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
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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
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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
Archivist: enjoying the podcast,
Archivist: the easiest way is to tell your
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Archivist: MedievalArchives.com. So thanks
Archivist: again for your time. Thanks
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Archivist: And that's going to wrap it up
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Archivist: Illuminating the Dark Ages for
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