Archivist: Louis why an insane king who

Archivist: thought he was made of glass

Archivist: wanted to see him immediately?

Archivist: But maybe Charles was having a

Archivist: moment of clarity. Or maybe

Archivist: Louis knew that when the king

Archivist: calls, you go no matter what.

Archivist: But when Louis stepped out on

Archivist: the dark streets of Paris, 15

Archivist: masked men ambushed him, and in

Archivist: a brutal and swift attack, Louis

Archivist: was stabbed over and over again.

Archivist: When he was dead, Louis' hand

Archivist: was cut off and his skull split

Archivist: with an axe. One of his servants

Archivist: was also killed, trying to

Archivist: protect him. The shock of the

Archivist: assassination was immense and

Archivist: felt throughout the city. What

Archivist: came next was even more brazen.

Archivist: John the Fearless didn't hide

Archivist: his involvement. He did the

Archivist: opposite. He admitted to

Archivist: orchestrating the murder. John

Archivist: had spent months cultivating the

Archivist: support of the merchants and of

Archivist: the University of Paris, who

Archivist: were furious about Louis' new

Archivist: taxes. And he saw this as an

Archivist: opportunity not to hide in shame,

Archivist: but to declare his actions were

Archivist: for the good of France. He

Archivist: argued that he had eliminated a

Archivist: tyrant, a man who had squandered

Archivist: the kingdom's wealth and

Archivist: corrupted the royal family. For

Archivist: John the Fearless, this wasn't a

Archivist: crime, it was a political

Archivist: statement, a brutal move to

Archivist: seize power he so desperately

Archivist: craved. The assassination

Archivist: divided the country. It plunged

Archivist: France into chaos and ignited a

Archivist: civil war between two powerful

Archivist: factions, the Burgundians and

Archivist: the Almagnacs. And the Almagnacs

Archivist: were led by Bernard IV, the

Archivist: Count of Almagnac, a coalition

Archivist: of French dukes and nobles,

Archivist: including the Duchies of Barrie

Archivist: and Brittany and the County of

Archivist: Clermont and Louis' son, Charles

Archivist: of Orlean. Now, Charles of

Archivist: Orlean was 14 at the time of the

Archivist: assassination, and he relied

Archivist: heavily on his father-in-law,

Archivist: Bernard, the Count of Almagnac,

Archivist: for support, which is how the

Archivist: alliance got its name. Now, the

Archivist: war for control of France began

Archivist: almost immediately. Bernard of

Archivist: Almagnac marched his forces into

Archivist: Paris and seized control of the

Archivist: city, and it's rumored that he

Archivist: even took control of the queen's

Archivist: bedchamber. There was a brief

Archivist: peace treaty signed in 1410, but

Archivist: it didn't last long. In October

Archivist: of 1411, John the Fearless and

Archivist: an army of over 60,000 men

Archivist: attacked the Almagnac forces in

Archivist: Paris. The fighting raged in the

Archivist: streets for over a month and

Archivist: then spread throughout the

Archivist: country. King Henry IV of

Archivist: England even sent a small

Archivist: contingent of troops to help

Archivist: John in his fight. Charles and

Archivist: the Almagnacs were losing the

Archivist: war, and they made a desperate

Archivist: decision. In 1412, they signed a

Archivist: treaty with King Henry IV of

Archivist: England, offering him

Archivist: sovereignty over Aquitaine in

Archivist: exchange for military aid. The

Archivist: deal was an extreme betrayal to

Archivist: France. It gave away French

Archivist: territory to gain an advantage

Archivist: over their rivals. Territory

Archivist: they had fought to protect

Archivist: during the first phase of the

Archivist: Hundred Years' War. The

Archivist: Almagnacs agreed to help Henry

Archivist: recover Aquitaine and pay homage

Archivist: to England for any land they

Archivist: held in the duchy. The treaty

Archivist: also stated that 20 fortresses

Archivist: throughout France would be

Archivist: turned over to English control.

Archivist: Thankfully for France, the

Archivist: Burgundians and Almagnacs came

Archivist: to their own peace agreement in

Archivist: 1412, which was then followed by

Archivist: the death of Henry IV in 1413,

Archivist: and that treaty with England was

Archivist: nullified altogether. The peace

Archivist: agreement in 1412 didn't last

Archivist: long either. In 1413, John the

Archivist: Fearless incited a popular

Archivist: rising in Paris known as the

Archivist: Cabochon Revolt. He armed

Archivist: members of the butcher class,

Archivist: called the Cabochons, and

Archivist: encouraged them to revolt

Archivist: against the Almagnac-controlled

Archivist: government. The uprising raged

Archivist: for four months, with rebels

Archivist: capturing the royal residence.

Archivist: The revolt was ultimately put

Archivist: down by Bernard of Almagnac in

Archivist: August of 1413. In October of

Archivist: 1415, the pivotal battle of

Archivist: Agincourt took place. Neither

Archivist: Bernard nor John the Fearless

Archivist: took part in the battle. John

Archivist: remained neutral while the

Archivist: Almagnacs did send a large force

Archivist: to Agincourt. The French

Archivist: suffered a crushing defeat, with

Archivist: countless nobles killed or

Archivist: captured. And among the

Archivist: prisoners was Charles of

Archivist: Orléans, who would remain a

Archivist: hostage in England for the next

Archivist: 24 years, removing him from the

Archivist: conflict. King Henry V did not

Archivist: seek a ransom for Charles. He

Archivist: deemed Charles too important to

Archivist: France to return. For Bernard's

Archivist: part in the revolt in 1413, and

Archivist: for sending a large force to the

Archivist: Battle of Agincourt, Bernard was

Archivist: named the Constable of France in

Archivist: December of 1415. John the

Archivist: Fearless invaded Paris again in

Archivist: 1418. He incited a mob and began

Archivist: a two-night massacre of the

Archivist: Almagnacs, killing as many as he

Archivist: could, including Bernard of

Archivist: Almagnac, who was one of the

Archivist: first he killed. With Bernard

Archivist: gone, John regained control of

Archivist: the city. His first order of

Archivist: business was to negotiate with

Archivist: King Henry V of England and

Archivist: recognized Henry's rightful

Archivist: claim to the French throne. The

Archivist: move forced the Dauphin of

Archivist: France

Archivist: to negotiate a peace with John

Archivist: to prevent a complete Burgundian

Archivist: alliance with England. The first

Archivist: meeting between the Dauphin

Archivist: Charles and John the Fearless

Archivist: took place on 8 July, 1419. They

Archivist: couldn't come to an agreement,

Archivist: and so they met again on 11 July,

Archivist: and they agreed to terms and

Archivist: sign the Treaty of Puy-le-Fort.

Archivist: The terms of the treaty were

Archivist: simple. Both sides swore peace

Archivist: and loyalty to each other, and

Archivist: to defend France against England.

Archivist: Now, when the treaty was signed,

Archivist: it's recorded that

Archivist: After signing the treaty, the

Archivist: two princes stretched out their

Archivist: hands and swore, having given

Archivist: each other a kiss of peace, to

Archivist: remain closely united, and made

Archivist: great demonstrations of

Archivist: friendship. They were going to

Archivist: celebrate the treaty in Paris on

Archivist: 19 July, but an English attack

Archivist: on Poissy on the outskirts of

Archivist: Paris delayed the celebration.

Archivist: Dauphin Charles ordered another

Archivist: meeting on 10 September,

Archivist: claiming it was necessary to

Archivist: officially seal the alliance.

Archivist: The location was a bridge

Archivist: crossing the Seine River at

Archivist: Montereau, about 45 miles

Archivist: southeast of Paris. Now, John

Archivist: and his men were uneasy about

Archivist: this meeting. Why did

Archivist: they need another meeting?

Archivist: already sealed the alliance and

Archivist: why in such a remote location.

Archivist: The site itself was designed to

Archivist: prevent an ambush from either

Archivist: side with a makeshift enclosure

Archivist: built on the bridge. Each side

Archivist: would enter through a door on

Archivist: opposite sides into a smaller

Archivist: area with about ten men. Even

Archivist: though John agreed to the terms,

Archivist: he was having second thoughts

Archivist: about the meeting. Why the

Archivist: meeting was carried out is

Archivist: interesting. I mean, two months

Archivist: ago, the two sides were hugging

Archivist: and celebrating the peace, and

Archivist: here at the bridge, it's a tense

Archivist: moment with neither side

Archivist: seemingly trusting the other.

Archivist: What changed in those two months?

Archivist: And if they had agreed and

Archivist: signed the treaty, why the new

Archivist: meeting to seal the deal? It

Archivist: seems the Dauphine or maybe his

Archivist: Almagnac allies wanted John away

Archivist: from Paris and defenseless for a

Archivist: reason. Both sides entered the

Archivist: enclosure, John and his

Archivist: entourage uncomfortable with the

Archivist: situation. John knelt before the

Archivist: Dauphine to show his respect,

Archivist: and when he rose, everything

Archivist: went from bad to worse. John

Archivist: rose, and as he did, he rested

Archivist: his hand on his sword hilt.

Archivist: Someone in Charles' court yelled,

Archivist: You put your hand on your sword

Archivist: in the presence of His Highness?

Archivist: And immediately, a Brenton

Archivist: knight leapt forward, screaming,

Archivist: Kill! Kill! And buried his axe

Archivist: into John's face. Chaos erupted.

Archivist: A struggle ensued between the

Archivist: two sides, and more men rushed

Archivist: in on the Dauphine's side. John

Archivist: was repeatedly stabbed, even

Archivist: with the axe wound in his head,

Archivist: as the Dauphine watched from a

Archivist: few feet away. Now, some

Archivist: chroniclers record that John's

Archivist: right hand was cut off as a

Archivist: revenge for killing Louis of

Archivist: Orléans. John the Fearless, a

Archivist: man who survived a crusade,

Archivist: Ottoman captivity, and years of

Archivist: civil war, died on a

Archivist: bridge at Montereux on 10

Archivist: September, 1419. The

Archivist: assassination of John the

Archivist: Fearless had devastating

Archivist: consequences for France. The

Archivist: Dauphine Charles was immediately

Archivist: blamed for the murder. No matter

Archivist: how many times he denied it, the

Archivist: allegations stuck, and it would

Archivist: change the course of French

Archivist: history. John the Fearless's son,

Archivist: Philip the Good, who is now the

Archivist: Duke of Burgundy, wasted no time

Archivist: in seeking vengeance and struck

Archivist: where it hurt the most. He

Archivist: immediately made an alliance

Archivist: with the English and King Henry

Archivist: V, and the alliance led to the

Archivist: Treaty of Troyes in 1420. The

Archivist: treaty was worse for France than

Archivist: the treaty signed with Henry IV.

Archivist: It removed Charles and his

Archivist: entire bloodline from the French

Archivist: line of succession. Instead, it

Archivist: stated upon the death of Charles

Archivist: VI, Henry would become king of

Archivist: France, along with all his

Archivist: future sons. And to solidify the

Archivist: new dynasty, it was also

Archivist: stipulated that Henry was to

Archivist: marry Catherine of Valois, the

Archivist: daughter of Charles VI. Stay

Archivist: tuned until the end for a fun

Archivist: fact on Catherine of Valois and

Archivist: her role in medieval England.

Archivist: Now, even though Charles VI was

Archivist: king and he had no part in the

Archivist: treaty or disinheriting his own

Archivist: son, he was too far gone in his

Archivist: insanity to make any decisions

Archivist: at this point. The basis for

Archivist: removing the Dauphine Charles

Archivist: from the royal line was his

Archivist: capital crime of assassinating

Archivist: John the Fearless, which he

Archivist: still denied. The treaty was

Archivist: signed on 21 May 1420, and Henry

Archivist: V married Catherine of Valois in

Archivist: June 1420. She was crowned the

Archivist: Queen of England in February

Archivist: 1421 at Westminster Abbey and

Archivist: gave birth to a son, Henry, in

Archivist: December 1421, the future Henry

Archivist: VI of England, and according to

Archivist: the treaty, the future King of

Archivist: France. In a strange and

Archivist: dramatic twist of fate, both

Archivist: King Henry V and King Charles VI

Archivist: died within two months of each

Archivist: other in 1422. With Henry's

Archivist: death from dysentery on 31

Archivist: August, followed by Charles'

Archivist: death on 21 October, the throne

Archivist: of France was now technically

Archivist: vacant. And according to the

Archivist: treaty, Henry VI of England, the

Archivist: child less than one year old,

Archivist: became the new King of France.

Archivist: And he would be recognized as

Archivist: Henry II of France by the

Archivist: English and the Burgundians

Archivist: until 1435. The disinherited

Archivist: Dauphine Charles didn't give up

Archivist: his claim. With the support of

Archivist: the Almagnacs, he declared

Archivist: himself the rightful king and

Archivist: was crowned King Charles VII in

Archivist: 1429. Now, this dispute would

Archivist: not be settled for decades until

Archivist: a young woman named Joan of Arc

Archivist: emerged to save France during

Archivist: the

Archivist: final phase of the Hundred

Archivist: Years' War. But that is a story

Archivist: for another day. Now, the fun

Archivist: fact about Catherine of Valois?

Archivist: Well, after Henry V died, she

Archivist: went on to secretly marry a

Archivist: Welshman named Owen Tudor. Their

Archivist: son, Edmund Tudor, would have a

Archivist: son named Henry, who would

Archivist: become King Henry VII, the

Archivist: founder of the powerful Tudor

Archivist: dynasty. Now, the consequences

Archivist: of John's assassination might

Archivist: best be summed up by a moment in

Archivist: 1521. A monk who was presenting

Archivist: the skull of John the Fearless

Archivist: to the visiting French King

Archivist: Francis I, pointed at the axe

Archivist: hole in his skull and said, The

Archivist: death of John the Fearless was

Archivist: the end of an era and the

Archivist: beginning of a new, more

Archivist: devastating era for France. His

Archivist: assassination, meant to settle a

Archivist: score and consolidate power,

Archivist: drove his son Philip the Good

Archivist: into an alliance with the

Archivist: English. The Dauphine Charles

Archivist: inadvertently handed his kingdom

Archivist: to its greatest enemy and

Archivist: plunged France into the final

Archivist: phase of the Hundred Years' War.

Archivist: John the Fearless, a man of

Archivist: immense ambition, capable of

Archivist: great bravery and ruthless

Archivist: brutality. He fought for

Archivist: Christendom, only to murder his

Archivist: own cousin to seize power. His

Archivist: life filled with the political

Archivist: intrigue and bloodshed was a

Archivist: mirror of the chaotic kingdom he

Archivist: fought to control. In the end,

Archivist: his quest for the French crown

Archivist: led not to the victory, but to

Archivist: his death and the near total

Archivist: collapse of the French state. As

Archivist: that old monk stated, the hole

Archivist: in John's skull wasn't just a

Archivist: fatal wound, it was the door

Archivist: through which England walked

Archivist: into France. It was a wound that

Archivist: nearly destroyed a nation and a

Archivist: bloody legacy that proved a

Archivist: man's quest for

Archivist: power came at a devastating cost

Archivist: to everyone.

Archivist: That's going to end our look at

Archivist: John the Fearless in a time of

Archivist: French history that almost saw

Archivist: the country ruled by the English.

Archivist: You can find the list in the

Archivist: show notes in

Archivist: the bibliography at

Archivist: MedievalArchives.com/95. Send

Archivist: your comments or questions to

Archivist: the podcast at

Archivist: MedievalArchives.com or leave a

Archivist: message on the

Archivist: listener voicemail at

Archivist: 720-722-1066. And if you are

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